Chitta Basu and bengali films.

Chitta Basu and bengali films.

Chitta Basu was one of the notable directors who graced Bengali films during the 50s and 60s. Born on 27th November, 1907 in Khulna, Bangladesh, he contributed a lot to Bengali commercial films.

He worked under his maternal uncle Naresh Chandra Mitra from whom he learned work. He started his career with the Bengali film Bondhur Path in 1946. But he rose to stardom with the tremendous success of the film Chele Kaar in 1954. He did cast Bikash Roy and Arundhuti Debi in the main role. The story was relating to a small child played by Master Babua who caught Bikash Roy in the road and called him his father. At the end of the film his grandfather Chabi Biswas and grandmother Suprava Mukherjee accepted him as the son of Bikash Roy. Chabi Biswas played a cameo performance in the film and flabbergasted the viewers with his elegance even in the field of serio-comic films. Kalipada Sen composed the music of the film.

Chitta Basu continued with his dream in the film Ekti Raat with Uttam Kumar Suchitra Sen Kamal Mitra and others. The film was released in 1956 and music composed by legendary composer Anupam Ghatak. The serio-comic film did great business and Chitta Basu used the acting talent of Malina Debi to fullest extent in the film. Sandhya Mukherjee’s song “pradipero sikha keno kaape” became super hit. Chitta Basu’s other film Putra Badhu with Uttam Kumar and Mala Sinha did mediocre business.

Chitta Basu bounced back with the success of the film Bandhu in 1958. Uttam Kumar Asit Boron and Mala Sinha complimented each other in the film. Uttam Kumar gave landmark lips in Hemant Kumar’s song “mou bone aaj mou jameche” composed by Nochiketa Ghosh.

Chitta Basu was successful with the films Bindur Chele, Mantrashakti and Jaya. His other blockbuster was Mayamrigo in 1960. Chabi Biswas was perhaps at his height of dignity and elegance in the film. The story was written by Niharranjan Gupta and Uttam Kumar played a cameo to back up the new pair of Biswajeet Chatterjee and Sandhya Roy. The film had been remembered for dynamic performances from Sandhya Rani, Bikash Roy and Sunanda Debi. Manobendra Mukherjee was at his best as composer. All the songs in the film namely “bok bok bokum paira”, “metiri americar kabyo”, “bidhi re” became super hit. Chitta Basu continued the dream run with Biswajeet’s film Godhuli Belai. Again Manobendra Mukherjee’s romantic andaz in the song “godhuli belai” bewildered the viewers. Chitta Basu also made other films like Rastar Chele and Sesh Parba.

He died in 1993. One article is too small to describe the immense contribution of Chitta Basu to Bengali celluloid during the classic age. May be his performance opposite other giants like Ajoy Kar, Agragrami, Debaki Kumar Basu had left him unwept and unsung. His films should be preserved and restored.

Shiulibari was a noble venture.

Shiulibari was a noble venture.

Shiulibari was a noble venture by director Pijush Bose. Pijush Bose learned work from eminent director Tapan Sinha. The story of the film was written by Subodh Ghosh.

Tapan Sinha wrote the script of the film on behalf of his assistant director Pijush Bose. Uttam Kumar and Arundhuti Debi was given the main roles or the lead casts. Uttam Kumar was the illegitimate son of the zamindar named Rudrababu. Uttam Kumar came to know about this fact after he grew up.

He left the place and went to Palamou in Bihar. Everyone came to know Uttam Kumar with the name Matibabu. He came in association with Arundhuti Debi whom he loved from childhood. Both married each other. They lived in a house which was named Shiulibari.

Uttam Kumar created his own name and fame in Palamou. But when the question came as to the marriage of his daughter Suchanda, again his illegitimacy of birth created controversy. Director Pijush Bose addressed this issue in style.

Uttam Kumar and Arundhuti Debi were excellent in respect of their performance. Pijush Bose later developed as one of the most outstanding assistants of Tapan Sinha who flourished with the same art of story-telling like Tapan Sinha. His films Sanyasi Raja, Bikele Bhorer Phool did excellent business in the mid-70s.

Shiulibari should be preserved and restored for his innovative story, strong direction, powerful casting and brilliant performance of Uttam Kumar and Arundhuti Debi.

