Film

Buddhadeb Das Gupta’s ‘‘Woh’’

Abhijit Ghosh-Dastidar

Buddhadeb Das Gupta's "Woh"—"He" (Hindi, Colour, 82 mins) is a lyrically crafted depiction of Rabindranath Tagore's story "Shey", as it treks through endless rural space of Bengal, in Shantiniketan of 1937. Folk music accompanies the opening images of a boy on a swing tied to a tree, musicians and dancers, and two tall trees on the horizon. Long and close shots intersperse the rural backdrop, with a white car passing and close ups on dancers with drums and masks. A young girl, Poupe (Aratrika Ghosh) arrives with her father, Satish, (Amitabha Bhattacharjee), at her paternal grandfather's residence. Poupe would be staying with grandfather, Daddu (Barun Chanda), who is a great writer, as her mother, Surma, is ill and under treatment at Madras. Daddu's old mansion is full of chandeliers and old furniture. The grandmother has passed away, and aunt Mary (Yama Shroff) looks after Daddu and Poupe. With Poupe's father returning to Calcutta, Poupe remains sad. A band of drummers and comedians in tigers' costumes distract Poupe, and-she wipes her tears. She remains submerged in the village scenario of tales and stories.

There are ducks in the mansion court compound, and Poupe meets aunt Mary's son, John who is a flute playing artist, without any job. He borrows money from his mother. Poupe is lonely, but Daddu insists that there is no place for sadness or loneliness, Daddu shows Poupe a photo of himself with grandmother. Winner of the Sahitya Purashkar Award, Daddu writes stories on human beings. He is presently busy writing on ‘WoH–He’, an ordinary man's story, the type one meets on train journeys. His creative writing captures his subconscious, and imagination depicts an altered reality. ‘WoH’ is of medium stature, dressed in dhoti and black coat, and carries an umbrella. On a rainy day, Woh (Raj Zutshi) arrives. He meets a fox, who wants to be a human being. The fox is an endangered species. If the fox became a human being, he would be alive, and not be killed for the skin. But the people's committee shears the fox's skin, and cuts off its legs. At night, when Poupe is asleep and Daddu reading, WoH enters the mansion, and converses with Daddu. He takes some biscuits from the biscuit tin kept for Poupe. He picks up a photo album, and Daddu tells him to keep quiet as he was writing. Photos distract Daddu, bring back old memories. WoH recalls an old box of marbles and feathers. In the morning, Poupe wakes up and finds the biscuit tin empty. There are ballads and jigs on old dresses and biscuits. Magics and tricks continue, as WoH tip toes into the house. Sad reality emerges as a phone call from Daddu's son informs that Poupe's mother is still ill.

When Poupe wants to go to her mother, aunt Mary scolds her. She goes to a big tree and cries. Poupe meets WoH, but is reluctant to wipe her tears with a dirty handkerchief. Birds are chirping on the magic tree. An old man, Panchu is carrying a pot of 'gur' (Sweet candy molasse) on his head. Before the 'gur' pot reaches the sweet shop children demand 'gur' and break the pot. Panchu cries below the big tree with magical powers. A young woman comes with a sick child, and the magic tree restores the child's health. Rural entertainers dance with drums, and perform circus tricks. Aunt Mary's son John plays the flute and dances. He gives some portion of his earnings to his mother. WoH appears to Poupe in a dream and tells better stories than Daddu. WoH takes snuff, which Daddu disapproves. Reality differs from life, and poems fail to make Poupe happy.

Meanwhile, Poupe's father telephones informing that Poupe's mother is better after a successful operation. Poupe runs along to the magic tree. Contractor Jhatpatla, wants to cut the tree. Poupe opposes as where would the birds go. The tree was granting shelter to travellers and fulfilling selfless wishes. Poupe informs WoH. Villagers, circus artists and dancers gather below the tree. Daddu arrives with police, in a jeep, along with a decree that no tree will be cut. The rural inhabitants dance below the tree. Poupe leaves the village with her father in a car. WoH joins Daddu and demands hot tea. He asserts that Daddu should have gone with Poupe. Daddu leaves his dwelling places, and leaves for Calcutta by car and train.

Even though satisfying and meaningful answers do not exist in "WoH", Das Gupta binds reality and magical fable in a funny and light hearted drama, with elements of emotional pathos. Sukalyan Bhattacharjee's choreography and a plethora of songs are missteps, as life always gets in the way and goes on. Sunny Joseph films the altogether different levels of credibility, with mobility and gentleness. Performances avoid stereotypes and parodies. Aratrika Ghosh as the little girl, Poupe, is sensitive and intuitive. Produced by the Children's Film Society, the film's potential audience is children.

Frontier
Vol. 45, No. 14 - 17, Oct 14 - Nov 10 2012

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