I cried
throughout the film; when the end credits started rolling and the grayscale shifted
to colour, I thought it was beyond me to analyze this film. Firmly rooted and
totally seduced by the temptations of the late capitalist market, it is beyond
me to evaluate a film on a creative genius who never compromised with his
ideologies. As the narrative merges cinema and theatre seamlessly, shifts in
time and space, and shuttles between the real and surreal, the audience is made
to embark on an intensely emotional voyage through all the masterpieces, from Meghe Dhaka Tara to Subarnarekha, from Ajantrik
to Jukti Tokko ar Goppo. As
Subarnarekha flows into Titas, the vintage car of Ajantrik becomes the medium of elopement for the rebel boy of Bari Theke Paliye, and all jukti, tokko, & especially goppo
attain the scale the stuff classical tragedies are made of, the audience can’t
but shed a tear for the tragic hero of world cinema, who was barely acclaimed in
his lifetime. Perhaps, the sentimentality in which the film often indulges in
is also a tribute to the great master whose Meghe
Dhaka Tara is often reproached for its mushy melodrama. Kamaleshwar
Mukherjee has very intelligently sewn together pieces of the great films and
plays into a patchwork of brilliance, which almost works as a thriller for
those who have the privileged knowledge of all the masterpieces, and therefore,
have the pleasure of recognizing the intertextual references. Although the film
is embroiled in the political upheaval of the Partition, the Naxalite Movement,
and the 1971 Bangladesh War, Meghe Dhaka
Tara, it must be noted, is also an extremely contemporary film. Ghatak’s
fiery spirit of revolution and his strident critique of state machinery appear so
very desirable at this very moment in history. Meghe Dhaka Tara reminds its viewers of the eternal topicality of
Ghatak, and therefore, by default the eternal relevance of great art.
It’s
difficult to appreciate and do justice to Meghe
Dhaka Tara after one watch. The film deserves to be watched many more
times. Debojyoti Mishra’s music creates the right ambience to evoke the right
kind of mood. Samik Haldar’s camera had to be really alert of Ghatak’s
uniqueness. Saswata Chatterjee, has made the protagonist quite believable.
Whether he is like the real Ghatak is
irrelevant here. Ananya is good, but the real credit goes to the entire
ensemble cast of actors in the theatre group and at the asylum. Abir is
disappointing, and his appearance in certain scenes as a silent spectator does
not add much to the narrative.
Meghe Dhaka Tara might not find box-office
success; but then, it would be imitating the fate of most of the master’s films.
Nothing has changed. It never will. The film demands patience, knowledge and of
course sensibility to appreciate esoteric works of art. And if such are the
demands, eighty per cent of the audience stands a good chance of feeling
alienated, therefore, of getting eliminated. And another warning: if you find
yourself totally drawn into the film, the comfort of the multiplex and the
popcorn served during the interval tend to prick you with a sense of guilt, the
guilt of being too materialistic.
Image courtesy: www.madaboutmoviez.com
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