A humorous act produced by Niva Arts and directed by Arun Bandyopadhyay featuring the director in the role of a bachelor businessman Robin Banergee, maternal uncle and the only guardian to Bipul, an MSc passed young man. This Bipul is again betrothed to a girl named Malaya, but fears to ask his uncle's permission for his marriage. Bipul's tension heightens as he finds his uncle searching a bride for him for which he had employed a fellow named Nagen. On the other hand, Malaya's widowed mother, Ruby Roy is also in search of a nice groom for her daughter and lands up in Robin's house with the proposal. But here the events take a surprising twist when Robin finds that he is getting increasingly attracted towards Ruby. As he divulges this to Nagen, the later reminds him that in the event Robin marries Ruby, their offsprings will then become cousins to one another and hence there will be no chance of a marriage. Again, Bipul being unaware of the actual identity of Ruby's daughter, employs different tactics to dissuade Ruby from letting her daughter to marry him. The confusions that are created are supplemented by a series of misunderstandings that begins from the commencement of the story and these adds more fun to the whole drama. Finally it rests upon Nagen to disentagle the mess and straighten the cases of the two pairs of lovebirds.
The chief feature of the drama is the minimum use of background score and thus the actors are to be congratulated for their excellent performances and the nice comedy that is completely devoid of malice. Also each act finishes in a unique way, a style that is quite new to me. Also slight drift from the main concept occurs at intervals to reveal the true nature of each character, without which the story would have remained incomplete. Thus my Christmas evening was nicely spent watching the play, which I had long been waiting for.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sajano Bagan
The final evening of the Calcutta Comedy Carnival at Madhusudan Mancha was reserved for Sundaram's production of 'Sajano Bagan', directed by the veteran Manoj Mitra who also played the lead part. Earlier when I showed her the festival banner for the 1st time, my wife exclusively selected this one much to my annoyance as I'd my eyes for another day's play. But as usual, she won the argument and so it was Manoj Mitra's performance that we were destined to watch. Well today when I think of it, it seems that her judgement should sometimes be taken real seriously as if it were not so I would have missed one of the finest display of stage acting, which I will cherish in my memory for a very long time.
Manoj Mitra was just superb. His acting, voice modulation, expressions, gestures, everything was perfect. Also the other actors that worked with him did a splendid job and the lighting of the stage was another classic piece of art that deserves special mention. The entire play is hilarious and filled with witty dialogues and slangs.
The story in not new to those who have watched 'Bancharam's Bagan'. The plot involves the aged Bancha Kapali, the lone gardener of a large plot of land and the local Zamindar, Nakur, who wish to get hold of this land. So he makes a legal contract with Bancha that states that Bancha is to receive a monthly salary of Rs.200 from the former on the condition that in the event of the latter's death the land will pass to the possession of Nakur. The ailing Bancha, who had already driven away his grandson when he came to know that he wished to sale the garden at Rs.12000, readily accepts the offer.
The evil Nakur had actually made this contract observing the frail condition of the gardener as he thought that Bancha's days were already numbered. But his frustration heightens when he finds Bancha to regain his health as each month passes by. The play then becomes a game where Nakur's each and every attempt to gain the land quickly gets foiled in one way or the other.
Manoj Mitra was just superb. His acting, voice modulation, expressions, gestures, everything was perfect. Also the other actors that worked with him did a splendid job and the lighting of the stage was another classic piece of art that deserves special mention. The entire play is hilarious and filled with witty dialogues and slangs.
The story in not new to those who have watched 'Bancharam's Bagan'. The plot involves the aged Bancha Kapali, the lone gardener of a large plot of land and the local Zamindar, Nakur, who wish to get hold of this land. So he makes a legal contract with Bancha that states that Bancha is to receive a monthly salary of Rs.200 from the former on the condition that in the event of the latter's death the land will pass to the possession of Nakur. The ailing Bancha, who had already driven away his grandson when he came to know that he wished to sale the garden at Rs.12000, readily accepts the offer.
