A question that always bothers my
mind is the scope and public reach of Bengali films. They are shown at the
various film festivals like – New York Film Festival, Dubai Film Festival,
Berlin Film Festival, Goa Film Festival, Kolkata International Film Festival,
Moscow International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival etc. These films are
gracefully recognized across the globe. The foreign audience understands the
effort and the stories depicted in these films despite the language hurdle. But
what about the teeming millions of India. They are prevented from watching
these films due to language barrier. This does not happen only to Bengal cinema. There
are very few regional languages films that are translated into Hindi or
English.It happens to the wonderful Marathi, Kannada etc. meaningful theatre
and cinema. They do produce significant art and creativity. But very few
Indians are not linguistically challenged. We often say that cinema has no
boundaries. This is just a huge irony, India produces amazing
creativity through cinema but public reach is a major blockade of this creative
art form.
The
21st century Bengal cinema is all about experimentation and an
unconventional blend of stories. Undoubtedly, there is commercial
cinema like Bollywood etc. where shooting is done at various
foreign locations with songs, dances, action packed thriller and are higher
budget films. The common Indian sentiment that surrounds yet not surpass is
that a movie for the masses is proletariat and that the experimental art cinema
is bourgeoisie. In the past few years, the audience of Bengal wished
to explore new subjects apart from watching those regular commercial movies
with the actor and actresses prancing around trees and shrubs in a
garden. A trend which grew and revived the creativity
of Bengal cinema. The new age directors like Srijit Mukherjee,
Kaushik Ganguly, ChurniGanguly, Parambrata Chatterjee, Sandip Ray (son of
legendary director Satyajit Ray), MainakBhaumik, Sudeshna Roy and Abhijit
Guha are doing extensive research to produce a single piece of film. Each
of their films is regarding a subject that has been less ventured upon.
It was the 90’s when there was a
downfall in terms of significant films. The films had become
extremely low budget, commercial with paucity of adequent content and
depth. Then there emerged directors like Late Rituparno Ghosh, Goutam
Ghosh and Aparna Sen who brought some extremely well made films that potrayed
great creativity, thought provocation and mass followers of their next
venture. It was a refreshing change again for the audience of
Bengal who were starved from watching good cinema.
If we go down the memory lane
directors like Satyajit Ray, RitwickGhatak, Mrinal Sen, Hrishkesh Mukherjee,
Tapan Sinha etc. were notable artists whose films have been shown across the
globe and appreciated. They showed the world that Indians too are not
novice but intellectually awakened and enlightened citizens of this continent.
Satyajit Rays film institute in Kolkata is major platform for students of
film and television. His films are studied also
in University of California.These stalwarts were polymath of
their genre like , specifically Ray who scripted, cinematographed, directed,
sung, directed music, painted, designed sets and costumes of films, wrote
stories etc. Ray was highly influenced by Vittorio De Sica's Italian
neorealist 1948 film Bicycle
Thieves during a visit to London.” and after watching it he thought to
become a film director. I wonder what a significant cinema it was as it gave
birth to Satyajit Ray and Anurag Kashyap (new age bollywood director) as a
director. These two individuals born in different eras are influenced by the
same film.The period of Ray can be described as the era of Film Rennaissance of
Bengal. Ghatak’sMeghe Dhaka Tara inspired another art filmmaker Mira Nair
and beckon her towards good cinema. Their films showed the world
that India was much more than just a snake charmer’s land. The death
of this kind of intelligentsia and cinematic geniuses lead to the downfall of
the Bengal’s creativity in terms of film making. And this
intellectual death can be seen clearly in the late 80’s and 90’s
of Bengal cinema. It seemed to the audience as the dusk era of
what Bengal could artistically produce for the nation and the world.
The art that broke the human confines of language, race etc. breathed its last
at the rise of the 90’s era.
Now in this century, the
abovementioned new age directors are bringing out of the box stories. The
director’s like Kaushik Ganguly explores the subject of sexuality in his films.
Srijit Mukherjee whose films are experimental, great presentation, thrill. To
the audience he is the Indian adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock and Edgar Allen
Poe. He is a former economist and has been assistant director, lyricist,
actor on stage and films. His subject of films are well read and researched. He
rose to prominence with the film Autograph that gathered critical acclaim and
appreciation. Who could have thought that “BaisheySrabon” (thriller film) could
have a subject so meaningful behind it.His film potrayed the Hungrealist
movement of Bengal. His film subject was a daring move as it dealt with
anti Rabindranathtagore analogy, causes and significance and was able to draw
sympathy from the audience. Rabindranath Tagore, the literary genius of Bengal
who is worshipped by every Bengali in Bengal. Then comes MainakBhaumick who has been an assistant director to late Rituparno
Ghosh, his films are cosmopolitan in outlook and studies contemporary culture,
problems and issues of today’s society. Sudeshna Ghosh and Abhijit Guha are duo
who too produce experimental subject cinema. The aforesaid directors deal with
subjects and issues that have never been dealt out by anyone in India.
Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Hrishkesh
Mukherjee, Tapan Sinha, Late Rituparno Ghosh etc. have directed hindi
films in Bollywood casting Bollywood actors and actresses. The late Rituporna
Ghosh has directed mainstream Bollywood actresses in Bengal cinema
and achieved huge apreciation for those films. Amidst all this artistic
creativity, we as an audience have virtually acknowledged that the bioscope
of Bengal is reviving and is moving with the pace of contemporary
lifestyle, education, progress and thinking. This is arrived at due to the
commercial development happening in Bengal and many new producers are
coming forward to produce new projects. It is also acknowledged that the
actors, actresses, directors etc. are extremely talented as often seen that
they are playing multiple roles in the aspect of film making. Some of them can
sing and dance at the same time, while others can write lyrics, direct, write
and act. Each of the individual of the industry has many god gifted talents and
has something interesting to give to the audience.It is also seen that
directors like Satyajit Ray and Rituparno Ghosh had a stint in the advertising
world before they came to mainstream cinema. The directors as mentioned in
this article have received Bharat Ratna, National Film Award and other higher
recognitions for their contribution to Bengal bioscope. Each of the directors
mentioned in this article are studious, talented and well read.
All this is about
the Bengal cinema which will continue to produce many more beautiful
films that will touch the class audience. The directors will read, study many
more books, theatre and films across the globe and potray those rare subjects
that we often overlook. The thing that bothers my mind is this classic art form
of Bengal still has a language barrier and the teeming millions living in
various parts of the country will fail to notice the depth of the subjects just
as we as Bengalis miss the piece of art depicted by other regional cinema and
theatre. How ironical this is, the world is watching through various film
festivals what India has to offer yet the Indians themselves are just
confined to language barricades. My thoughts such as these arise when I watched
the masterpieces Amelie, Bicycle Thieves, Jean Paul Satre's - A political
murder, Girish Karnad'sNagamandala etc.
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