The Enigma That is Soumitra Chatterjee
Amitava Nag writes about the great Indian actor Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee was Amal to me for quite a long time. It wasn’t the first Chatterjee film that I watched, nor, was it his first film. But whenever I get to think of him the couple of images that strike me include the above from Satyajit Ray’s classic “Charulata” (1964). The other being Apu in Ray’s third film of the epic trilogy “Apur Sansar” (1959).
Starting a film career in 1958, it took 50 years for the juries to decide that Soumitra Chatterjee deserves the National award for the best actor. Or so it seems, as he bags the coveted trophy in the 54th National Awards for his performance in the Bengali film “Podokkhep” (2006) - ‘for etching the agonies and elations of a an elderly person trying to keep peace with changing times‘. The thespian is critical though - ‘Awards had lost their credibility for me a long time ago. At this point in my life they don’t really matter. I don’t value them any more’, he sounds disillusioned. To note, he refused the Special Jury Award for Goutam Ghosh’s “Dekha” (2001) seven years ago. But this time, he maintains, he cannot ‘disappoint’ his fans. However, it should be noted that Soumitra Chattejee has won quite a few international awards already — the Officier des Arts et Metiers, one of the highest award for arts given by the French government, the Lifetime Award from the organizers of the Naples Film Festival, Italy in 1999. He once turned down the honorary Padma Shri award from the Indian government in the 1970s though later he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India.
Chatterjee had been Ray’s ‘one-man stock company’ (as Pauline Kael coined him) - a collaboration in 14 films which has a staggering range from Apu to Gangacharan in “Ashani Sanket” (1973), Felu in the detective films (1974 and 1978), Sandip in “Ghare Baire” (1984) and the later films (1989, 1990). Apart from Ray, Soumitra had been an instant choice for most of eminent Bengali directors including Mrinal Sen , Tapan Sinha of the classical phase and Goutam Ghosh, Rituporno Ghosh or Aparna Sen of recent years — notable exceptions being Ritwik Ghatak and Buddhadeb Dasgupta.
Two most important aspects that come to mind currently about the actor Soumitra Chatterjee are - his professional rivalry with the Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar and the shift in his choice of films across the different decades.
When Soumitra started his career in the late fifties / early sixties, Uttam Kumar had already been a star and probably the biggest of them all. His eloquent ‘natural’ style had been a perfect foil to his romantic overtones, pairing with the gorgeous Suchitra Sen. Satyajit Ray had started reeling out masterpieces and for the first time, the audience had a glimpse of the natural in Indian films. Uttam Kumar was quick to adapt even if his chance to act in a Ray film came much later in “Nayak” (1966). As he kept sweeping the audience off their feet, Soumitra’s image was that of a shy college passout in Apu. And few films after, by the mid sixties, Soumitra became the thinking man’s hero - the image of an ‘intellectual’. He had the intellectual ‘bangali babu’ eating out of his palms, added to the fact was his marked leftist lineage, his poet identity and his association with Sisir Bhaduri, the legendary theatre thespian. The coffee-house go-er Bengali intelligentsia modeled themselves on him as a parallel to the more popular Uttam Kumar. Both of them did a number of films together but most famous are “Jhinder Bandi” (1961), “Stree” (1972) , “Aparichito” (1969) and “Devdas”(1979). Barring Tapan Sinha’s “Jhinder Bandi” where he portrays the deadly yet sophisticated villain Mayurbahan as opposed to the king (dual role played by Uttam) in all these other films starring these legends, Soumitra played the second fiddle. Uttam played the confident male, going out and winning the world for him, while Soumitra epitomized as the defeated other. This is the singular image that Soumitra developed with ease, take Amal (”Charulata”) or Amitava of “Kapurush” (1965) - the glorification of a defeated individual has been a major fodder to his image being popular. In “Aparichito” (based on Dostyovesky’s “The Idiot”), Soumitra played the submissive ‘idiot’ who got deranged in the end, unable to cope with the pressures of the modern life. In “Stree”, he goes to the city from the village in search of fortune and when he returns, finds his lady-love forcibly married to a zaminder (played by Uttam Kumar). Dejected he takes work in the same zamindar’s house, unknowingly as the complex saga of love and betrayal unfolds. In Saratchandra’s epic novel “Devdas”, Soumitra plays Devdas, the jilted lover who succumbs to alcohol who gets support from his friend in Chunilal (Uttam). Almost all these films rise above the mundane pot-boilers, more so by the power of acting of this duo. And their intelligence in doing justice to the roles that suit them best ensured that the films are seldom boring. Probably the best way to sum up their difference is to quote Satyajit Ray - ‘…the intelligent section of the crowd, particularly the girls, the Presidency College girls, would prefer Soumitra to Uttam. But they were in a minority, I’m afraid’.
