#DirectorsCut: ‘Palatak’ a timeless classic that never got the recognition it deserved

What the golden era of Bengali cinema has left us is an inheritance of endless possibilities. If today, the films of Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak, Buddhadeb Dasgupta or Tapan Sinha are part of our consciousness, then it is due to their ability to enlighten the “dark rooms of our souls” and offer us an outlook – to live and let live. These cinematic works with rich history and heritage continue to influence our discourse and consciousness. The ‘essential humanism’ of these master filmmakers has lived on through time and space. It’s a treasure trove of cult classics but then there is a certain section of films which are criminally underrated.

In this new series of #DirectorsCut, ETimes talks about these relatively lesser-known and yet brilliant films by iconic directors that were overshadowed by their more popular filmworks. This week, we take a look at Jatrik’s 1963 classic ‘Palatak’ which rarely gets mentioned on the list of films from the golden era of Bengali cinema.
Ahead of time

Released in 1963, this film is a milestone in Bengali cinema as three eminent directors helmed ‘Palatak’ jointly. This striking tale of a bohemian young lad, who often leaves home without any trace was directed by Tarun Majumdar, Sachin Mukherjee and Dilip Mukherjee. Way before we had witnessed a wanderlust bitten Bunny in the Bollywood film ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani’, Bengali cinema had its own Basanta Chattujje who doesn’t care about commitment, loves his free-flowing life of roaming around, always in search of new people and visit new places with what many be called a pursuit for happiness. Basanta rather stays away from the comfort zone of a wealthy life, and flees home assuming that by this way he would get to see the world in his own vision. The film, written by Manoj Basu with Tarun Majumdar himself while he was still one of the key members of Jatrik, is relatable even today.
Anup Kumar, the maestro

The effortless act of a bohemian soul by Anup Kumar, who had won a BFJA for this film, is a lesson for any actor. Some scenes make us wonder how this gem of an actor was wasted and underutilized in Bangla films. Not only Anup Kumar, but the supreme acting performances by Sandhya Roy, Anubha Gupta and Ruma Guha Thakurta make ‘Palatak’ a timeless classic.

This film is special for yet another reason and it’s the cult music by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay like we used to have in the golden era of Bengali cinema. Be it the unparalleled classic ‘Jibanpurer Pathik Re Bhai’ or ‘Krishna Kalo Andhaar Kalo’ or even ‘Mon Je Amar Kemon Kemon Kore’; all these songs from the wonderful yet criminally underrated album are still etched in our hearts. Despite being a trendsetter in the 60s, ‘Palatak’ rarely gets featured or receives recognition in our usual Bengali film memorabilia.