Tagore tales on talkies

The works of Rabindranath Tagore have always fascinated filmmakers, as these are universal — in time, space, emotions and human relationships, writes Shoma A. Chatterji

Rabindranath Tagore’s writings bring up images of lyricism and romance. Many filmmakers feel that the horizon of a Tagore creation — be it poetry, fiction, essay or drama — is too large, all-encompassing, complex and alien to Indian masses, conditioned to ‘popular’ literary figures like Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Their creations, it is felt, are more cinema-friendly. The 14 remakes of Devdas in different Indian languages is an example.

The homespun philosophy of Sarat Chandra and the romantic spirit of Bankim Chandra had more appeal than the non-conformist and feminist themes, which Tagore dealt with. Yet, Tagore has been recognised as a rich literary source for very good cinema. Satyajit Ray’s films based on Tagore’s works offer the best example. In 1961, Ray made Teen Kanya (Three Daughters), on three Tagore short stories — Postmaster, Monihara and Samapti. The other Tagore works he filmed are Charulata and Ghare Baire.

Tagore’s works are universal — in time, space, emotions and human relationships. They offer filmmakers a challenge to make the film as powerful, credible and appealing on celluloid as it is in print. A film based on, adapted from, interpreted from Tagore’s oeuvre offers scope for argument, discussion, analysis, debate and questions among the audience, critics and scholars. A massive volume of scholarly treatises came out after Satyajit Ray’s Charulata, leading to a new genre — writing on films based on Tagore’s works.

Full report here Tribune

Pride without prejudice

The Final Question (Ravi Dayal and Penguin, Rs 350) by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay is a translation of the Bengali classic, Shesh Prashna (1931), by members of the department of English, Jadavpur University.

Set in a middle-class Bengali milieu in Agra in the early decades of the 20th century, this late novel reinforces Saratchandra’s enduring relevance. The story revolves around Kamal, the love-child of an English tea planter and a Bengali widow. Like Rabindranath Tagore’s Gora, Kamal embodies the spirit of contrariness.

Driven by reason rather than idle romanticism, she hits out at the comfortable numbness of Bengali domesticity, upsetting closely held beliefs and biases. She is perceived as brazen by women, and adored by men, secretly or otherwise. From a writer who led a nomadic existence, got to know a bizarre assembly of characters, and admired Herbert Spencer, Charles Dickens, Balzac and Bernard Shaw, this is a tale that shimmers with ideas but never fails to entertain. The full complexity of Kamal’s life and times comes alive in the brilliant introduction by Supriya Chaudhuri. Arup Rudra and Sukanta Chaudhuri provide valuable editorial notes, while Amitava Das adds a useful preface.

Full report here Telegraph