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| FILMS |
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Road less travelled
Bose is pepped up about Jhankaar Beats, a ‘non-Rahul Bose’ film and Mumbai Matinee. The writer-actor-director talks of his past and future... |
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| MUSIC |
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Man of the masses
 Remembering lyricist Shailendra, who maintained a low-profile throughout his career, but wrote some of the most
simple, sensitive and profound film lyrics... |
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| TELEVISION |
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Vivacious
 An unconventional beauty speaking in an unfamiliar accent- not the perfect recipe for an Indian actress, but Tanaaz Currim proved the formula wrong. An... |
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| TOLLYGUNJE |
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| SNIPPETS |
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| Amrish Puri in Netaji ... |
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Pradip Biswas
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The place for Amrish Puri in Shyam Benegal’s films has always remained secure ever since he had appeared in his film Nishant in 1975. Amrish Puri’s space, quite large and meaningful, in the cinema of Shyam Benegal, to be frank, was realised by the director to supplement the unfolding of the motif of the films and never used as an appendix. His subsequent appearances in films like Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977) proved to the hilt how big and agile performer Amrish Puri was and still is. Verily known as Bollywood’s villain No one, Amrish Puri, however, has travelled to the opposite ‘role playing’ in films of Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalini. In two of Govind Nihalini’s films such as Tamas and Drohokal, Amrish Puri could prove his mettle by playing the non-stereotype characters so well that sometimes major filmmakers do question his random appearances in mainstream cinema stuff that do not reflect much of his acting talent. He is now talk of the town as he came to the city of Kolkata to do a role of Sardarji in Benegal’s Netaji: The Last Hero which is said to be a special character for Amrish Puri, fire-brand freedom fighter, full of beans to lend his side to Netaji in times of India’s much desired independence from the British shackle.
While staying at Rampurhat where the set was built up of an old train that carried Netaji in his escape bid from Gomo to Peshwar under disguise, Amrish Puri radiated much of his pride given the gilt-edged chance he has got to portray in the film. It has been a different role for Amrish Puri, national patriot, very much eager to take part with Netaji in India’s freedom movement. Said Amrish Puri, “It has always been a rewarding experience for me whenever I have had chance to come to Kolkata and take part in its cultural activity. This is not the first time I have come to the city and enjoyed everything that it has offered. For me, Shyam Benegal has always been specialist director who has so much contributed to the new Indian cinema in the country. My own experience with Shyam Benegal has been so nice and rewarding. For in his films you have scope to interpret a character, unlike in others’ films, and in portraying it with a thorough flair of emotion, you enjoy the element of living it. And that’s rare and great.”
Shyam Benegal, who seldom sidetracked Amrish Puri in terms of justification of demanding his participation in his kind of films, has maintained, “An all time great actor. Amrish Puri while called to take part in my films has always provided a new dimension to the text of the film by his sound portrayal, so close to skin and our cinematic perception. He is an indispensable genius, not always exploited wisely”. Sachin Khedekar, who is playing the role of Netaji in the film, has taken exceptional pleasure in acting with the veteran actor Amrish Puri.
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| Biswajit to direct |
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Biswajit, one time larger-than-life hero of both Bengali and Hindi cinema in the sixties and seventies, has come out with his directorial film called Adarini slated for release in the city and the suburbs. One could recall his film Raktatilok made in the seventies with Uttam Kumar and Supriya Choudhury in the lead. Made with mainstream consciousness punched with human values, the film got the actor-director some box-office respect since it returned his investment. His documentary on Netaji with Raza Murad’s voice-over made some years ago is said to be tribute to the national hero, known for his revolutionary zeal and armed struggle battle against the colonial rulers. His new film Adarini has his daughter Prima Chattopadhyaya in the female lead. Biswajit is playing the role of her father. Here reel-reality and real-life merge with a strange equation. It may be mentioned that Biswajit has been active in Bengali film scenario ever since he returned from Mumbai. His idea was to pep up the dying ‘Bengali film industry’ with certain individual commitment. His personal love for Bengali cinema has never been in doubt. At frequent intervals he has been taking plunge in ventures for both cinema and television and has been making films the way he has loved to present subjects what he considers very ‘social’. Well, his new film has Prasenjit too, his own son, but in a radical image, with a shade of rebellion. It goes without saying that Biswajit is here not to produce and direct films that are cut out for minority audience. No serious stuff, neither it is message-bearing film as we normally love to call it. Biswajit does not want to project things otherwise. For his faith lies in ‘value based social stories’ which he thinks our films should reflect and tackle with a sure intention. His cinema is for the common people, he has declared. And he, above everything, wants and loves to see the Bengali film industry gradually rising from the ashes and finds its feet back to move on. It is, however, not yet certain if his new film would score at the box-office and return him (he is the producer too) his huge investment. Now one has to wait just to perceive if Biswajit clicks and scores with his imagined public with the new film having a lot of songs sung by the popular artistes and Biswajit himself.
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| Sumitra Mukherjee calls the shot |
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Sumitra Mukherjee, the senior actress with a huge amount of screen popularity and traits of talent, has at last decided to direct her first tele-film Krishnachurar Katha (A Tale of Krishnachura). She made her acting debut in the Biswajit-directed film Chhotto Jiggasha, made in the seventies. Till now Sumitra has acted in more than 500 films in Bengali alone. Sumitra Mukherjee can best be remembered in Dinen Gupta’s Basanta Bilap and Devichowdhurani, the films which became too popular with the general public. Her side role along with Suchitra Sen, the best romantic heroine Bengali cinema has ever produced in the post independence era still stands out, according to many in the film industry. Her role opposite Uttam Kumar in Bikele Bhorer Phool is still fresh in the memory. After Manju De, Arundhuti Mukherjee, Aparna Sen, Madhabi Mukherjee, Indrani Halder and Rupa Ganguly, it is now the turn of Sumitra Mukherjee to take to film direction. It may be mentioned here that all the names mentioned above have been brilliant actresses in their own rights and are profusely remembered by their output. Right now Sumitra Mukherjee is much known as Amma, a role of a mother in a joint family she has been doing for 400 episodes in the tele-serial called Ek Akasher Niche, directed by Ravi Ojha for Alpha Bengal channel.
Prior to her, Madhabi Mukherjee has directed her maiden film Atmaja in Bengali. It was produced by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) some years ago. As an actress shining so brilliantly in Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar, Charulata and Kapurush, she could not make much headway. Unfortunately, Madhabi Mukherjee whose acting metier is so strong and polyvalent made not impact with her film the way her predecessor Arundhuti Mukherjee could do with her films Chhuti, Megh-O-Roudra and Padipisir Barmi Baksha.Except, however, Aparna Sen, very few women directors can match her, others could not sustain the rise desired.
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