Soumitra Chatterjee is mainly a character actor who also became a star. This was ensured due to the associations he had in his early film career. If we look into his first decade - the sixties we will find he had acted in more than forty films which includes seven Satyajit Ray films, two Tapan Sinha , three Asit Sen and three Mrinal Sen films. Most of these films (not only those of Ray) had been different - in form as well as in content. It’s a rare luxury for a new actor to work with so many talented directors of the time. To his credit, Chatterjee had grabbed these opportunities with both hands and delivered. The seventies saw a change - the political instability throughout the globe rubbed on the film industry as well. Whereas in Bombay, the mantle shifted from Rajesh Khanna to Amitabh Bachchan, in Bengal, Uttam Kumar still held sway. However, as he moved more and more to character acting keeping his star image intact, Soumitra moved just the opposite - he got himself to do more and more ‘commercial’ hero roles. This resulted in having only four Satyajit films in the sixties and no other acclaimed director to work with. His appearance also changed as he grew old, from the Biblical reference of the ‘children of light’ to an urban sophistication. In the next three decades Soumitra moved slowly to characterizations in his acting - his aging process had matured gracefully like no one in the Indian film industry. For contemporary Bengali films Soumitra is almost mandatory - etching out the agonies of elder citizens of this world like the one for which he won the National awards. However, time and again he laments for the lack of scope that he gets in contemporary Bengali films, a true picture of the sorry state of affairs crippling the Bengali film industry. Probably, like Norma Desmond (unforgettable Gloria Swanson) of “Sunset Boulevard”(1950), Soumitra will sit back and rue - “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small” !!
Apart from the silver screen, Soumitra has spent more time on the stage since the early eighties. His initial theatre acting legacy with Sisir Bhaduri prompted him to return to his cradle as he produced theatres in packed houses - “Naam Jibon”, “Rajkumar”, “Phera”, “Nilkantha”, “Ghatak Biday” to name a few. The one that deserves special mention is “Tiktiki” - a very successful adaptation of Anthony Shaffer’s “The Sleuth” which showcases a stupendous range of acting from Chatterjee himself. As I have already mentioned, the aura of Soumitra Chatterjee was not in the singular fact that he was perhaps Bengal’s finest actor (and surely one of the best that this country ever produced) - its more since he is a playwright, a theatre actor, a poet, a co-editor of a progressive literary magazine for a long time, a social activist - trying for the cause of the deprived in occasions more than once. However, the stance that he has been taking in the West Bengal Government’s bungling of the ‘Industrialization’ issue (read the state-sponsored violence in Singur and Nandigram) is irritating as well as appalling. There has been no cloud on the brotherly relation between the Govt. (CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharyya being a ‘cultured’ Bengali !!!) and the cultural activists of West Bengal - be film makers, actors, writers, singers , all alike. But in the wake of the police killing in Nandigram, many of the ‘intellectuals’ showed dissent and chose not to dance to the Govt.’s tunes. Not only did Chatterjee remained loyal to the Government (his proximity to the CM is well known), but more importantly, his arrogant swagger at the news of several farmers being shot dead by the police befits that of a mafia, probably a ‘cultural mafia’.
For many of us, who grew up on Soumitra’s films, it’s a shock how Apu or Amal changed to a hard-nosed Soumitra Chatterjee. And in his day of personal glory, I cannot help to remember the last shots of a masterpiece by Istvan Szabo -”Mephisto” :
The actor Henrik Hofgen is presented Berlin’s newly constructed Olympic Stadium, he has to showcase the German pride and the Nazi love for German culture - this is the mandate given to him by the General. He is asked by the General to go forward, to the centre stage, to have a better view of the stadium. As he starts descending the steps he suddenly finds himself at the focus of a strong spotlight. He starts running only to hear his name echoing from the loud speakers and amidst this confusion he finds himself trapped in the limelight of the governance. He cannot flee whatever it may be, he has to comply, to the General’s wish for he has sold his great talent to the Nazi state. In sheer agony, Henrik Hofgen whispers to the camera - ‘What do they want of me? I am only an actor’.
