Tarun Majumdar: The final of the greats of Bengali cinema

The legendary Tarun Majumdar stood on the stage. He had simply acquired the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award 2021. As we gave him a standing ovation, my thoughts went again to that second in life when a teenaged me was first launched to this humanist filmmaker via his timeless work, Shriman Prithviraj (1973), a Bengali bildungsroman. The hero, Rashik Lal, had instantly turn out to be my alter ego, and each woman one had a crush on, in some way resembled the heroine, Amalabala! Apart from the lead pair of Ayan Bandyopadhyay and Mahua Roychowdhury, the characters essayed by Sandhya Roy (who’d later marry Majumdar in actual life), Utpal Dutt, Satya Bandyopadhyay, Rabi Ghosh, Santosh Dutta, and Chinmoy Roy had been etched in my thoughts and coronary heart, perpetually.

And, there on the stage, the quick and frail, but 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 his vivaciousness, his vitality. He stated that he was intrigued by human relationships and values, and {that a} man’s everlasting quest was to turn out to be a greater human being. Proudly moored to middle-class roots, he understood their values and essence to such a delicate extent that his movies, whereas being aesthetically wealthy, resonated with tens of millions leading to great box-office successes.

A nonetheless from Shriman Prithviraj.

Majumdar made Bengal proud on the Indian map as effectively. He gained 4 National Awards, seven BFJA Awards, 5 Filmfare Awards and the Padma Shri. But then, he deserved extra. In a rustic the place the Holy Trinity of Satyajit Ray-Mrinal Sen-Ritwik Ghatak overshadowed anybody and everybody, Majumdar held his personal together with fellow administrators Tapan Sinha, Ajoy Kar and Asit Sen.

A filmmaker is usually evaluated on the idea of what number of commendable new abilities she or he may introduce to the trade. Majumdar had introduced within the likes of Moushumi Chatterjee, Mahua Roychowdhury, Ayan Bandyopadhyay, Debashree Roy and Tapas Paul to the silver display screen. The Bengali viewers will perpetually stay grateful to him for this.

A nonetheless from Chaowa Paowa.

Strange it might appear although, however Tarun babu’s first tryst with actors was not via newcomers. He made his debut with Chaowa Paowa (1959) starring the formidable Uttam-Suchitra pair beneath the banner of Yatrik, with two different administrators Sachin Mukherjee and Dilip Mukherjee. Besides Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen, the opposite stalwarts Chhabi Biswas and Tulsi Chakraborty ensured that the movie was a runaway hit.

Tarun babu discovered his personal voice within the subsequent movie he directed alongside together with his Yatrik crew — Kancher Swarga (1962). A narrative about how circumstances first compel a person to give up his medical research and later places him within the sole place to save lots of a younger lady’s life. Starring the who’s who of that period: Anil Chatterjee, Pahari Sanyal, Manju Dey, Utpal Dutt, Bikash Roy, Chhaya Devi, and that includes Dilip Mukherjee himself because the protagonist, the movie fetched them the primary National Award in 1963.

Legend has it that for Yatrik’s subsequent movie Palatak (1963), Uttam Kumar needed to play the lead, however Majumdar determined in any other case. He went on to solid Anup Kumar, an iconic comic of the time, because the hero. The character was of Basanta, a bohemian who runs away from relationships. It was unthinkable in these days to solid a comic as a hero, however Tarun babu caught to his conviction. He even managed to influence V Shantaram to provide the movie.

A nonetheless from Palatak.

Tarun babu parted methods with Yatrik and went solo. His first solo movies included Alor Pipasa (1965) with Basanta Choudhury and Ek Tuku Basa (1965) with Soumitra Chattopadhyay, each movies starring Sandhya Roy as the feminine lead. Very quickly, he could be directing Balika Badhu (1967), introducing a teenaged Moushumi Chatterjee. The movie was a roaring box-office success. The different movies that may fetch him the National Award could be Nimantran (1972), Ganadevata (1979), and Aranya Aamaar in 1984. Ganadevata was the primary Bengali movie to win the National Award within the “Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment” class. Sansar Shimantey (1976) would win him the BFJA Award for Best Director.

Along with important acclaim, Tarun babu, not like the others, even the greats, managed to create box-office successes. It is, certainly, a uncommon achievement — to bridge the hole between good cinema and hit movies. Shriman Prithviraj, Fuleswari (1974), Ganadevata, Dadar Kirti (1980), Bhalobasa Bhalobasa (1985), Apan Amaar Apan (1990), and Aalo (2003) had been main hits of their occasions, that had contributed to the coffers of the Bengali movie trade. I keep in mind how I had accompanied my dad and mom to a screening of Aalo on the Bijoli Cinema in south Kolkata. An night present, it was offered out.

A nonetheless from Dadar Kirti.

As I pen this obituary for certainly one of Bengal’s prodigal sons, Tarun Majumdar is on his method to the hospital the place his mortal stays could be handed over for the needs of medical analysis and training. In loss of life, his solely companions are Tagore’s Gitanjali and the CPI(M) get together flag. No candlelight marches, no flower-bouquets, nothing. He was born a standard man, he died a standard man. And between his delivery and loss of life, he lived the lifetime of a believer in human values, celebrated the middle-class, and bestowed them with dignity on celluloid.

In Tagore’s phrases, “Tobu mone rekho… Remember me still, even if I go far away… If old love gets buried under a newer ardour… If tears come to your eyes, if play comes to an end on a dreamy night, Remember me still…” Goodbye, maestro.

Ranjan Ghosh is a Bengali filmmaker whose movies embody Hrid Majharey, Rong Beronger Korhi, Ahaa Re and Mahishasur Marddini.