Goutam Ghose's best directorial works in Bengali cinema

There is no doubt something about Goutam Ghose's directorial works which often leave a lasting impact on our mind, especially films like ‘Antarjali Jatra’, ‘Moner Manush’ and others. His oeuvre spans documentaries and feature films, be it Hindi or Bengali. A scriptwriter, director, and cameraman, his passion for cinema truly reflects in his films and the way he represents his thoughts through the lens. Here is a list of Bengali films which are regarded as some of the best directorial works of Gautam Ghose.

‘Dekha’ is the story of a blind poet (Soumitra Chatterjee) who has seen a lot in this world and has generated his own version of love and passion using his 'vision'. After becoming 'blind' he starts collecting images from his distant memories, and one day comes across a born blind youth who often sings mystic verses and his own soothing compositions. What happens next forms the crux of the film. While Soumitra Chatterjee’s acting is the pillar of ‘Dekha’s success, Rupa Ganguly, Indrani Halder, Haradhan Bandopadhyay and Paran Bandopadhyay did justice to their respected characters.

Antarjali Jatra, based on a Bengali novel ‘Mahayatra’ by Kamal Kumar Majumdar, portrays a 19th century Bengal and the status of women and Dalits that time. The critically acclaimed 1987 film won the National Award for best feature film in Bengali and was even screened in the Cannes. This social drama is mainly remembered for the outstanding acting by Shatrughan Sinha as Baiju, a completely different one from the characters he played in the movies then. The story encapsulates great social turbulence and breaking up of old traditions at that time. The Bengali renaissance had only started raising its head while the old orthodox order was slowly loosening up its grip on a changing society when superstition reigned supreme and the shocking status of women had touched its abysmal point.

With ‘Shunya Awnko’, Goutam Ghose tries to explore the intense contradictions and multi-layered realities of Indian landscape. Such themes come with a socio-politically engaged thought and string together as the common. The film’s title ‘Shunya Awnko’ or ‘Act Zero’ alludes to the narrative countdown as it focuses on conveying the embedded message of exposing the dichotomy. While it aspires to be seen among the leading nations of the world, it still fights with the inner conflicts and that create factions and divisions within the troubling scenario of its cultural framework. Konkona Sen Sharma excels in her role as Raka, an unstoppable journalist who leaves her relatively easy ‘page 3’ job without any hesitation for assignments related to tribal issues.

‘Abar Arannye’ (‘In the Forest...Again’) revolves a group of four middle-class young men on a short vacation. Largely based on characters in Satyajit Ray's ‘Aranyer Din Ratri’, the group includes Ashim Chatterjee (Soumitra Chatterjee), his wife Aparna (Sharmila Tagore), their grown-up children, and one of their children's friends. A second family also joins the trip, while a third individual, a cancer patient, joins them as well. The trip seems to be a tribute to their pasts. But the innocence of their youth couldn’t handle a crisis moment when one member from the group goes missing in what is believed to be some sort of a political statement. Tabu, Roopa Ganguly, Jishu Sengupta, Saswato Chatterjee, Ramen Rai Choudhuri – all excelled in their roles.

This award-winning film by Gautam Ghose witnessed an impeccable performance by Utpal Dutta as Hossain Miya. It was an Indo-Bangladesh joint venture inspired by a novel of the same name by Manik Bandopadhyay. The film revolves around protagonist Hossain, a Bengali Muslim who dreams of establishing a little Utopia on an island in the Padma delta and doesn't care whether the people living there are Hindus or Muslims. It is apparent that Hossian Miya maintains a flourishing business on that island of Moynadeep, as he even purchases a huge boat to expand business. However, people returning from Moynadeep after working there have a completely different tale to narrate. Utpal Dutta as a businessman in post-partition Bengal becomes a 'larger than life' character in ‘Padma Nadir Majhi’.

Prosenjit generated accolades for his outstanding portrayal of Lalan Fakir, legendary spiritual leader, poet and ‘Baul’ of 19th century. To go deep into Lalon Fakir’s character in ‘Moner Manush’ (2010), the popular actor used to lock himself in a dark room, sleep on the floor and he had become vegetarian to get into the famous character. The biographical musical drama also features Paoli Dam in the lead. The Gautam Ghose directorial received the Nargis Dutt Award for the Best Film on National Integration and also awarded the Best Film at the 41st International Film Festival of India held at Goa.

Politics may divide people on religious account, geographical boundaries may leave them apart, but humanity travels beyond such boundaries. That’s what ‘Shankhachil’ resonates throughout the film. Against the backdrop of a small village-town in Satkhira near the Indo-Bangladesh border, the story follows a troubled schoolmaster Muntasir Chowdhury Badal (Prosenjit Chatterjee), his wife Laila (Kusum Sikder) and their daughter Roopsha (Shajbati). Roopsha, a lively 12-year-old girl suffers from terminal heart disease and the couple is advised by local doctors to admit Roopsha at a big town hospital. The helpless couple, now Bangladeshi nationals, has two options left - to visit Dhaka for their daughter’s treatment or cross the border to get her treated in India which is nearer. What happens next is the film all about.