Demise of magician of Sarod - Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Demise of magician of Sarod – Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

The nation pays homage to the departed soul of Magician of Sarod – Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, who died yesterday at an age of 87. He died in his own house at Sanfransisco due to failure of kidneys. He had glorified India’s face in the international arena with his brilliance in the classical instrument Sarod.

His father Alauddin Khan was a genius with maihar gharana. Ali Akbar Khan was born on 14th April, 1922 in the village Shibpur in Kumilla. He learned classical music at an age of 3 years. He learned it from his father and uncle Fakir Abtabuddin. He first performed in a show in Allahabad at an age of 13 years.

In 1956 he created Ali Akbar College of Music in Kolkata. Later he opened more branches of the same college of music in US and Switzerland. From 1965, he regularly took musical classes in US. At the same time with his unique creations in the world of classical music he attracted attention of legendary directors of India like Satyajit Ray and Tapan Sinha.

Satyajit Ray used the brilliant skills of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in Chabi Biswas’s film Debi. In that film Ustad Ai Akbar Khan was the music director. Chabi Biswas saw Goddess Kali in the body of Sharmila Tagore, his daughter in law in the film. Ali Akbar Khan’s theme music in the film was appreciated within India and abroad.

In the early 60s, Ali Akbar Khan created wonders as music director in Tapan Sinha’s film Khudito Pashan. Tapan Sinha experimented with Tagore’s epic literature. Arundhuti Debi, the powerful actress in the film came in the dreams of Soumitra Chatterji. Ali Akbar Khan’s music reminded people of the medieval period during the rule of many nawabs.

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan also composed music in Bartalucchi’s film Little Buddha, Ivory Merchant’s film House Holders and Chetan Anand’s film Andhia. He left a lot of brilliant students of Sarod including Nikhil Banerjee, Ashish Khan, Alam Khan, to name a few, who are carrying forward his legacy.

Ali Akbar Khan created gems with Pandit Ravi Shankar, the magician of Sitar. Their combined performances made the intellectual audience speechless in different parts of the world. He even composed music for eminent classical singer Ustad Amir Khan. The listeners all across the world pay homage to the genius of Sarod who had made India proud with his brilliance in creative music.

Review of Uttam Kumar's Bicharak.

Review of Uttam Kumar’s Bicharak.

Bicharak was Uttam Kumar’s successful film based on the story of legendary writer Tarashankar Bandhopadhyay and director Prabhat Mukherjee. Prabhat Mukherjee was the husband of Aristocrat actress Arundhuti Debi. He died at an early age and Arundhuti Debi married renowned director Tapan Sinha later.

Bicharak was the story where Uttam Kumar was unhappy with his marital life with the wife played by Deepti Roy. Arundhuti Debi was the cousin sister of Deepti Roy, who was highly educated, and upstart. She played tennis with Uttam Kumar. Deepti Roy became jealous about Arundhuti Debi and created unrest in the family with Uttam Kumar.

One day when fire broke out in the room of Deepti Roy, Uttam Kumar saved himself and fell to help his wife to come out of the fire. Uttam Kumar married Arundhuti Debi and settled as judge later one. One day he witnessed a case filed in his court having the same type of fact situation. Chabi Biswas made submission before the Court explaining the fact situation. The performance of Chabi Biswas in the respective role was brilliant by every acting standard.

He submitted before the judge that two brothers were attached to a girl and loved her equally. When both the brothers well travelling on boat, the brother who new swimming threw the other brother into the river knowing that he could not swim. He died as a result of it. In plain eyes it was a case of accident, but the circumstances proved the fact that it was a murder. There was motive present in the mind of the younger brother, that was to marry the girl, and for that reason he killed his brother.

While adjudicating this case Uttam Kumar recollected his experience, when his first wife Deepti Roy stretched her hand when fire broke out and he felled to save her. He shared his experience with Arundhuti Debi who asked him to pray to God to forgive him.

The film was based on reflections of mind and the intellectual crowd appreciated the film. Uttam Kumar, Arundhuti Debi and Deepti Roy were sublime in their respective roles. The music given by Timir Boron was also impressive with Rabindrasangeet like “jokhon prothom meliche koli amar mollikabone”.

The film should be restored to mark the grand creation of Prabhat Mukherjee, a creative director of Bengali films of the 50s.