The evil Nakur had actually made this contract observing the frail condition of the gardener as he thought that Bancha's days were already numbered. But his frustration heightens when he finds Bancha to regain his health as each month passes by. The play then becomes a game where Nakur's each and every attempt to gain the land quickly gets foiled in one way or the other.
Parabola Sir
My 1st reaction on completion of this Narayan Sanyal novel was, "Alas! if only I had a teacher like this"
But trully speaking, if a character like Satyaban Chakrabarty nicknamed 'Parabola' Sir (by his students) would have really been my educator, then with all the petty sins that I commit regularly, I would have been forced to maintain a safe distance from this person radiating an aura of truthfulness.
Yes, Narayan Sanyal's 'Parabola' Sir can be considered as the ultimate symbol of truth and honesty who never compromised with truth even if that cost him his social life and had inflicted great pains on him continuously. So it is not a mystery that this man should be a maths teacher as obsession to something devoid of cowardice, emotions and solely based on logic can be his only way of venting his passions.
Narayan Sanyal's portrayal of the fictitious Satyaban Chakrabarty is also the work of a skilled writer who never misses the minutest detail. One of my friends had once commented that each of Narayna Sanyal's work is the result of an extensive research and really while going through this piece, I found how true his comment was. The whole story is full of mathematical expressions and quotations from theorems that is dexterously used to reflect the appropriate mood of the various situations and to cap it all the chapter numbers have been replaced by excerpts from mathematical proofs though the latter is just for ornamentation and bears no meaning to the actual context of the sections. As a whole this piece is a fine specimen of Narayan Sanya's ability of character analysis but a little less emotion could have been considered to give it a more realistic touch.
But trully speaking, if a character like Satyaban Chakrabarty nicknamed 'Parabola' Sir (by his students) would have really been my educator, then with all the petty sins that I commit regularly, I would have been forced to maintain a safe distance from this person radiating an aura of truthfulness.
Yes, Narayan Sanyal's 'Parabola' Sir can be considered as the ultimate symbol of truth and honesty who never compromised with truth even if that cost him his social life and had inflicted great pains on him continuously. So it is not a mystery that this man should be a maths teacher as obsession to something devoid of cowardice, emotions and solely based on logic can be his only way of venting his passions.
Narayan Sanyal's portrayal of the fictitious Satyaban Chakrabarty is also the work of a skilled writer who never misses the minutest detail. One of my friends had once commented that each of Narayna Sanyal's work is the result of an extensive research and really while going through this piece, I found how true his comment was. The whole story is full of mathematical expressions and quotations from theorems that is dexterously used to reflect the appropriate mood of the various situations and to cap it all the chapter numbers have been replaced by excerpts from mathematical proofs though the latter is just for ornamentation and bears no meaning to the actual context of the sections. As a whole this piece is a fine specimen of Narayan Sanya's ability of character analysis but a little less emotion could have been considered to give it a more realistic touch.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tintoretor Jishu
To me this is the best directed Feluda movie by Sandip Ray. The ingenious plot of the father is efficiently picturised by the son and perhaps this is the later's best tribute to the legend called Feluda till date.
The story starts with the arrival of a stranger in Baikunthapur’s Neogi family, introducing himself as Rudrashekhar, son of late Chandrasekhar who is brother to Soumyasekhar, the current head of Neogi family. Chandra was an artist who died in foreign lands after being married to an Italian lady. It was there that he received a painting of Jesus Christ by a famous Renaissance painter, Tintoretto. Rudra is wholeheartedly welcomed by Soumyasekhar but along came the news of death of Thumri, Soumya’s pet golden retriever. Then, following a chance meeting with Soumya’s son, Naba, the three musketeers, Feluda, Topshe and Jatayu, gets invited to Baikunthapur to have a look at the famous painting and also to offer some clues to the dog’s killers. Though the case was proposed in a light-hearted manner, but Feluda smells rat and starts some investigation on his own. His hunch of something fishy proves correct following a failed attempt to steal the picture. Feluda learns an international buyer called Krikorian got information of the painting from an article by Bhagwangarh’s Bhudev Singh, a friend to Chandra and tries to buy it through a villainous art dealer Hiralal Somani. The story gathers a sudden momentum as Bankim, manager to Soumya gets murdered and Rudra gets missing while the painting gets replaced by a fake one. Now the chase begins with Feluda and his companions trying to foil the art deal between Krikorian and Hiralal at Hong Kong and the stage is set for the final showdown that keeps the audience glued to their seats.
