As I write on this, I have a smile as well as a grimace on my face, if you can picture that.
The Bengali movie scene started a long time ago and it has been through various highs and lows, like any other film industry in the world. Surprisingly for the Bengali Film Industry, that is known as Tollywood, the quality of the films through the decades has declined considerably, and I can safely say that the Bengali Film Industry produces most of the worst films in India today.
Now as I say that, I also add that there are some exceptional films made in Bengali as well. However, this percentage is so meagre and the directors of such films have been so rare, that by and large Tollywood is not something I as a Kolkatan am proud of.
A look at the Best
West Bengal has produced some of the finest directors in World Cinema. That is no mean achievement. It is from Bengal that eminent directors like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Tapan Sinha, Mrinal Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Goutam Ghose, Aparna Sen and more recently Rituparno Ghosh have arisen.
Satyajit Ray has been the only Indian to have been awarded the Oscar. His films have a class of their own which no other director has been able to emulate. Films like Panther Panchali(The Song of the Road), Charulata,(The Lonely Wife) among numerous other films played a leading role in the renewed interest of the West in Asian Films.
Ritwik Ghatak was another such phenomenal director whose works speak a language of their own. Meghe Dhaka Tara(The Cloud-capped Star) and Subarnorekha were some notable films that he made which held the audience spellbound with their plethora of complex emotions and the subtle treatment to the stories. Ghatak also largely dealt with the Bengal Partition and its after effects in his films.
Many other revered directors have taken centrestage in Tollywood.
Tapan Sinha, with his films Hate Bajarey(In the Marketplace) Kabuliwala and the hindi Sagina Mahato.
Mrinal Sen, with his films Ekdin Pratidin(And Quiet Rolls the Dawn),Akaler Sandhane(In search of Famine) and the hindi Ek Din Achanak.
Buddhadeb Dasgupta, with his films Tahader Katha(Their Story) and Grihajuddha(Crossroads).
Goutam Ghose, with his films Antarjali Jatra(The Voyage Beyond) and Padma Nadir Majhi(The Padma Boatman).
Aparna Sen, director of films like 36,Chowrunghee Lane and more recently Mr and Mrs Iyer.
Rituparno Ghosh, a newer entrant with his films Raincoat and Chokher Bali.
There have been plenty of great actors as well. To name just two, I would mention Soumitra Chatterjee with his performances in Ray's films, and Mithun Chakravarthy and his portrayal in Tahader Katha. If you were never a fan of Mithunda's dhishum dhisum, this film will turn your head. I haven't mentioned many other names for the sake of the size of this review.
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And the disaster that is Bengali Cinema Nowadays
If you don't think that Bengali Cinema is in the dumps, and this review does not satisfy you, the best medicine would be to catch a recent Prosenjit flick.
Now this guy is a decent actor. He's the son of Biswajit(Remember Bees Sal Baad ?), and Tollywood's finances have been resting on his shoulder since the early 80's. You'd think he was the Rajnikant of the east. Well no...actually you're not even close. Why he is so popular among the rural audiences of Bengal I have no clue. He has acted in over 250 movies at least, and I could find less than 10 movies he's acted in worth mentioning. Three of them after Aparna Sen and Rituparno Ghosh came into the picture. Get the gyst ?
Now I'm not being vindictive on this lone lost soul however. He did act fairly well in Chokher Bali. There are plenty others to blame, especially the rotten directors in their high chairs who claim they have signed this-and-that for a such-and-so movie that is sure to be a hit, and is a step towards modern cinema and is different.
To give you a better idea, some recent Bengali films have been :
SasurBari Zindabad - Three Cheers for the House of the In-Laws
Baba Kano Chakor - Why the Dad is a Servant
Mayer Raja - The King of the Mother
Mayer Deya Sindur - The Vermillion presented by the Mother
If you think the names are normal, the stories that they have are pretty much this.
45 yr old hero studies in college, falls for 20 something year old pretty(??!!) girl in same college. Girl's dad local goon/MLA/basically corrupt. Dad hires goons and says in bloodcurdling tones - ''I want that guy dead !!'' . Goons get bashed up by hero. Someone dies. Some song and dance in the strangest places possible. All's well that ends well.
Need another story ?
Three brothers, one is the 45 yr old college going hero. Two brothers bad, they become rich using younger brother's hard earned money and refuse to recognize him. Younger brother, so good that he is, is happy for brothers. He loves Mom/Dad dearly, whilst the other bro's make Mom clean house and Dad go to the market. Brother angry = Emotional Dialogues = Mother Dies = Violent Outburst = Fight = Final Climax and All are Happy again. (Did I mention song/dance + romance for the hero?).
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To be a Bengali and experience such trash is painful. A comparison of the two sections in the review are itself a tragic revelation. It's high time the director's of such films take a break and let the present generation of directors come up with some good, modern and socially viable films. For those still in doubt, send me your address and I'll send you a DVD(if I get one) of a modern Bengali film.
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