I hope Soumitra Chatterjee doesn’t have to face the mirror and utter the same words.
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A fantastic piece Amitava and an enlightening one too! Soumitra is truly one of the greatest actors not only in India but across the world. Very very few actors blend effortlessly into an assortment of roles the way Soumitra does. No wonder Ray cast him in every other film he made. One of my favourite actors!
A fantastic post Amitava, loved reading it.
It’s ironical that an actor of such a great talent had to wait for half a century for a national award while international festivals honoured him with lifetime achievements. More than anything this speaks about our national award itself.
Being the alter ego of master like Ray is the biggest award, however, this exposes the kind of people serve on the jury.
A very nice and fluid reading untill I was taken aback by the sudden transition to the political tone. It’s quite appropriate for cinema and its actors to have a political stand as part of their social responsibility but the portrayal of it in the present context had no subtleness in it. Note that I am not debating the political issue but only the representation of it in the present context.
The amount of references and data suddenly reminded me of the ’sejo-khoka’ in ‘golpo holeyo sotti’ getting excited after being gifted with some highly informative film journals
. Jokes apart, a well researched, critically opined, lucid article about the great actor.
Dear Himadri,
Your point is justified. You know, sometimes, you tend to share certain deep feelings - love, hatred, frustration , so on and so forth. Soumitra remained the most influential actor to me, but I am gravely pained when I see him quite shamelessly brutal in his unkind remarks to the martyrs of Nandigram. There are political beliefs and lineages which is absolutely fine, but personal manipulations cannot be primal in such hours of state crisis.
I wanted this reference to be there….as I said its a deep feeling…and as you know, these things are not always logically coherent.
This may be a lame excuse, but this is where I stand, precisely !!!
Cheers
I was searching for words, until I saw the comment written by Niladri. It’s the same I would like to comment:
“A very nice and fluid reading untill I was taken aback by the sudden transition to the political tone. It’s quite appropriate for cinema and its actors to have a political stand as part of their social responsibility but the portrayal of it in the present context had no subtleness in it. Note that I am not debating the political issue but only the representation of it in the present context.”
Pretending I have not read the last three paragraphs:
I would like to mention Soumitra Chatterjee had given some extraordinary performances in Television also. In “Asomapto”, a Telefilm by Atanu Ghosh, he played a old man suffering from Alzeimer’s. My own grandfather is suffering from the same. The character in the Telefilm and the character I see in real life had extra-ordinary similarities! The character he portrayed was so authentic!
I would like you to see a picture of my grandfather here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kousani/2282691719/
That shows even in this ripe old age, how much he prepare himself (with the Director) before portraying a character. That’s dedication!
Dear Kousani,
Regarding your first comment, I accept, but as mentioned in my reply to Himadri, thats my stance.
Yes, I could have introduced telefilm as well. BUt thought otherwise since I felt, he had done innumerable extraordinaires in films which could have been mentioned but I refrained from –telefilm is just an extension.
Plays, theatres, poetries…these are all different mediums and hence worth mentioning - so I thought
Amitava
Nibedita Ghosh, 2nd Aug ‘08
Soumitra Chatterjee has a versatile actor needless to say. I have seen his awarded movies and other movies not only that I am an watcher of his drama also. His recitation, direction and other performance are really excellent. I was very much excited while seeing the drama Homa Pakhi. How he is performing , really astonishing. May God give him strength to show for long time.
To me it was “nice and fluid” yet “incomplete” till you brought in the contemporary political context, Amitava. Soumitra Chatterjee has been larger than life because of his complete packaging, not only for his achievements as an artist. His naked submission to Buddha-ism shocked many ordinary lesser mortals, whose very sensibilities were once influenced and at times shaped by watching Him, on and off the screen. Today, any writeup on Soumitra has to converge in Nandigram even if it is somewhat abrupt or aesthetically incorrect.
I would like to pose another question touched in the article. Who was a better performer Uttam Kumar or Soumitra? Uttam Kumar gave the performance of his career in Nayak but Ray did not trust him enough to make him the leading man in any of his other films (save the somewhat muddled Chidiyakhana). Ray discovered Soumitra and gave him a range of roles from the youthful Apu to the brain damaged elder brother in Shakha Proshakha. Soumitra’s oeuvre outside Ray’s films
(during the 60s and 70s) mainly consisted of a string of box office hits. Uttam Kumar showed his range despite not being cast by any of the masters such as Ray, Ghatak or Mrinal Sen. Who can forget his comic performance in Bhrantibilash or the tragic one in Morutirtho Hinlaaj?