The story has been followed with some modifications that have never felt damaging to the original plot and the wonderful fusion of oriental tunes with the traditional Feluda tune really deserves applause as do the use of witty dialogues that adds humorous flavour of the movie. As to the suspense account, it must be admitted that foretelling a part of the criminal's approach damps the thrill a bit but the use of action and chase sequences compensate them to a great extent. While the fictional portrait of Jesus by Sagar Bhowmick provides the much needed realistic touch to the historical part but Feluda's explanation while unravelling minute but important points could well have been enhanced by using flashbacks as those who have not read the book will be kept searching for the missed portions especially while revealing the true identity of an important character. But the thing that I disliked most was the transformation of the period to the 21st century as I feel that the story had all the materials for a grand success without cell phones, lappys and modern vehicles (Lalmohan’s ambassador converted to indica was not required as such). Just imagine Holmes dressed in modern outfit or Poirot losing his fussiness over symmetry or Marple without her stitching set or Father Brown without the meek appearance or watching Byomkesh searching for clues wearing jeans! It is not that the period transformation produces giggles among the audience but it was an adjustment quite uncalled for.
As to the acting, Paran bandopadhyay tops the list with his subtle comedies while Bibhu Bhattacharya as Lalmohan is a dissapointment this time. While Shilajit excels with his stubborn looks and Sabsyasachi maintains the balance of sharp intellect and skilled karateka, Tota Roychowdhury offers a pleasant dimension to this intriguing plot. Biswajit Chakraborty plays the wicked Hiralal Somani to perfection while Parambrata and Bhaskar plays their supporting roles nicely. Just as an afterthought, Tota can be the next replacement of Feluda in some future screenplays!
As to the detailing I think two glaring errors are very much apparent. Firstly while Feluda, Topshe and Jatayu were seen sleeping at the Neogi’s, they didn’t even change their dresses! Secondly while following a footstep in the house at night, Feluda is wearing shoes, that is so unlike a proper detective.
As to the detailing I think two glaring errors are very much apparent. Firstly while Feluda, Topshe and Jatayu were seen sleeping at the Neogi’s, they didn’t even change their dresses! Secondly while following a footstep in the house at night, Feluda is wearing shoes, that is so unlike a proper detective.
Hirok Rajar Deshe
Chandan Sen’s presentation of the evergreen story of Gupi Gayen & Bagha Bayen’s second adventure based on the movie bearing the same name directed by Satyajit Ray. With some fine modifications on the actual theme, Kharaj Mukherjee’s songs and lyrics adds a different flavour to the drama. Added to this is the excellent use of lighting that gives the play a new dimension though my recommendation will be to take seats a little at the rear to appreciate it justly. The acting is classic and watching the actor playing the part of Bagha, one can’t help remember Robi Ghosh whose performance made this character a legend. Produced by Asoknagar’s Nataanan this play is a memorable watch.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Ashray
An Asutosh Mukhopadhyay novel that is important for two reasons. Firstly it became a book after 8 years of its 1st publication as a novel in a Puja magazine. Secondly the reason for this surprising delay was that Mr. Mukhopadhyay dictated major part of the story to his daughter, Sarbani while lying ill and wanted to write the whole thing by himself before it appeared as a book. But his untimely death dealt a major blow to this and left Sarbani torn between her father’s wish and her own that was to reveal the work to the greater audience.
This was probably the final work of Mr. Mukherjee and probably one of his best according to me. The intricate web of emotions that the author has woven not only shows his mastery with words but also it reflects how deep his study was of the human nature and the social bounds that shape it.
The story involves Nandita Bose, the only daughter of a barrister father and a writer mother, who suddenly finds herself a victim of an impending separation between her parents. Torn between the love for her father and hatred for her mother, she gets involved in a strange battle of principles that not only affects her family but also her personal life and ends in an unique style that can only be described as a copybook short story ending with the reader left to conceive the final chapters of the life of each character.
