Ritwik Ghatak : A Cloud Capped Star on the Sky of Kolkata

On the 4^th of November 1925 in the state of Dhaka in the then East Bengal, now Bangladesh, Indubala Devi and Suresh Chandra Ghatak, a district magistrate and poet gave birth to a pair of twins, the youngest of their nine kids, Ritwik and Prateeti. The family shifted base to Kolkata before the woeful Bengal Famine of 1943 and the Indian Independence of 1947. This little boy, with the torments of the millions of refugees in his mind and his deep love for the banks of River Padma grew up to be one of the most free-spirited directors the world has ever seen with mostly all his films deeply influenced by the mental hysteria of the refugees from Bangladesh due to India’s Independence and Partition. Due to extreme alcoholism and the diseases following it, it became difficult for Ghatak to continue making films for a long time.

What is Ghatak’s Films About?

Indian Independence and Partition of 1947 and The Bangladesh Liberation war of 1971 had resulted in millions of Bengalis to migrate to Kolkata and other parts of Bengal leaving their ancestral homes and emotions attached to them back in Bangladesh. Ghatak was an ardent lover of his birthplace in Bangladesh and had also witnessed both the above mentioned catastrophes. Mostly all of his released feature films, the reason I specifically cite feature films is because there are numerous other great unreleased works of his which would be mentioned below, are haunted by the disastrous effects on the human psyche after having to leave one’s original home. Ghatak, who was very open about his thoughts, for which he wasn’t very dear to the diplomatic ones of the age, in an interview, when asked if his films were inspired by any personal truth, replied saying,

“Being a Bengali from East Bengal, I have seen the untold miseries inflicted on my people in the name of independence—which is a fake and a sham. I have reacted violently towards this and I have tried to portray different aspects of this [in my films]”

In another Interview while discussing about the Famous Trilogy of Meghe Dhaka Tara ( 1960), Komal Gandhar (1961) and Subarnarekha(1962) Ghatak said:

“Against my intention the films Meghe Dhaka Tara, Komal Gandhar, and Subarnarekha formed my trilogy. When I started Meghe Dhaka Tara, I never spoke of political unification. Even now I don’t think of it because history will not alter and I won’t venture to do this impossible task. The cultural segregation caused by politics and economics was a thing to which I never reconciled myself as I always thought in terms of cultural integration. This very theme of cultural integration forms the theme in all three films.”

Ghatak’s Style of Films :

Assimilated from the method of Bertolt Brecht, Ghatak has admitted the influence of the writings of the former on his films. Ghatak is a proponent of Melodrama, surely not the daily soap style, but of a certain kind of enhanced expression leading the moments to a level more than the basic norms of realism. He  creates this neatly by his deep focused cinematography, unusually sensitive use of deep focus and his use of complex and disoriented soundtracks! He also uses the narrative ellipses to a huge extent.

First and foremost, his films, specially the trilogy, look at the cultural and political formations which the topographic break in the lives of the people of India seems to put into a major crisis. The partition of India remains one of the most harrowing divisions of people in recent history. It also resulted in unprecedented migration. In the films, the crisis, however starkly lived, is viewed against the evocative simultaneity of mythic presence or Tagore’s beautiful poems. Even the bare documentative inserts of buildings, offices, pavements and roads seem to invoke a poetic conscience.  The film addresses the question of nationality mainly within the modes of memory and melodic excess and disavows a direct preferentiality and, hence, a rhetoric of identity. In a way, it marks the beginning of Ghatak's remarkable contribution to the rich Indian melodramatic tradition followed in Komal Gandhar and Subarnarekha. He pushes melody into the space of memory; movement-gesture into the space of myth. It is also a film that pushes the debate about nationality beyond the realm of ideological certainties.

The socio-economic crisis is also a metaphysical one, each informing the other in a slowly unfolding tragedy. As the plot unravels, Ghatak gives us a bitter critique of bourgeois aspirations, brutal ambition and dehumanization. At the same time the films are also an exploration of innocence, other-worldliness... Tagore’s dreamy and haunting music that is numinous, sad and dark. Hope and happiness are ephemeral, enjoyed at a price; relief is momentary in the dark, sobering and visionary journey into mankind’s soul.

HOW AND WHERE TO DISCOVER THE GREAT GHATAK !

It is to great surprise and misfortune that the first film made by Ghatak, Nagarik( 1952)  was not even released in his lifetime and was released in 1977 only after his death in 1976 at a very young age of 50years. Ghatak’s works are now being archived and reinstated by Ritwik Memorial Trust. I would however take the utmost pleasure of listing most of the works of this great Padma Sri Awarded Director who died a cloud capped star and today shines brighter than many others on the skies of Kolkata and the world.