Dear Aniruddha,
Is it mandatory that we have to value-judge whenever we put two or more important perosnalities in any field in perspective? I am intrigued by their staggering range. Who was better is not something I am looking for.
Cheers !
Hi Amitava,
No we should not value judge. These are two of Bengal’s greatest actor’s. But it is perhaps unfair for fans to label Soumitra an “intellectual” hero, and Uttam Kumar as a “commercial” one. Soumitra mainly started taking up roles in parallel cinema (outside of Ray) since the 80s, once he was well past his prime. That is when we saw some of his best performances.
Thanks.
Between Soumitra Chatterjee and Uttamkumar, Uttamkumar was an established star when Ray and Soumitra Chatterjee started their career. When someone is established commercial star, it’s very tough to break the image he carries. In Ray’s movies, he needed to highlight the characters, not the actors. When Uttamkumar did a movie, people were watching “Uttamkumar” more than the character. But in Ray’s movies, we don’t see Soumitra Chatterjee, we see Apu, Pheluda! That’s why Ray hadn’t cast Uttamkumar much; it has nothing to do with acting ability.
Secondly, in Ray’s case acting ability doesn’t matter that much. He has worked with so many amateurs with great effects! Just look at the child artists in his movies. He had the ability to bring out something extraordinary out of ordinary people. But for that, the actor needs to completely trust and give himself to the Director. With stars it would have been more difficult.
Uttamkumar and Soumitra Chatterjee are two different actors. They can’t be compared. But we have seen Soumitra Chatterjee in his ripe old age. It’s our misfortune that Uttamkumar passed away at relatively younger age and a golden age of Bengali Cinema ended with him.
Since the discussions are taking the inevitable turn towards soumitra vs uttam, I cannot but comment on it. I find it hard to believe that uttam was more than just a matinee idol. The death of “golden age” of bengali cinema would mean scarce of good directors rather than death of uttam kumar. Onset of Sukhen Das et. al. in the tolly scene was doomsday for bengali movies. Bengali cinema, to my understanding, has always been a form of literature - a good literary work transformed into a audio-visual form. The lack of good literature (except for the new-found “bold” sexual outbreak in “pujo-sankhas” led by ‘desh’) has been the sole reason for downfall of bengali cinema. Bengali films can never survive on dhisum-dhisum or physical romance - we bengalis are not just up to it. The sweet romance and uttam’s charm kept things alive untill his death. After him there was not a single bengali actor with this “charm-factor”. However, that charm doesn’t always work is evident from films like ‘ogo bodhu sundori’ - which is nothing but a slapstick coming out of technician-turned-director. So, it is just a co-incidence that uttam’s death and downfall of bengali cinema started at the same time and made him immortal. Had he live a few years more we would have seen him suffering from the same fate as soumitra - surrounded by mediocrity and losing sanity in the process. Wonder how bengalis would have ‘worshipped’ uttam had he been the face of ‘acibel’ (laxavtive) in huge hoardings
In the present context, the following interview taken by Gautam Ghosh for Anandabazar Patrika might be relevant, even though it is in Bengali. I found it very personal, informative, inspiring and entertaining. He has clarified his stance on Nandigram issue as well.
1st part: http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1080621/21mukhomukhi.htm
2nd part: http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1080628/28mukhomukhi.htm
He is a true legend.He will be always in our heart as Prodosh Chandra Mitter (our beloved Feluda)
Finally I met him, Mr Soumitra Chaterjee! We are doing a film together named 10:10. I actually worked/working with him, still seems like a dream! He is a very warm person with great sense of humor. He became Soumitra Jethu in no time! Believe me, he has no air at all.
i am a non bengali andhrite stayed in kolkata and a staubch admirer of the great satyajit ray. naturally , i have to be a fan of soumitroda. no doubt he is a great actor and a natural choice to the films of styajit ray. recognition can not be seen in materialistic awards. As he rightly said it is immaterial whether a person of this calibre gets the award at this juncture. A great actor indeed he is. It is the jury which is honoured by announcing the award rather than the actor soumitroda. As a layman and admirer of this intellectual genius(artist), i wish him good health and happiness in his life.