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Grand passion

Soumitra Chatterjee

Remember Soumitra Chatterjee singing Ami chini go chini tomare... to Madhabi Mukherjee in Charulata? Or a newly-married Soumitra teaching the English alphabet to his child-bride Sharmila Tagore in Apur Sansar? Be it the young romantic in Apur Sansar or Charulata, the super sleuth Feluda in Sonar Kella or the dashing but negative revolutionary in Ghare Baire, Chatterjee was Satyajit Ray’s model hero, acting in 14 of his 27 films. If Marcello Mastroianni was the alter ego of Italian film-maker Federico Fellini, Soumitra Chatterjee was Ray’s voice on screen.

Since his debut in Apur Sansar, Chatterjee has acted in close to 200 Bengali films and acted in and directed several Bengali plays (some of which he wrote or adapted from foreign classics). And when he wasn’t performing on stage or screen, Chatterjee kept himself occupied with writing poetry, often till late into the night. It was to capture Chatterjee’s multifaceted talent that producer Ismail Merchant and French director Catherine Berge teamed up to produce Gaach (The Tree). The film was premiered in London last month as part of the festival of Indian cinema organised by the National Film Theatre.

Director Catherine Berge with Soumitra Chatterjee on the sets of Gaach. Click for bigger pic!

“It is as part of our long-standing association with Satyajit Ray and Soumitra Chatterjee that we have produced this film,” says Merchant. “We thought we should bring out the achievements of an outstanding and dedicated actor.” But the Ray-Chatterjee partnership often makes it impossible to look at the actor without the director lurking in the background. While it give the documentary its best clips, as the narrative makes frequent use of classic scenes from Charulata, Apur Sansar or Debi, anything said on Chatterjee becomes a discussion on Ray. Even Chatterjee’s co-actresses talk about Ray first and Chatterjee only later.

But the film offers interesting nuggets of information as Chatterjee reminisces about Ray. For instance, he feels he’s probably the only actor in the world who had to change his handwriting for his role as a young poet in Charulata. And then, there is an elaborate footage showing Ray’s funeral procession with Chatterjee sitting on the flower-decked truck which winds its way through the milling crowd, who came to bid their last farewell to the maestro.The film follows Chatterjee as he recites poetry to a small audience. And in the green room, as he gets ready before stepping on stage. Chatterjee recalls his father asking him to grow up like a tree which provides shelter and bears fruit for the benefit of mankind.

Soumitra Chatterjee in Ek Tuku Basa Click for bigger pic!

Robi Ghosh, Chatterjee’s long-time colleague in Ray films, plays the role of a patua(painter) who goes around villages, singing songs and showing scroll paintings. In a clever move, director Catherine Berge uses the patas and the drawings to tell the story of Chatterjee’s life. In the film, Chatterjee also talks about his heroines -- Madhabi, with whom he acted both on screen and on stage -- who, in turn, throw light on the man behind the mask.

Aparna Sen, today a director in her own right, describes how as a schoolgirl she had been bowled over on being offered the role of Mrinmoyee in Teen Kanya as Soumitra, who was to be her hero, was very much the rage among girls at the time. But Soumitra had poured cold water on all that when he introduced himself as “Uncle Soumitra”.

Sharmila Tagore is shown revising the old house where Apur Sansar was shot. A closer look into the theatre scene in Bengal -- with which Chatterjee’s involvement is indisputable -- and the constraints in Tollygunge studios-- which Soumitra and his contemporaries had to work under, still turning out memorable performances-would not have come amiss.

Whatever its shortcomings, Gaach will remain a well-deserved tribute to Soumitra Chatterjee, with a lot of help from Ray.

Kind courtesy: Sunday magazine