Transcending language barrier

THE EIGHT-DAY long Ritwik Ghatak retrospective (July 31 to Aug. 7) organised by the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT) in the commercial city of Ahmedabad was not really a runaway success, but it certainly rekindled interest in the late film-maker among a generation naturally prone to suffix Roshan with such a first name.

Though many of the films were without sub-title, the audience sat through the films with rapt attention proving once again that Ghatak's films do transcend the linguistic barriers - at least in some cases.

The audience remained confined to the members of the (CEPT) Film Club and very few Bangla-knowing film-lovers and students in other institutions of the city. But, howsoever small the audience was at most of the screenings, Ghatak's themes did bring out the universal appeal of homelessness that predominates many of his films.

Since Ritwik's films have already been screened and reviewed umpteen times over the past two decades, it was wise of the organisers to have chosen some films made on him by his son, Ritaban Ghatak.

In fact, screening of ``Meet the Editor,'' in which some of Ritwik's old technician colleagues talk about the maestro's use of whispering tones and timings, actually helped in making the audience understand its impact on the film ``Subarnarekha'' (the golden line) when Abhiram on his return from hostel reveals to Sita, in whispers, that he is in love with her.

Sita's yearning for the elusive ``new home'' at several stages of her life, the underlining theme of the partition pangs Ghatak's generation had experienced, cannot be missed by the younger audience even half a century later. The search for ``new home'' remains incomplete - this time for Sita's orphaned son - till the end when Ishwar returns to Chhatimpur.

More impressive is Ishwar's lament ``so near, yet so far'' while looking at the other side of the Padma river - Ghatak's comment on the artificial borders between peoples of the same land which remains relevant even in contemporary times.

Though the non-arrival of ``Baari Theke Paliye'' (runaway) on time deprived the audience of how a serious and thought-provoking film-maker like Ghatak took a child's eye view of his world, ``Ajaantrik'' (pathetic fallacy) more than compensated for it by underlining the peculiar man-machine relationship.

The ``Ajaantrik'' theme seemed relevant with the current pace of obsolescence of technology that brings to an end the love-hate relationship the protagonist has with his vintage car.

Similarly, ``Titas Ekti Nadir Naam'' (a river named Titas) brought out the pathetic tale of a destitute woman and her son. The inimitable Ghatak symbolism is visible when a bunch of water hyacinth drifts afloat from the foreground and occupies mid- screen as soon as the boy is left behind on the river bank by the fishermen's boats.

The summing up was as usual with Ghatak's masterpiece, ``Jukti, Takko ar Gappo,'' (arguments and a story), his last feature film in which he himself acted as the drunken intellectual, Neelkantha.

Even ``Asamapto Ritwik'' (unfinished Ritwik), made by his son Ritaban, was no less significant in terms of contribution to the parallel cinema initiated by the senior Ghatak nearly four decades back.

``Bagalar Bango Darshan'' (Bagala's discovery of Bengal), the incomplete film finished by his son, brought out the hilarious Ghatak in all its dimensions. In a nutshell, the Ritwik Ghatak retrospective in Ahmedabad proved to be a welcome break from the unnatural fantasies and pulled back the audience for some time to the realities of life in all its manifestations.

D. TAPASI

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Entertainment
Previous : Film Review: The Tailor of Panama
Next     : A string of lies...