Sare Chuattar - Uttam, Suchitra

The iconic star pair of Bengali films is very young here, in the story about a mother and daughter taking refuge with a relative - in the males only boarding house, called mess, those days - and being discovered, to their dismay and indignation, by other residents, with much hilarity and fighting ensuing, until their most stalwart of "no women" flagbearers is universally acknowledged in love with the new young resident. Delightful all around.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4XFsABbyr2w

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MAYcLtw9yjI

Sabarmati - সবরমতী - Uttam Kumar, Supriya

There have been a few copies and remakes of the magical It Happened One Night, and this is yet another one.

For some reason, both the Bengali films inspired by the original, the other being Chauwa Pauwa, with Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen, have one thing in common - the heroine isn't running for freedom to marry her love as in the original, but only to escape the suitor her father insists her on marrying. Her own heart, untouched until she falls for Uttam Kumar, and she waits for him in this one for a few years!

This film is set in Gujarat for some reason, and doesn't quite do justice to the milieu they attempt to portray, especially so in case of the heroine. Or her father.

There is a beautiful song, Dekhoni Ki Pathareo Phote Phul, but for some reason DR omits it, just as they do in case of some other songs from other films that are soul of the film.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MWYmSVc-AEM

Padmavat - Shahid Kapoor, Deepika padukone, Ranveer Singh,

About the film, even Arnav Goswamy woke up to the possibility that all those protests were engineered as a means to publicity that cost the producer nothing, except a gossip whisper about a distortion, of history that is so sensitive it's held sacred by most of India, and all the more so by the region. So there was a whisper about a love scene between the invading demonic despot who demanded the king hand over his queen, and the beautiful queen who preferred to end her life by entering fire rather than such a possibility, with all other women of the fort that were wives and relatives of the army soldiers.

But for that publicity stunt, the tables could and would have turned the other way, with only staunch orthodox Indians worshipping the film and all non Hindus, non Indians, and anyone who called themselves liberal, duty bound to denounce it for showing women entering fire alive to end their lives as their men went for the final battle with no expectations of living.

But the fact is that this film had little else other than the history, the legend, and the identification of India with it, to recommend itself, so it needed to have that publicity stunt to blind people to its faults - faults there were galore.

For one, the career of the leading lady has its existence based on persecution of an unquestionably beautiful Miss World of yore, by the powers unleashed by an underworld favourite who was rejected by her, and hence made it difficult for most in the profession to work with her, so substitutes were found, however pitifully inadequate. This particular substitute is inadequate at several levels, but has been promoted due to various other such reasons. If she were merely inadequate to portray the legendary beautiful historic figures due to shortage of looks, that would be different, but no, she usually fails in portraying the character due to sticking to being her self, who never got over being a rampwalk model. And by definition, a young woman of the turn of the millennium.

And as if that weren't enough, there are other mistakes in view too.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib-deR0Ouwk

Chinite Parini Bondhu - Palatak - Bengali Movie Song - Ruma Guha Thakurta

Saw the Hindi remake decades ago, but didn't realise when watching this until this song came, and it dawned then that it was original of Rahgir - until then the film seemed very interesting, different, unique, steeped in the Baul and other traditions that are so rooted in the region, although the traditional culture of country theatre groups travelling and performing in villages exists in other regions too.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gef5vWWa_5A

Anupama - Uttam Kumar, Sabitri Chatterjee, 1955

Delightful opening! The shoe repair guy, plying his trade on sidewalk, asserts it will take four pause worth stitches, and the hero is concerned about whether he has the sum. Those were the days! 1955!

The artist playing Kalyani, presumably Anubha Gupta, here looks quite as presentable as her features would make one expect, so it must have been the artistic capability that made her look less while playing an opportunistic character in Trijama.

Something very important is said 18:57 by the father to his daughter whom he hasn't deprived of education and it's flowering of spirit, although he isn't exactly flush and regrets having been unable to give his son a further education in law as befits a gentleman according to the norms of the era. He tells the daughter, mere education isn't enough, you have to have strength to be able to go out and take the social hostility before you are able to use your education.

