Ritwik used to say about the philosophy of cinema, 'Film-making
is not an esoteric thing to me. I consider film-making – to start with – a
personal thing. If a person does not have a vision of his own, he cannot create'.
The personal experience is evident in his cinemas, he wished to express in very
many ways his inner agony of becoming refugee as a result of partition. In own
words of Ritwik ,'I could neither accept the partition of Bengal in any ways―
Nor do I today. Whatever happened in history will not alter and I won’t venture
to do this impossible task. The cultural segregation caused by politics and
economics was a thing to which I never reconciled myself as I always thought in
terms of cultural integration'.
 |
| Komal Gandhar, 1961 |
The cultural integration Ritwik proclaims, he portrayed
that in his next cinema named 'Komal Gandhar'(E-Flat/ A Soft Note on a Sharp
Scale) made in 1961. 'Komal Gandhar' is a special Ragh(Musical mood) of North
Indian classical music. The cinema was named after the features of this Ragh.
The theme of this film is the union of two Bengals. The agony of partition that
Ritwik had to endure throughout his life, seems to be his offering. The members
of the theatre group of the same area divided to form two separate groups. The
new-comer member Anusuya of the group 'Dakkhinapath' and Bhrigu of the group
'Nirikkha' are the main characters of the cinema. They both are uprooted, deported
from East Bengal due to partition. Shattered dreams and having new dreams― in
this illusion of hope and despair the stand of Bhrigu and Anusuya is the
subject of the film. The rail-line on bank of Padma near Murshidabad, which was
like a 'plus' sign in undivided Bengal, has somehow become a 'minus' sign from
where the country was cut off into two pieces. Bhrigu and Anusuya recapitulate
their memories standing on that border, but the reality is they will never be
able to go back there, that is a foreign country. Though the outer shell of
'Komal Gandhar' is a theatre movement, here the actual objective relates to
past and present. The 'Komal Gandhar' depicts the symbolic form of partition of
1947. So it is seen that the joint initiative of staging a drama fails by the
conspiracy of some opportunist and jealous people, the way Ritwik describes the
issues like politics and economics create obstacles for cultural union. But
hopeful Ritwik does not give up. Crossing many barriers Ritwik takes us to a
dreamy beginning through the union of Bhrigu and Anusuya.
 |
| Bhrigu and Anusuya in Komal Gandhar, 1961 |
The background music plays a prime role in revealing the
statement in the cinema. Music director was Jyotirindra Moitra. Ritwik used two
Tagore songs and Sukanta Bhattacharya song 'Obak prithibi obak korle tumi'(Wonder
world you made me wonder) in this film, moreover there is remarkable use of
ancient music of wedding. Ritwik used two appropriate Leitmotifs, one to show
separation, another to show union. To infuse the agony of Bhrigu and Anusuya
becoming refugee as a result of partition among the viewers, Ritwik took a
trolley shot on the railway track. Behind that visual he used the words 'Dohai
Ali Dohai Ali'(Ali's sake, Ali's sake) as a form of recitation. The same words
he brought back during a high-angle shot of Anusuya taken from above stairs,
when there arose a possibility of separation of Anusuya and Bhrigu after sudden
arrival of a youth named Ferdinand. Again the wedding song that was played at
the first meeting of Bhrigu and Anusuya, the same song is played again during
the recapitulation of memories of East Bengal by Bhrigu and Anusuya standing on
the bank of Padma, that comes back again as a Leitmotif at the end of the
cinema in the scene of union of Bhrigu and Anusuya. The dialogues of the cinema
also manifested the statement with much power. On the stage of the drama, when
the old refugee repatriated from East Bengal to Calcutta says, 'Today I have
made my mother an stranger, my own mother', then the viewers face no difficulty
in realizing his sorrows.
 |
| Suvarnarekha, 1965 |
As 'Komal Gandhar' states cultural integration, the same
way the next film of Ritwik 'Suvarnarekha'(The Golden Thread) describes the
negative effects of partition. Though it was made in 1962, was released in
1965. As a result of partition Ishwar and his younger sister Sita came to
Calcutta as refugee. They took shelter in Nobojibon Colony(New Life Colony)
like another refugee Haraprasad. There was a dream of a new house in the eyes
of little Sita. Ishwar took up a job at Chatimpur close to the bank of river
Suvarnarekha in aspiration of his sister Sita will not die of poverty. He also
took a small boy Abhiram who lost his mother. Many years passed, Ishwar
gradually got rid of poverty, Sita-Abhiram became adult. At one time Sita and
Abhiram wish to marry each other, but Ishwar objected due to the difference of
their cast. So Sita-Abhiram elope to Calcutta, their son Binu was born. But
Sita could not remain happy longer, Abhiram died of accident. Helpless Sita was
compelled to accept prostitution and by chance her drunk elder brother Ishwar
appeared to be her first customer. The life of Sita came to an end through
suicide but Binu remained. Ishwar started his journey for a new home taking him
along, Ritwik completes his circle.