With the frequent use of contrasting perspectives in consecutive chapters, the author has forced readers to be overwhelmed with the various emotions ranging from hatred to love and fury to tranquility and his passionate zeal of expressing the plot, according to Sarbani Mukherjee’s introduction, is vividly felt as the story unfolds its various hues.
This was probably the final work of Mr. Mukherjee and probably one of his best according to me. The intricate web of emotions that the author has woven not only shows his mastery with words but also it reflects how deep his study was of the human nature and the social bounds that shape it.
The story involves Nandita Bose, the only daughter of a barrister father and a writer mother, who suddenly finds herself a victim of an impending separation between her parents. Torn between the love for her father and hatred for her mother, she gets involved in a strange battle of principles that not only affects her family but also her personal life and ends in an unique style that can only be described as a copybook short story ending with the reader left to conceive the final chapters of the life of each character.
With the frequent use of contrasting perspectives in consecutive chapters, the author has forced readers to be overwhelmed with the various emotions ranging from hatred to love and fury to tranquility and his passionate zeal of expressing the plot, according to Sarbani Mukherjee’s introduction, is vividly felt as the story unfolds its various hues.
The 3 Mistakes of My Life
After I had read Chetan Bhagat's "One Night @ the Call Centre", an instant fascination in his work grew in me. 
But while going through this one's back cover, somehow it did not arouse any interest. Still, my hobby of collecting at least one work for any renowned author won over and I bought it. Well as I started reading through the pages my fears of losing interest in the piece was growing steadily until the "1st mistake" and from then onwards it was a real roller coaster ride.
The story is about three friends in Ahmedabad, Govind, a practical minded youth whose passion was maths and who dreamt of a flourishing business of his own, Ishan a passionate guy whose chief obsession was cricket and who believed his freinds blindly and Omi, the son of a priest to whom religion was the first priority. Govind, in trying to shape his future, convinced his friends to open a business in sports good and stationeries and they opened the same in the premises of a temple, where Omi's family lived.The guys struggled with the business and it initially flourished and profitted. They started two parallel small scale projects with Govind tutoring the local school goers and Ishan giving cricket coaching to those interested. But all of a sudden when everything was running smooth and they were looking forward to shift business in a modern mall, Govind made the 1st mistake of his life that cost him his confidence. From this point onwards the story becomes much more involved where business gets mixed with social issues, religions and politics and how these three cope with them.
The story is told from Govind's point of view and how his three vital mistakes became crucial to his business and his personal and social life. The emotions have been richly painted and nowhere it had turned out of the ordinary but Mr. Bhagat's trend of a signature Hindi movie style finish seemed to mar the end IMO. Also a slight discrepancy that I noted was that though the author has used the 1st person in two ways, one while describing his own conversation with Govind and secondly in the flashback mode with Govind as the 1st person, the style of both seemed the same. Maybe a slight different way of expressing feelings would have been more appealing to the reader.
But while going through this one's back cover, somehow it did not arouse any interest. Still, my hobby of collecting at least one work for any renowned author won over and I bought it. Well as I started reading through the pages my fears of losing interest in the piece was growing steadily until the "1st mistake" and from then onwards it was a real roller coaster ride.The story is about three friends in Ahmedabad, Govind, a practical minded youth whose passion was maths and who dreamt of a flourishing business of his own, Ishan a passionate guy whose chief obsession was cricket and who believed his freinds blindly and Omi, the son of a priest to whom religion was the first priority. Govind, in trying to shape his future, convinced his friends to open a business in sports good and stationeries and they opened the same in the premises of a temple, where Omi's family lived.The guys struggled with the business and it initially flourished and profitted. They started two parallel small scale projects with Govind tutoring the local school goers and Ishan giving cricket coaching to those interested. But all of a sudden when everything was running smooth and they were looking forward to shift business in a modern mall, Govind made the 1st mistake of his life that cost him his confidence. From this point onwards the story becomes much more involved where business gets mixed with social issues, religions and politics and how these three cope with them.
