Memory
has a major role to play in writing and rewriting history. History is not confined
within pages of fat books, but history is a liquid narrative, which takes the
form of that memory which carries it and gives shape to it. This memory might be
the memory of single person (personal histories), or of a collective populace.
Therefore, history has myriad versions, and it is impossible to pin down a
single version of the truth. Therefore, Rohit (Jishu Sengupta) is flabbergasted
at the initiation of his dream project – of discovering Antony Firingie, the
man and his music. The film takes a documentary mode, and commendably so, as
Rohit interviews people on the streets of Chandannagore to find out what the public
memory of Antony is. Nobody seems to know Antony, apart from the fact that
matinee idol Uttam Kumar had played him in a Bengali blockbuster in the early
70s! That is the most familiar memory of this great musical genius, who seems
to have receded into oblivion. Jatishwar,
as it has been erroneously publicised by many, is not a remake of Antony Firingie. Yes, the retro-story in
sepia tone is no different from the Uttam Kumar-Tanuja classic, but there’s
much more to this Srijit Mukherji film.
The
fact that nobody could give any valuable information on Antony speaks volumes
on the gradual dilution and eventually complete erasure of a genre of music
(here mostly kabigaan, and its various phases), which was immensely rich, and
demanded of the artists superlative intelligence, presence of mind, and the
potential to compose impromptu! Kushal Hajra (Prosenjit Chatterjee) is perhaps
no real Jaatishwar! He might not indeed be a reincarnation of Antony! He is
perhaps that lost memory which is personified in a the form of man, a man who
smarts under the massive history of that lost era which heavily weighs down on
him and robs him of his sanity. The film takes its cue from such cult Indian
films such as Madhumati or Sonar Kella (I was even reminded of
another Uttam Kumar classis, Sannyasi
Raja), and plays on two different levels: on one hand, it recalls and
revives a particular musical genius who had a significant contribution to
Bengali music, on the other, it firmly situates itself in the tradition of
reincarnation or rebirth films, which have always been box-office successes in
India. Music and cinema, therefore, blend in the narrative of Jatishwar, revealing a rich cultural tradition,
while acknowledging Indian Cinema’s heavy dependence on songs and lyrics. The
film could have used a few more well-known Bengali songs to reinforce the
nostalgia...apart from some fading tunes (E
shudhu gaaner din..., etc.), not much has come into the film, sadly enough!
I
would refrain from delving deeper into the story, which is after all, a love
story. It is also a film about communal harmony. In fact, the film also unveils
that cultural colonialism was not a one-sided process; it was a game of
exchange, after a point of time. As the narrative moves back and forth in time
to establish so many plot strands, the whole attempt sometimes looks a tad
forced. But, what is evident is that a lot of research has gone into the film.
Kudos to Srijit Mukherji! But, he could have been a little more careful in
streamlining the plot!
