In their celebratory moments
Pallab Bhattacharya reads up on two artistes, again!
One of Bengali cinema's biggest unresolved mysteries surrounding the stupendous success of on-screen chemistry between and among artistes has been the relationship between two legendary actors -- Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. A lot has been written about them in the media and some books, especially in a Bengali work by Sen's very close friend Gopal Krishna Roy, a veteran journalist. The grapevine is even today abuzz with all kinds of speculations on the subject. One cannot possibly pin the chemistry down to any one particular factor and it could be a combination of various factors. That is the inescapable conclusion one gets after reading web journalist Maitreyee B Chowdhury's latest book, in English, Üttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen: Bengali Cinema's First Couple (published by Om International).
The book is divided into nine chapters and the two longest among them are, understandably, devoted to the relationship between Bengali cinema's legendary romantic pair, who have captured the imagination of viewers across generations in a manner none has ever done, and the evolution of Uttam and Suchitra as actors in their own right. The two have acted together in 30 films spread across a little more than two decades, starting with "Sarey Chuattor" in 1953 and ending with "Priyo Bandhobi" in 1975. Uttam Kumar died and three years later Suchitra Sen retired from films and became highly reclusive.
But before the readers get a glimpse into the on and off-screen chemistry between the two actors, they are dished out a useful contribution by Chowdhury in the chapter, "The Rise of Popular Bengali Cinema", which chronicles the sprouting of popular commercial cinema alongside the parallel cinema represented by the likes of Devaki Bose, Pramathesh Barua, Bimal Roy and later by Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen and the emergence of Uttam and Suchitra after the 1950s. Was the charm of Uttam and glamour of Suchitra the only reason that made the films featuring them so popular? Well, the author of the book cites three other reasons for the success of the Uttam-Suchitra pair: one, romance as portrayed by the duo had hardly been explored in Bengali cinema earlier; second, their films shed their rural backdrop and showed the glitz and glamour of city life; and, third, romance was no longer weighed down by sorrow, trial and tribulations. One cannot but agree with the writer that Uttam-Suchitra came at a time when Bengali cinema needed a trend less in terms of scripts, acting or technicians and more in areas of star power with greater mass appeal.
The author of the book makes an interesting—though arguable—observation: "Popular Bengali cinema, especially Uttam and Suchitra starrers, represented the same culture and society that parallel cinema did. This was despite the fact that there was a marked difference between the two genres of cinema. If the single most important reason has to be acknowledged for the huge popular appeal of Uttam, it is, as the book's author says is because he "was the dream hero, the every day man and flamboyant star, rolled into one". Even more aptly, the author quotes Satyajit Ray as describing Uttam "as a person every mother wanted as a son, every sister wanted as a brother and every girl wanted as a lover".
The twenty-page chapter on the on-screen chemistry between Uttam and Suchitra is bound to be the most sought by readers of the book as it analyses different facets of the professional and personal relationships between them. Uttam was one of the very few people who could call Suchitra by her real name, which was Roma; and Suchitra, when asked on her relationship with Uttam, "is known to have famously said that they were neither brother-sisters nor lovers. She was his Priyo Bandhobi", according to the book. "The two", the author tells us, "had tremendous respect for each other too. Uttam and Suchitra's relationship was based on mutual trust, appreciation and admiration for each other's work and personality". But at the end of the narrative, no clarity emerges on the exact kind of relationship the two shared.
Gopal Krishna Roy and other Bengali cinema personalities known to be close to Suchitra say the actress has zealously guarded her personal life and has not allowed anyone to peek into it. And, therefore It is in the fitness of things that Maitrayee Chowdhury ends her analysis of the Uttam-Suchitra chemistry by saying the following, "whether Uttam and Suchitra were as deeply involved with each other in reality shall forever remain unanswered".
The author finds it strange that none of the Bengali filmmakers who made it big in Bollywood never chose to cast Uttam-Suchitra pair in any Hindi film although both the actors had appeared separately in some Hindi films like "Devdas" (where Suchitra plays the role of Paro), alongside Dilip Kumar, "Bombai ka Babu", "Mamta", "Aandhi", "Chhotisi Mulakat", "Aamanush", "Anand Ashram" and "Dooriyan". Some of the films starring Uttam Kumar were remade in Hindi, like Jeebon Mrityu, Bhranti Bilash, Chhodobeshi, Nishipadma. One reason could be that both had their limitations with Hindi accent.
The book also offers some interesting anecdotes in the life of Suchitra Sen. For instance, she is reported to have once declined to work in a film by Ray. How the girl from Pabna overcame her distinct East Bengal accent of Bengali to enter Bengali cinema, why she was the first actress to do modelling for a Bata shoe, how she was well ahead of her time by wrapping herself in a towel and posing for a photo in a bathroom and how Uttam began his career in the role of an extra in a Hindi film called "Mayador" that was never released are anecdotes you get aplenty in this engrossing work.
Pallab Bhattacharya is an indian journalist based in Delhi.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments