Homage to Soumitra Chatterjee – an actor whom everyone loves and admires

 

Bela Shuru (not yet released) 

 Obit - 2 : I thought another piece would be worth making an effort.

The problem in writing about versatile Soumitra Chatterjee is that one could end up writing more about legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray. 

Having already penned one obit piece in this blog site, one would have restraint writing another. But apparently some friends of mine in social media have been influenced and encouraged to see a few of Soumitra/Saumitra Chatterjee acted films and mind you most of them are non-Bengalis. They took the risk of downloading the films on Youtube and at the end of it ended up turning great admirers of the deceased actor. 

So, I thought another piece would be worth making an effort. Talking about Soumitra and Satyajit Ray, one is reminded of a popular statement in cine-world that Cinema is more often a real vehicle of action.
Long back, an acclaimed film writer Chidanand Das Gupta had written “To Ray, cinema is like the Greek theatre, the action takes place off screen, while on screen, we see the reaction to it”. 

Therefore, when one analyses Soumitra Chatterjee’s performance in some or all of Ray’s films – like popular ones ‘Apur Sansar’ or even at later day’s ‘Shakha Prashakha’ and ‘Ganashatru’, we must bear in mind the context Ray must have created and fine tuned the protagonists as portrayed by Chatterjee.

In Borunbabur Bondhu 

Spare a few minutes to see the film ‘Apur Sansar’ made in 1959 and one would certainly appreciate that the relationship between Apu and his (accidental wife) Aparna is one of the most perfect depictions of love.

A good observer of the film would not miss a point that Aparna’s fragile beauty has a touch of infinite and perhaps also undefined ‘sadness’! But Apu’s admiration for her grows up mere formality and even infatuation. At one point Apu says: “Amar Lekha amar janya koto boro jano, tumi taar cheye o boro “You know how I love and admire my writing. I love you even more, you are even greater”. (As a journo and regular blogger – one finds the statement autobiographical as well)

And Sharmila Tagore’s response – ever romanticised in Bengali literature and films – one word but very powerful “Sattie” (Is this true)!

‘Aparajito’ is another Satyajit Ray’s magical film which is part of the famous Triology as they say. Here we need not talk about Soumitra, but Sarbajaya’s role is superb and heart-touching. Her sorrow and son’s indifference is inevitable.

In fact, the Triology of Ray is incomplete without reference to 1955 movie ‘Pather Panchali’. 

All three put together or even separately are actually a tribute to the triumph of love. And in many cases, it is not love between man and woman. In ‘Pather Panchali’, Indira Thakran is only a distant relative and the film’s children (first creation of Apu included) love her not just because she is their kin; but they are drawn to her as she represents a ‘mysterious force’ of life and perhaps even death.

Coming back to Saumitra, we know how pretty well he depicted the protagonist Apu in ‘Apur Sansar’ – someone in an accidental marriage, lonely life as a student, his love for his wife and at later stage an inconsolable sense of loss. 

While they travel in a carriage (cow-pulled cart) to drop Apu’s wife for the delivery of the would be baby, an ‘enchanted’ husband Apu throws a question, “Tomar chokhhey ki acchey bolo toh (What is there in your eyes)”. 

On the backdrop there is a glow of the match stick and Sharmila’s face is lit up. But his wife’s response is yet again very short but romantic in its own form ‘Kajal’.

Chatterjee is at his best – bearded and pensive eye lost in his own thoughts. He is still to overcome the sadness of wife’s death and an anguish against his son. Apu throws away all the pages of his manuscript – of an incomplete novel which he wanted to dedicate to his wife (a promise made to her). 

The filmmaker and actor make a perfect combine as Apu holds his both hands facing upwards and his face having reconciled to fate.

Critic Chidanand Das Gupta once said that was : “Ray’s way of slowly bringing about the events outward and inward, in perfect relationship to each other....”.
In later films, Soumitra appears as a more matured and versatile artiste. In films by other directors like Goutam Ghose in ‘Dekha’, he is a blind poet. But the performance is just unique. 

It revolves well between human decency, struggle and moral decay both at personal level and in the society. A known communist himself, Saumitra perhaps throwing a relevant political question of his fading days, “Is Communism vanishing?”

Similarly in other films too, he is so real – may be idealist at times but to whom ‘exploitation’ remains unacceptable. He is more than just an actor. 

One could an elderly neighbour in him – sometime even an intimate family member. Soumitra’s big success in portraying those senior citizens’ role is easily described as holding the mirror to the society. 

obit 1 

Some changes may come in one's life and in relationship, some may not; and also when the changes come in a character (human being) – this can happen incrementally.

In Ghose’s political film ‘Kaalbela (based on a novel by Samaresh Majumdar), Soumitra is grandfather in a north Bengal tea-garden to his grandson who lands in Kolkata of 1970s hit by the Naxalite movement. 

But the aging grandfather has a million dollar advise for the youngster – “Kolkata is a very large city....remember you are an outsider, do not forget your roots. You may reach out to the skies above, but always keep your feet on ground”

(..Tomar paa dukhani jeno maati tey thakey)”.

There have been several of his late-life movies which could have easily competed with his own performance in his younger days. In ‘Atmiyo Swajan (meaning relatives)’, Soumitra plays a disillusioned oldtimer in a typical middle class family – when sons are at loggerheads with each other, daughter has almost a broken marriage and there are other crises.

The angry old man reprimands his aging wife (brilliantly portrayed by Supriya Devi) – “Chheleder asol roop eibar khulchhey (The sons are showing their real face now)”.

He exhorts his wife repeatedly to commit suicide stating: “If you do not want to suffer more, let us go...How much tragedy you want to see in this life”. 

Well, in real life, he saw and suffered Corona and went off. Incidentally, his death came (Nov 15, 2020) a fortnight later after my father’s death. Of course, Baba died a natural death and after a possible cardiac arrest for a very brief spell. But death nevertheless it was. 

“...You are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead” – Bhagavad Gita

(Interpretation/explanation – The body is born and is destined to be vanquished today or tomorrow)   

Ends 

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