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| Madhabi Mukherjee as Sita in Suvarnarekha, 1965 |
Ritwik elaborated the story of three generations in this
cinema. The first generation is Ishwar, Haraprasad. Second Sita, Abhiram. Third
generation Binu. Partition and its aftermath destroyed the dream and aspiration
of the first two generations. The third generation has just started his
journey. How will be his future we don't know. But Ritwik wished it would be
nice, so he wrote at the end of the cinema, ' Victory to man, to this new born
child, ever-living'. Ritwik characterized Sita in the light of mythological
story. The king Jonok of Mithila during ploughing the field found a little girl
Sita, the Earth's daughter Sita reverted back to the Earth after finishing
seven chapters Ramayan. Ritwik resembled that reversion through the suicide of
Sita in the cinema. Again there is similarity of Sati of mythological story
with the character of Sita. Sati's father was Daksha and he was not in any
compliance to solemnize Sati's marriage with Shiva. In Suvarnarekha Ishwar is
the representative of Daksha, who is like Sita's father, and the character
Abhiram represents Shiva. As Sati had to self-sacrifice her life to testify her
chastity, so we see the same destiny in the life of Sita. Again Ritwik
established the character of Sita as Radha having Sita sing Krishna Kirtan
(songs in praise of Lord Krishna), who awaits of Krishna, that resembles
Abhiram for Sita. The dilemma that was created by Ritwik through the metaphor
of sorrows of separation of Radha-Krishna, he picturized agony of partition and
desire of a union through this. Ritwik used the Tagore song 'Aj dhaner khete
roudrochayay'(The sun and shade play hide and seek over the paddy field today)
as Leitmotif. During her childhood, Sita used to sing this song roaming around,
that very song she taught her little son. When at the end of the cinema the song
was sung by Binu, then it creates an wonderful metaphor mixing with the flow of
events. Ritwik made it very clear the issue of carrying the inheritance from
generation to generation. The music that was used in bar scenes and the
self-destruction of Sita is named 'Patricia'. This composition of Nino Rota was
used by Federico Fellini in the scene of orgy at the end of La Dolce Vita,
where Fellini lashes out at the whole of Western civilization. Ritwik used this
from the will of making the similar kind of statement about Bangladesh.
These three cinemas, Meghe Dhaka Tara, Komal Gandhar and
Suvarnarekha, are combinedly called Partition Trilogy. There is important role
of Tagore songs in these three movies. Ghatak stated in an interview, 'I cannot
speak without Tagore. That man has culled all of my feelings long before my
birth. He has understood what I was and put it in words. I read him and I find
that all has been said and I have nothing new to say'.
Ritwik started to drink during the making of 'Ajantrik'.
Because of commercially flop cinemas, his despair and at the same time the
level of drinking increased. In 1962 he made a documentary 'Scissors' and
'Ostad Alauddin Khan' in 1963. This time he started a cinema named 'Bagalar
Banga Darshan' but could not finish. The 'Komal Gandhar' becoming flop was the
last nail to the coffin. In 1965 he indulged into local liquor even stopped
having shower. His wife becoming extremely annoyed at his very lifestyle is
compelled to leave for her father's house along with her children. There
prevails an interesting story about his drinking. At one night Ritwik was
returning home, not in a condition to walk then. So hired a taxi, despite of
having not a single penny in the pocket.
'fare, sir...'
'I have no money. Do one thing― go straight to 1/1 Bishop
Lefroy Road. After you reach there, a lean and thin person will open the door.
Tell him Ritwik Ghatak went home by taxi, didn't have money with him. He will
give you the money'.
The tall person, as is heard, that time and many times
after that met the taxi fair. Ritwik used to disturb him but would admit
openly, 'That very lean and thin person knows how to set the camera in the best
proper way in the whole Indian subcontinent'. Then he would certainly add, 'Oh
yes, I know a little bit'.
The tall person, according to whom Ritwik kept no stones
unturned to write on any possible aspects of cinema, was another legendary
film-maker Satyajit Ray.
Arindam Gustavo Biswas
30th December 2012 — 21st January 2013
Khulna, Dhaka.
Translated from Bengali by Dr. Apu Lawrence Biswas with
help from Auditi Bridget Biswas and Arindam Gustavo Biswas.
23rd August 2013 — 1st September 2013
Khulna.