The attitude of the mother post the demise of the father, however, is somewhat a previous incarnation of that from Ritwik Ghatak's Meghe Dhaka Tara, what with her hostility towards her educated daughter, attempts to have that daughter's suitor matched with the younger daughter instead, and extraordinary resistance towards that daughter working, however desperate the poverty of the house and starving younger children 37:31.

It all comes to a head when the brother proposes the obvious match for thus educated sister, which the mother explodes at the thought of 1:02:49 - since this earning, educated elder daughter is a widow resulting from a death of her bridegroom from her childhood marriage, and the family hasn't quite absorbed the ideals of progressive father now gone, or at least the mother has not. She wishes her widowed daughter to follow idea is of a family lore of a young sati, and denies that that girl happened to live due to heavy rains that enabled her to escape!

All that talk of ideals is, of course a mere convenient cover up for the selfishness of the widowed mother who makes the daughter feel guilty 1:04:00 about caring about herself rather than the siblings who depend on her!

The story is slow to unfold, but it catches momentum, and one is in for a treat of a performance from the beautiful Sabitri Chatterji who is so unconscious of her beauty most of the time, amongst the various other characters that get manipulated by the self sacrifice drama imposed on the widowed daughter.

Funny part is how the mother, supposedly old fashioned idealistic one who won't allow the widowed daughter to marry someone who cares for her, is pressuring her to agree to play her part in a fraud to manipulate the guy so the boss can destroy him and other workforce! Here stands exposed the complete selfishness of the woman who is sacrificing a daughter in name of ideal but in reality for her own children.

Wish one can say there is a happy ending, and the director and script leave one to imagine it, when the union arrives at her doorstep to announce they stand with her, her beau asking for her forgiveness, her brother and his wife arrive to support her. But the widowed heroine's union is left to conjecture, while it's the leftist victory portrayed explicitly in words and scene at the finale.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wGmcgriRoRs&t=1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGmcgriRoRs

Kanhaiya - Raj Kapoor, Nutan

Surprisingly, good film.

The story is about a young woman who is a devout naive person, in love with her God, and when told that she might see him if she calls him with all her heart he will meet her, but not in public, she goes to a forest to call him - where, it so happens, a village drunk who is otherwise a goodhearted honest guy misunderstands her calling his name and declares he will marry her since she so obviously is in love with him. How this resolves is the film.

One goes to see it due to its songs and artists, and ends up marvelling at the well executed finesse by the director and screenplay writer!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuncDOjgUcI

Abhayer Biye - অভয়ের বিয়ে - Uttam Kumar, Sabitri Chatterjee

Having seen this a couple of times, as it played on tv, still, watching it from beginning gives a much better idea - it isn't about beating up a rich, educated girl, rather it's about the quiet, shy boy who has everything and is doing a serious Ph.D. too, but was always dependent on his uncle to tell him what to do next, and is petrified of being out in the world.

The endearingly simpleton attempts to transform himself to suit his merciful intended, but despite her own beginning to like him, she gives more weight to a momentary turn of temper to refuse him, not realising thus coukd destroy their lives for good. The other suitor, urbane and more, is meanwhile playing a spiteful game to destroy her father.

Beautiful but short visuals of Ganga at Rishikesh to depict the mother and son in search of peace, some picturesque ruins of yore of Lucknow to match the inner devastation of the unnecessarily separated couple, the ego of the temperamental heroine in playing games with the two men whike she risks her whole future and heart as well, the story gies through quite a few turns in its usual Bengal literature and films portrayal of a contrast between the modern with quicksand foundation versus old class with not merely money but a difference of character that's built over generations.

In an unexpected turn the role of other woman, a cousin, is clearer further - it isn't just about explaining their own feelings to the couple, or being kind to each, but also playing the game against the villain, who - for reasons not at all clear - agrees to run away with her instead of going to his own formal engagemengagement event. But as it turns out, he isn't all that villainous, and removes himself without her sacrifice, making it possible for the couple to unite - finally!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ILCddiNEMNw

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k9NnfXlx-0U