The legendary Tarun Majumdar was on stage. He had simply acquired the 2021 Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. As we gave him a standing ovation, my thoughts flashed again to that second in life when a teenage me first met this humanistic filmmaker by way of his timeless work, Shriman Prithviraj (1973), a Bengali bildungsroman. The hero, Rashik Lal, had instantly change into my alter ego, and all the women one fell in love with someway resembled the heroine, Amalabala! Aside from the primary couple of Ayan Bandyopadhyay and Mahua Roychowdhury, the characters performed by Sandhya Roy (who would later marry Majumdar in actual life), Utpal Dutt, Satya Bandyopadhyay, Rabi Ghosh, Santosh Dutta and Chinmoy Roy have been etched in my thoughts. thoughts. and coronary heart, eternally.
And, there on the stage, the small and frail, however one of many tallest of all of them, Tarun Majumdar went on to say that he was engaged on a brand new script. Such was the liveliness of him, the power of him. He stated that he was intrigued by human relationships and values, and man’s everlasting quest was to change into a greater human being. Proudly tied to his middle-class roots, he understood his values and essence in such a delicate method that his movies, whereas aesthetically wealthy, resonated with hundreds of thousands and resulted in large field workplace successes.
Shriman Prithviraj’s picture.
Majumdar additionally made Bengal proud on the Indian map. He gained 4 Nationwide Awards, seven BFJA Awards, 5 Filmfare Awards and the Padma Shri. However hey, he deserved extra. In a rustic the place the Holy Trinity of Satyajit Ray-Mrinal Sen-Ritwik Ghatak dwarfed everybody, Majumdar fought again together with administrators Tapan Sinha, Ajoy Kar and Asit Sen.
A filmmaker is usually evaluated on the premise of what number of praiseworthy new abilities they may introduce to the trade. Majumdar had introduced Moushumi Chatterjee, Mahua Roychowdhury, Ayan Bandyopadhyay, Debashree Roy and Tapas Paul to the large display screen. The Bengali viewers will at all times be grateful to him for this.
A nonetheless from Chaowa Paowa.Nevertheless, it might appear unusual, however Tarun babu’s first date with the actors was not by way of newcomers. He made his debut with chaowa paowa (1959) starring the formidable couple Uttam-Suchitra beneath the banner of Yatrik, with two different administrators Sachin Mukherjee and Dilip Mukherjee. Along with Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen, fellow stalwarts Chhabi Biswas and Tulsi Chakraborty made certain the movie was an enormous success.
Tarun babu discovered his personal voice within the subsequent movie he directed collectively along with his Yatrik staff: cancher swarga (1962). A narrative about how circumstances first pressure a person to drop out of medical college, then put him within the distinctive place to avoid wasting a younger girl’s life. Starring the who’s who of that period: Anil Chatterjee, Pahari Sanyal, Manju Dey, Utpal Dutt, Bikash Roy, Chhaya Devi, and starring Dilip Mukherjee himself, the movie earned them the primary Nationwide Award in 1963.
Legend has it that for Yatrik’s subsequent movie Palatak (1963), Uttam Kumar needed to play the title position, however Majumdar determined in any other case. He then solid Anup Kumar, an iconic comic of the time, because the hero. The character was from Basanta, a bohemian who runs away from relationships. It was unthinkable in these days to current a comic as a hero, however Tarun babu stood agency in his conviction. He even managed to influence V Shantaram to provide the movie.
A nonetheless from Palatak.
Tarun babu separated from Yatrik and went alone. His first solo movies of his embrace Alor Pipasa (1965) with Basanta Choudhury and Ek Tuku Basa (1965) with Soumitra Chattopadhyay, each movies starring Sandhya Roy as the feminine lead. Fairly quickly I might be directing Balika Badhu (1967), that includes a teenage Moushumi Chatterjee. The movie was a convincing field workplace success. The opposite movies that may earn him the Nationwide Award can be Nimantran (1972), Ganadevata (1979), and aranya aamaar in 1984. Ganadevata it was the primary Bengali movie to win the Nationwide Award within the class “Finest widespread movie offering healthful leisure”. Sansar Shimantey (1976) would earn him the BFJA Award for Finest Director.
Together with important acclaim, Tarun babu, not like the others, even the greats, managed to create field workplace hits. It’s, certainly, a uncommon achievement: bridging the hole between good cinema and profitable motion pictures. Shriman Prithviraj, Fuleswari (1974), Ganadevata, Dadar Kirti (1980), Bhalabasa Bhalabasa (1985), Apan Amaar Apan (1990), and aalo (2003) have been large hits of their time, which had contributed to the coffers of the Bengali movie trade. I bear in mind how I had accompanied my dad and mom to a screening of aalo on the Bijoli Cinema in South Kolkata. An evening present, offered out.
A nonetheless from Dadar Kirti.
As I write this obituary for considered one of Bengal’s prodigal sons, Tarun Majumdar is on his option to the hospital the place his stays can be handed over for medical analysis and training. In loss of life, his solely companions are Tagore’s Gitanjali and the CPI(M) occasion flag. No candlelight marches, no bouquets, nothing. He was born a standard man, he died a standard man. And between his start and his loss of life, he lived the lifetime of a believer in human values, he celebrated the center class and honored it with dignity on celluloid.
In Tagore’s phrases, “Tobu mone rekho… Keep in mind me nonetheless, even when I am going distant… If the previous love is buried beneath a brand new ardor… If the tears assail your eyes, if the sport ends in a dream evening, Keep in mind me nonetheless…” Goodbye, grasp.
Ranjan Ghosh is a Bengali filmmaker whose movies embrace Hrid Majharey, Rong Beronger Korhi, Ahaa Re, and Mahishasur Marddini.
