I always believe that like friends and books, movies (to watch) should also be few and well chosen. I don't mind watching the ones I like, over and over again and I never waste my time watching those that I don't. Another thing is, for books that have been made into movies, there are only a couple where the movies are better and in one I'd say they are equal, but in most cases the movies deviate so much from the original story that I just can't watch those. Similarly, the way I imagine the main characters have a very big impact on me, so when on screen I see someone acting the part, who by no means has the look of the person in the book it just drives me mad! So you see, I am quite choosy about films.
This is probably my first post about movies and the reason I am writing this is because I have been much saddened by the sudden demise of the Bengali movie director Rituparno Ghosh.
When we were growing up, Bengali movies were probably in their darkest age. By that time, Uttam Kumar has been dead for a decade or more. Satyajit Ray too was gone. So Bengalis of Calcutta, who are of the educated class that we kind of call the middle class intelligentsia had no Bengali movie to watch. Doordarshan would telecast a Bengali movie on Sunday evening which our families would watch, but those were always the oldies. The movies that were being made at that time in Tollygunge (Bengali movie studios) were not for this elite class. Those were horrible adaptations of low category Bollywood movies which we only talked about when we discussed how horrible the movie titles are. Those were jokes, only to be laughed at. I don't remember anyone from my family going to the movie theaters (Hindi movies were also not of the standard to be watched.)
Then I remember, when I was in eighth grade, my mom watching a movie called "Unishe April" (April 19th) by some director called Rituparno Ghosh (who was a friend of my mom's cousin and an ex-student of my school). That's what I knew at that time and I think I was not really that mature as to understand that movie. Later, when "Dahan" was released I couldn't watch it because I was not yet eighteen. "Bariwali", I went to the movie theater to see it, but I didn't very much understand it too. It was in 2003 when I really liked the presentation and understood the reality behind "Chokher Bali" which is of my most favorite movies. "Antarmahal", I simply hated, but when I watched "Utsab", I was already in the States far away from home so the concept of a joint family and the basic depictions of gathering around the dinner table and such brought back fond memories of home and Calcutta. Later, I understood and very much appreciated "Unishe April", to that also, I could subtly relate to the story line, myself being the daughter of a working mom as well. "Dahan" was an extremely bold movie, laying bare the true nature of the society we are living in. In most of Rituparno's movies he showed those Bengali families that we grew up in, the ones that we can relate to the most. As his own background was in the same South Calcutta, going to perhaps the most respected school and university of Calcutta, he brought forward in his movies the same things that I relate to as "home".
Like I said before, it's not that I invariably like all his movies. There has been movies where the depiction of sexuality was too much, or I'd say not using the way a movie should. I didn't like those. But even for those movies I'd say, a director needs to experiment as well. There will be cases when he is wrong (considering we can use the word "wrong"), or he is not very clear in saying what he means. We can't judge a thing of art like that. I wouldn't say that I personally like his cross-dressing or publicly talking about his sexual preferences, but I must admit that I like his boldness and transparency. In a society where sexual discussions, forget about homosexuality is tabooed, it is almost revolutionary how he brought up those debatable topics up through his movies. I do respect that.
Later, I will not remember the peculiar way he wore a head gear or if he decided to wear a saree (that too in an odd way). People will criticize anyone who goes beyond the regular tracks set by society. I will only remember him as a movie director who brought back the elite and educate Bengalis back to the movie theaters. Now I see a bunch of young directors budding, the movies Kahaani and Bhooter Bhabishyot were extremely well directed, but those would not have been possible unless Rituparno Ghosh brought back the hope people lost in Bengali movies.
In these days when sadly Bengal has not retained the bright people she once had, Rituparno was one of those people who read a lot of books, was a charming person to converse with and in general belonged to that class which Bengalis pride themselves on. And he had so much more to offer, 49 is not an age to die nowadays. I am really sad for this loss.
This is probably my first post about movies and the reason I am writing this is because I have been much saddened by the sudden demise of the Bengali movie director Rituparno Ghosh.
When we were growing up, Bengali movies were probably in their darkest age. By that time, Uttam Kumar has been dead for a decade or more. Satyajit Ray too was gone. So Bengalis of Calcutta, who are of the educated class that we kind of call the middle class intelligentsia had no Bengali movie to watch. Doordarshan would telecast a Bengali movie on Sunday evening which our families would watch, but those were always the oldies. The movies that were being made at that time in Tollygunge (Bengali movie studios) were not for this elite class. Those were horrible adaptations of low category Bollywood movies which we only talked about when we discussed how horrible the movie titles are. Those were jokes, only to be laughed at. I don't remember anyone from my family going to the movie theaters (Hindi movies were also not of the standard to be watched.)
Then I remember, when I was in eighth grade, my mom watching a movie called "Unishe April" (April 19th) by some director called Rituparno Ghosh (who was a friend of my mom's cousin and an ex-student of my school). That's what I knew at that time and I think I was not really that mature as to understand that movie. Later, when "Dahan" was released I couldn't watch it because I was not yet eighteen. "Bariwali", I went to the movie theater to see it, but I didn't very much understand it too. It was in 2003 when I really liked the presentation and understood the reality behind "Chokher Bali" which is of my most favorite movies. "Antarmahal", I simply hated, but when I watched "Utsab", I was already in the States far away from home so the concept of a joint family and the basic depictions of gathering around the dinner table and such brought back fond memories of home and Calcutta. Later, I understood and very much appreciated "Unishe April", to that also, I could subtly relate to the story line, myself being the daughter of a working mom as well. "Dahan" was an extremely bold movie, laying bare the true nature of the society we are living in. In most of Rituparno's movies he showed those Bengali families that we grew up in, the ones that we can relate to the most. As his own background was in the same South Calcutta, going to perhaps the most respected school and university of Calcutta, he brought forward in his movies the same things that I relate to as "home".
Like I said before, it's not that I invariably like all his movies. There has been movies where the depiction of sexuality was too much, or I'd say not using the way a movie should. I didn't like those. But even for those movies I'd say, a director needs to experiment as well. There will be cases when he is wrong (considering we can use the word "wrong"), or he is not very clear in saying what he means. We can't judge a thing of art like that. I wouldn't say that I personally like his cross-dressing or publicly talking about his sexual preferences, but I must admit that I like his boldness and transparency. In a society where sexual discussions, forget about homosexuality is tabooed, it is almost revolutionary how he brought up those debatable topics up through his movies. I do respect that.
Later, I will not remember the peculiar way he wore a head gear or if he decided to wear a saree (that too in an odd way). People will criticize anyone who goes beyond the regular tracks set by society. I will only remember him as a movie director who brought back the elite and educate Bengalis back to the movie theaters. Now I see a bunch of young directors budding, the movies Kahaani and Bhooter Bhabishyot were extremely well directed, but those would not have been possible unless Rituparno Ghosh brought back the hope people lost in Bengali movies.
In these days when sadly Bengal has not retained the bright people she once had, Rituparno was one of those people who read a lot of books, was a charming person to converse with and in general belonged to that class which Bengalis pride themselves on. And he had so much more to offer, 49 is not an age to die nowadays. I am really sad for this loss.
1 comment:
ami o sab samay mone kori je ekjon artist/author will be remembered by his/her work and work alone. tumi khub sundar kore likhechho - tomar view ta thik ei bhabe ami bhebe dekhini. kaal aparna sen bollo "ritu manik kaka ke ekebare moner bhetor niye niyechhilo" jeta reflected hoto or detail/ buddhir application e. (ami jantam na je o j.u. theke economics a graduation korechhilo.) byomkesh er 'satyanweshi' baaki roye galo.
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