This story is from January 8, 2009

Post it!

Priyanka Dasgupta / Jan 8, 2009, 00:15 IST

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Bengali film posters are taking babysteps at revamping themselves.

The poster of Kaushik Ganguly��s Jackpot is strikingly different. Nevermind if it reminds many of the Dil Chahta Hai posters that had a layout of Aamir Khan, Akshay Khanna and Saif Ali Khan trying to get out of a wooden box.
A film on reality television that has actors resting on an idiot box frame sure makes for interesting viewing for audiences fed on a diet of a collage of morphed mugshots.
Bollywood, of course, had long been churning out innovative layouts. Delhi 6 had recently released a poster which just has a mirror. Tollywood, of course, has miles to go before it can risk marketing a film without the faces of its stars. Antaheen has taken the babysteps by using a picture of a road as a central motif. But, of course, the starcast of the film are prominently featured in the poster. Adman Sugata Guha, who has designed this poster, says, ��The lives of the film��s protagonists revolve around the city and its people. It is also a journey through their minds. Hence, we used the picture of a road. The word ��Antaheen�� is written in a simple free flowing form to denote the concept of endlessness. Among the recent film, I feel Tintoretor Jishu��s posters could have been designed better. After all, there is such a rich legacy of Feluda posters created by Ray.��
Goutam Barat, who has recently designed creative posters for Chirodini... Tumi Je Amar, Chaturanga and Jackpot, says, ��It��s been a long battle for us since producers usually come with set ideas of what will work. I see subtle changes in the outlook already.��

Ganguly believes there since the rural market is accepting different kinds of films, posters need to be vibrant. ��The Munnabhai series and Jab We Met have worked well in the suburbs. Chirodini posters have worked. Jackpot is an original film and I wanted the posters to be different. Having Koel bite into an apple is very suggestive though I��m sure many might say: ��Oi dekh meyeta apple khachhe��. We want to project Koel as Eve.��

Pritam Jalan, whose posters of Trishna has run into a controversy, is unhappy with a rule in Bengal that makes it mandatory for all film posters to be certified. ��If a scene from the film can be cleared, why can��t the same be used in a publicity still? I��ve submitted a writ petition in court. Once the case gets cleared, I plan to print the poster on aluminium foil paper.
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Though Devananda Sengupta, censor officer of the West Bengal Board of Censorship, refuses to talk about a subjudice case, he says, ��We can��t allow static images with adult content that will be displayed in public places. Such a board should be constituted in other states too.�� As for the way film-poster art is evolving in Bengal now, Sengupta says, ��We had a heritage of great posters done by Purnendu Patri, OC Ganguly and Satyajit Ray. Things are changing though talented commercial artistes could be innovative with Bengali posters.��
Perhaps, it��s time to push the envelop. The audience, after all, is looking at a change in the writing on the wall.

About the Author

Priyanka Dasgupta

Priyanka Dasgupta is the features editor of TOI Kolkata. She has over 20 years of experience in covering entertainment, art and culture. She describes herself as sensitive yet hard-hitting, objective yet passionate. Her hobbies include watching cinema, listening to music, travelling, archiving and gardening.

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