The story is told from Govind's point of view and how his three vital mistakes became crucial to his business and his personal and social life. The emotions have been richly painted and nowhere it had turned out of the ordinary but Mr. Bhagat's trend of a signature Hindi movie style finish seemed to mar the end IMO. Also a slight discrepancy that I noted was that though the author has used the 1st person in two ways, one while describing his own conversation with Govind and secondly in the flashback mode with Govind as the 1st person, the style of both seemed the same. Maybe a slight different way of expressing feelings would have been more appealing to the reader.
Monday, December 08, 2008
The Sittaford Mystery
Another Agatha Christie classic that begins with a seance that starts with a jolly note 
during an evening tea party but soon turns grim as it predicts murder of one Captain Trevelyan who was situated miles away from them. One of the participants of the seance, Major Burnaby, a friend of Trevelyan, soon sets to enquire about his pal and he was the first person to make the gruesome discovery. Inspector Narracott is appointed in charge of the case and he soon arrests one of the Captain's nephew, Jim Pearson with all the circumstantial evidences that points to his guilt. But in his mind, he was still not convinced of Jim's crime as is his fiance Emily. Emily, a not-so-easy-to-stop woman befriends a journalist Charles Enderby and these two amateur sleuths starts enquiring the locals about any incident that can help them unravel the crime. This Christie classic was one of my favourites and as I read it for the second time, fully aware of who the criminal is, I just could not help admire the style of the author in throwing the reader off the track while presenting all the details and motives that can help one point out the murderer. A highly entertaining read that ends with the signature Christie style twist.
during an evening tea party but soon turns grim as it predicts murder of one Captain Trevelyan who was situated miles away from them. One of the participants of the seance, Major Burnaby, a friend of Trevelyan, soon sets to enquire about his pal and he was the first person to make the gruesome discovery. Inspector Narracott is appointed in charge of the case and he soon arrests one of the Captain's nephew, Jim Pearson with all the circumstantial evidences that points to his guilt. But in his mind, he was still not convinced of Jim's crime as is his fiance Emily. Emily, a not-so-easy-to-stop woman befriends a journalist Charles Enderby and these two amateur sleuths starts enquiring the locals about any incident that can help them unravel the crime. This Christie classic was one of my favourites and as I read it for the second time, fully aware of who the criminal is, I just could not help admire the style of the author in throwing the reader off the track while presenting all the details and motives that can help one point out the murderer. A highly entertaining read that ends with the signature Christie style twist.Friday, December 05, 2008
Munich
A Steven Spielberg directed 2005 thriller travelouge, beginning with the 1972 invasion of Pallestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympic village that resulted in the death of 11 members of the Israeli team, is a moving narration of the events that follows the massacre. This triggered the Mossad (Israeli foreign intel) to counter the threat by a series of assassinations by an undercover team of five led by agent Avner. This top secret mission is carried out initially quite ruthlessly though the team was more than once faced with a dilemma natural to a hurriedly assembled team. But as the assasinations pile up their soul begin to sicken and also they find themselves to be on the hunted list of their enemies. The various emotions and the mental trauma that they are subjected to and also the ruthlessness of the intel heads have been brilliantly depicted by Spielberg and also it has been portrayed accurately by the cast consisting of Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Geoffrey Rush and the rest. This movie is made more appealing by the touch of human emotions that is so characteristic of Spielberg.
Dadathakur
Probably one of the greatest tributes to the memory of Sarat Pandit was through this film by Sudhir Mukherjee in 1962. This was also Chobi Biswas' last movie and maybe one of his best, if not the best, performances. Based on the life of Sarat Pandit of Jangipur who with his simple lifestyle and witty criticisms was revered by all for his strict principles and fearless attitude against any type of injustice. Clearly a man of ready wit, he was an institution by himself and his income was solely based on his press and the two papers - Jangipur Sambad and Bidushak - that he used to publish. 