Films

DIRECTOR AND SCRIPT WRITER

Year	Film	English Title			Release Date
1952	Nagarik	The Citizen		Premiere: 20 September 1977. Release: 30 September 1977.
1958	Ajantrik	The Unmechanical / The Pathetic Fallacy		23 May 1958
1958	Bari Theke Paliye	The Runaway		24 July 1959
1960	Meghe Dhaka Tara	The Cloud-Capped Star		14 April 1960
1961	Komal Gandhar	E-Flat		31 march 1961
1962	Subarnarekha	Subarnarekha		1 October 1965
1973	Titash Ekti Nadir Naam	A River Called Titash		27 July 1973
1974	Jukti Takko Aar Gappo	Reason, Debate and a Story		30 September 1977

STORY AND SCRIPT WRITER

Year	Film	Director	Remarks
1957	Musafir	Hrishikesh Mukherjee	Script
1958	Madhumati	Bimal Roy	Story & Script
1960	Swaralipi	Asit Sen	Script
1962	Kumari Mon	Chitrarath	Script
1963	Deeper Nam Tiya Rong	Gurudas Bagchi	Script
1965	Rajkanya	Sunil Banerjee	Story & Script
1968	Heerer Prajapati (Hindi)	Santi P. Choudhury	Script

AS AN ACTOR

Year	Film	Director
1950	Tathapi	Manoj Bhattacharya
1951	Chinnamul	Nimai Ghosh
1962	Kumari Mon	Chitrarath
1962	Subarnarekha	Ritwik Ghatak
1973	Titash Ekti Nadir Naam	Ritwik Ghatak
1974	Jukti Takko Aar Gappo	Ritwik Ghatak

Short films and documentaries

•               The Life of the Adivasis (1955)

•               Places of Historic Interest in Bihar (1955)

•               Oraon (1957)

•               Scissors (1962)

•               Ustad Alauddin Khan (1963)

•               Fear (1965)

•               Rendezvous (1965)

•               Civil Defence (1965)

•               Scientists of Tomorrow (1967)

•               Yeh Kyon (Why/The Question) (1970)

•               Amar Lenin (My Lenin) (1970)

•               Puruliar Chhau (The Chhau Dance of Purulia) (1970)

•               Durbar Gati Padma (The Turbulent Padma) (1971)

Incomplete films and documentaries

•               Bedeni (1951)

•               Kato Ajanare (1959)

•               Bagalar Banga Darshan (1964–65)

•               Ronger Golam (1968)

•               Ramkinkar (1975)

Screenplays aborted before shooting

•               Raja (1956)

•               Amritokumbher Sandhane (1957)

•               Akal Basonto (1957)

•               Arjan Sardar (1958)

•               Balidan (1962)

•               Aranyak (1963)

•               Nakshi Kanthar Math (1963)

•               Elephant taming in Gouripur (1963)

•               Shyam Se Neha Lagei (1964)

•               Janmabhumi (Pandit Mashai) (1965)

•               Chaturanga (1966)

•               Hirer Prajapati (1966)

•               Sansar Simante (1968)

•               Echoes from Vietnam in Bengal (1968)

•               Kumar Sambhaber Ashtom Swargo (1969)

•               Sat Lahari

•               Natun Phasal

•               Ajay and Gabroo

•               Those forgotte ones

•               Shei Bishnupriya (1974)

•               Mannequin (1974)

•               Hath

•               Princess Kalaboti

•               Buddhu Bhutum (1975)

•               Lojja (1975)

Theatre

•               Chandragupto (Dwijendralal Ray), actor

•               Achalayoton (Tagore) (1943), director and actor

•               Kalo Sayor (Ghatak) (1947–48), actor and director

•               Kalonko (Bhattacharya) (1951), actor

•               Dolil (Ghatak) (1952), actor and director

•               Kato Dhane Kato Chaal (Ghatak)(1952)

•               Officer (Gogol) (1953), actor,

•               Ispaat (Ghatak) (1954–55), un-staged

•               Khorir Gondi (Brecht)

•               Galileo Chorit (Brecht)

•               Jagoran (Atindra Mozumdar), actor

•               Jalonto (Ghatak)

•               Jwala (Ghatak)

•               Dakghar (Tagore)

•               Dheu (Biru Mukhopadhay)

•               Dhenki Swarge geleo Dhan bhane (Ghatak/Panu Paul)

•               Natir Puja (Tagore)

•               Nabanna (Bhattacharya)

•               Nildarpan (Dinabandhu Mitra), actor

•               Nicher Mahal (Gorky), un-staged

•               Netajike nie (Ghatak)

•               Poritran (Tagore)

•               Falguni (Tagore)

•               Bidyasagar (Banaphool)

•               Bisarjan (Tagore)

•               Vangabandor (Panu Paul), actor

•               Voter vet (Panu Paul), actor

•               Musanfiro ke lie (Gorky), actor

•               Macbeth (Shakespeare), actor

•               Raja (Tagore)

•               Sanko (Ghatak), actor

•               Sei Meye (Ghatak), director

•               Strir Patro (Tagore)

•               Hojoborala (Sukumar Ray)

Literary works

Books

•               Ritwik Ghatak stories ISBN 81-87075-55-4

•               Galileo Charit (Bengali translation of Brecht's Life of Galileo)

•               Chalachitra, Manush Ebong Aro Kichu Dey's publishers ISBN 81-295-0397-2

•               Cinema and I, Ritwik Memorial Trust, Kolkata

•               On the cultural "Front", Ritwik Memorial Trust

•               Rows and Rows of Fences: Ritwik Ghatak on Cinema, Seagull Books Pvt. Ltd, Kolkata ISBN 978-81-7046-178-4

•               Ritwik Ghatak Stories, Translated from Bengali by Rani Ray, New Delhi, Shrishti publishers and distributors ISBN 978-81-87075-55-4

Short stories

•               Akashgangar srot dhore

•               Ezahar

•               Shikha

•               Ecstasy

•               Rupkotha

•               Raja

•               Parashpathar

•               Bhuswarga Achanchal

•               Sphotik Patro

•               Chokh

•               Comrade

•               Sarak

•               Prem

•               Jhankar

•               Mar

PLEASE LIKE AND SHARE IF YOU LIKE THIS!!

THANK YOU FOR READING !