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Reel life of Soumitra Chatterjee beyond Apu
The 1960s was the era of Uttam Kumar who quickly rose to be a megastar. Conventional roles, realistic portrayals and Marxist ideology made him stand out from the rest. Enter Soumitra Chatterjee, all of 6\' 2\", and cajoled eyes and expressions expressive enough to perfectly illustrate a scene without dialogues in Bengali celluloid.
The 1960s was the era of Uttam Kumar who quickly rose to be a megastar. Conventional roles, realistic portrayals and Marxist ideology made him stand out from the rest. Enter Soumitra Chatterjee, all of 6' 2", and cajoled eyes and expressions expressive enough to perfectly illustrate a scene without dialogues in Bengali celluloid.
It was ‘Apur Sansar’, the third part of the Panther Panchali series that marked the debut of Soumitra Chatterjee on the silver screen. Largely remembered as Apu, the protagonist of ‘Apur Sansar’, Soumitra shone in many movies. Of the 300-odd films in his film career, it would be difficult to choose the best 20. The effort, however, was done by the actor himself and then compiled by author Amitava Nag.
The book is an effort to give the actor an identification beyond his debut character. The introduction is a synopsis of Soumitra's career - from his debut to his becoming a star, his rivalry with Uttam Kumar, roles that made him distinct in the crowd, his love for theatre and his clandestine talents.
Like his film career, the book too begins with ‘Apur Sansar’ which was released in 1959. Soumitra fondly remembers his first interaction with the legendary Satyajit Ray and what finally got him the role. The pair made some major movies to boost the identity of Bengali cinema.
After ‘Apur Sansar’, Soumitra was seen in Ray's ‘Samapti’, a farcical movie by genre; and then ‘Abhijan’. Next came ‘Charulata’, which was based on Rabindranath Tagore's novel ‘Nashtaneer’. Soumitra's Amal remains one of the most memorable characters and was one of his finest performances.
Although Soumitra still continues to act in movies and appear on advertisements, the book ends the list with ‘Dekha’ directed by Gautam Ghose. The book then turns to a prologue where Soumitra talks about his first love - theatre and the author then throws a light on Soumitra's love for poems.
There are also quotes from other eminent personalities - from directors Adoor Gopalakrishnan to Shyam Benegal, actors Nandita Das to Sharmila Tagore, all speaking about Soumitra's immense acting caliber.Given all this, Soumitra's National Award in 2006 for ‘Podokheep’ and the Dada Saheb Phalke award for lifetime achievement in 2012 were most appropriate.