The movie is full of puns created and used by Dada Thakur and one never forgets the prompt reply to Sarat Chatterjee's welcoming comment to Sarat Pandit that ran "Kemon aacho Bidushak Saratchandra?" to which Dada Thakur's replied "Kemon aacho Charitrahin Saratchandra?". Also Sarat Pandit's fight against injustice is portrayed by his indomitable will that he used in promoting a petty but competent shopkeeper, Kartik Saha, to the post of chairman of Corporation against the corrput local politicians of the town. The rhymes that he created for the canvassing of Kartik will be unforgettable as will be the tunes that he composed on various subjects, the city of Calcutta being one of them. Equally unforgettable will be his commitment to his duties that is once shown when he was given the duty of printing and transporting the exam question papers of a school, 8 miles away from his home. On the day of the exam, due to a terrible flood the rail service was disrupted. But this never dissuaded Dada Thakur who traversed the whole 8 miles across the flooded roads to deliver the papers at the correct time. Again this is shown once more when we find him composing puzzles for the next day's Akashbani's show of 'Galpodadur Ashor' hosted by Dada Thakur himself, while the locales are performing the cremation of his son who died on the same night. A poor family man, he never took any financial help from anybody to improve his living conditions and his firmness of character was all he needed to clear all the odds that he was up against. His principles and philosophies inspired many youths during his lifetime, one being zamindar Darponaryan Chowdhury who parted with his life of pleasure to become a patriot in the service of the country. Chobi Biswas' fascinating portrayal of the character was not only superb but the various facets of the great man's life was precisely depicted. The other characters played by Tarun Kumar, Chaya Devi, Sulata Chowdhury and Biswajit deserves special mention. I think this treasure of Bengali film and society should be viewed at least once by every Bengali through the ages.
The movie is full of puns created and used by Dada Thakur and one never forgets the prompt reply to Sarat Chatterjee's welcoming comment to Sarat Pandit that ran "Kemon aacho Bidushak Saratchandra?" to which Dada Thakur's replied "Kemon aacho Charitrahin Saratchandra?". Also Sarat Pandit's fight against injustice is portrayed by his indomitable will that he used in promoting a petty but competent shopkeeper, Kartik Saha, to the post of chairman of Corporation against the corrput local politicians of the town. The rhymes that he created for the canvassing of Kartik will be unforgettable as will be the tunes that he composed on various subjects, the city of Calcutta being one of them. Equally unforgettable will be his commitment to his duties that is once shown when he was given the duty of printing and transporting the exam question papers of a school, 8 miles away from his home. On the day of the exam, due to a terrible flood the rail service was disrupted. But this never dissuaded Dada Thakur who traversed the whole 8 miles across the flooded roads to deliver the papers at the correct time. Again this is shown once more when we find him composing puzzles for the next day's Akashbani's show of 'Galpodadur Ashor' hosted by Dada Thakur himself, while the locales are performing the cremation of his son who died on the same night. A poor family man, he never took any financial help from anybody to improve his living conditions and his firmness of character was all he needed to clear all the odds that he was up against. His principles and philosophies inspired many youths during his lifetime, one being zamindar Darponaryan Chowdhury who parted with his life of pleasure to become a patriot in the service of the country. Chobi Biswas' fascinating portrayal of the character was not only superb but the various facets of the great man's life was precisely depicted. The other characters played by Tarun Kumar, Chaya Devi, Sulata Chowdhury and Biswajit deserves special mention. I think this treasure of Bengali film and society should be viewed at least once by every Bengali through the ages.Monday, December 01, 2008
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
A Dibakar Bannerjee directed movie starring Abhay Deol as Lucky, a super thief whose ready wit helps him not only during his burglaries but also in ousmarting his captors while being cornered. Added to this is his flamboyance and carefree attitude that helps him to win people's trust. His original style soon transforms him from a petty thief to a famous one and brings him to the brinks of his dream for a rich lifestyle. But time and again he is faced with betrayals and he has to evade getting captured again and again from the police. Though the story is a nice one but sometimes is too slow and at other times too fast and as a whole seems to lack cohesion. Paresh Rawal is on a triple role but he seems to lose his natural zeal while Archana Puran Singh is good in her opportunist type portrayal of a side character.
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