Aparajita

Saw Anik Dutta's Aparajita last Monday. It was a night show at the Lake Market. It's a black and white film on the making of Pather Panchali - one of the most daring acts in the history of film making in India. We have all grown up reading stories and anecdotes about Pather Panchali (as indeed on Satyajit Ray himself) and how it was made against all odds and how it got global fame and established Satyajit Ray as one of the top film makers of the world etc. These are part of the educated Bengali's folklore now.

To me it stands out as one of the most heroic things to do for an individual. To be a complete outsider in the world of film making and put everything at risk to make his maiden film which was totally against what used to be dished out during his time by his contemporaries and then get global recognition for it is an extremely daring thing to do. No ordinary Bengali likes going out of his comfort zone of a cushy job and get into a world of uncertainties. 

But then Satyajit was not an ordinary Bengali. He was from a family of artists and intellectuals that was part of the cultural elite of the Bengali society of their time. Creative genius was in his gene.

His father (who he lost at the age of 3) and grandfather are household names in most educated Bengali families for their work on children's literature. And it has been so for more than a century now. Hailing from such a family he could not have been anything but a creative artist. He could've chosen any profession actually. He graduated in economics from Presidency College - the college that has produced two Nobel laureates in economics and then studied fine art in Shantiniketan under some of the greatest artists that India has produced. 

And then he chose to be a commercial artist with a top gun British ad agency, which gave him the opportunity to spend half a year in England and watch neo-classic European films there. After that he left it all to pursue a life in film making. 

Anik Dutta captured this defining moment in his life to make a film and then make a global success out of it. He did not use real names in the film. In his interviews he says this was on the insistence of Sandip Ray, Satyajit's son. They were apprehensive that someone somewhere could find a fault in some detail and then would either bad mouth it or even file a case against the film. They didn't want to take this risk. 

Therefore, the film cannot be called a biopic. I do not know what the film should be called in terms of its genre but it is a well made film. I would call it Anik Dutta's tribute to Ray. I quite liked it. 

I have just one minor grouse. The film never showed Ray taking a public bus with his crew to go shooting. He used to do this when he was shooting in the weekends while still working in the agency. To me this is the ultimate in commitment and courage. It might be a minor detail but to me it's a major detail. I can quite imagine Ray standing on the footboard of a double decker bus and going shooting with his crew.

The film also succeeds to a large extent because of the central character of the film. The guy who plays the role, Jeetu Kamal, has an uncanny resemblance to Ray. Dutta calls it a scary resemblence. And he does a fantastic job of imitating (this may not be the right word but it is not used in any negative sense) Ray's famous mannerisms and body language etc coupled with good acting skills. Obviously he did a very detailed homework and must have seen documentaries on him. 

I wonder how successful the film would have been without such an actor. What if he did not look like Ray at all? I doubt the film would be such a success. At 12.15 am on a weekday when we were coming out of the hall there were quite a few people with us. The hall was not at all empty. This is the sign of a successful movie. 

I hardly watch any movie at all. My review should not be used as a guide to watch or not watch a movie.