GHATAK..THROUGH NEO-REALISM & NEW WAVE!

Great Bengali Filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak directing!

 

Today is 45th Death Anniversary of our great Bengali Filmmaker and Scriptwriter Ritwik Ghatak. 

Ray in sketch of 'Pather Panchali' (1955)

He is remembered for strong realistic and sensitive approach towards handling social subjects. Actually he was the pioneer of both..Neo-Realistic and New Wave Indian Cinema! See how..

Ghatak's 'Bari Theke Paliye' (1958)

 

 

 

In 1952 Ghatak wrote & directed first film 'Nagorik' depicted suffering of citizens with unemployment & poverty..in post-partition Kolkota! Pioneering realistic cinematography of Ramananda Sengupta & natural performances of artists like Satindra Bhattacharya made this film very impactful!

But unfortunately this film 'Nagorik' released in 1977, it's 25th year.. after the death of Ghatak! 

So this film lost the honour of first Neo-Realistic Indian film, which gained by Pather Panchali' made by great filmmaker Satyajit Ray' in 1955.

Truffaut's 'The 400 Blows' (1959)

Then in 1958 Ghatak wrote & directed 'Bari Theke Paliye' had a plot of misbehaving boy who runs away from his village because of cruel father and goes to Calcutta. Parambhattarak Lahiri played this role naturally!

 

Its next year in France, Francois Truffaut made 'The 400 Blows' with (semi-autobiographical) story of rebellious boy who struggles with parents and runs away in Paris. Jean-Pierre Leaud played this role very effectively! 

 

French filmmaker Truffaut.

 

 

Means plot was almost similar! But Ghatak's film remained obscure..and Truffaut became one of the pioneers of French New Wave!

I admire Satyajit Ray's and Francois Truffaut's both the films and their contributions in respective genres. 

 

That's how Ritwik Ghatak's pioneering cinematic work towards Neo-Realistic & New Wave Indian Cinema was ignored!

 Homage to great Ghatak!!

- Manoj Kulkarni