After witnessing a steady slump for almost two decades with degrading quality of Bengali films, copy of south Indian, Oriya and C-grade Bangladesh films, things have finally started looking up for the Bengali film industry. An intelligent concoction of smart production, state-of-the-art technology, inspiration from literary works, graphic sex scenes shot aesthetically coupled with high quality music have led to the resurgence of commercial Bengali cinema.
2008-09 saw the rebirth of the industry as a new battalion of talented directors like Srijit Mukherjee and Kaushik Ganguly along with stalwarts like Rituparno Ghosh and Anjan Dutta changed the tide. Films like Anghumaaner Chhobi and Arekti Premer Golpo, in which I was fortunate to play parts, and others like Antaheen, Autograph, Moner Manush and Bhooter Bhobishyot created a rage among the urban audience, and the industry received accolades from all sections. FICCI reported Bengali films have started to collect as high as `5-6 crore at the box office, a significant increase from the last five years. From an average of 40-50 films in 2006, now the industry is producing 100 films a year.
The middle class—chief patron of Bengali cinema—gradually lost interest in the over-the-top content, bad acting, lewd songs, cheap lyrics and ill-maintained single screen theatres. To make matters worse, golden voices like Kishore Kumar and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and stars like Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen left a vacuum. The golden era from the 1950s to early ’80s degenerated into an age of films with despicable sentimentalism cashing in on the rural viewer. Movie theatres started screening only Hindi films.
The primary reason behind today’s resurgence is the freedom enjoyed by the directors. They have the liberty to work on varied subjects like comic drama, transgendered identity and can even explore the abstract world of the artist. Rich literary content and melodious music led by avant-garde composers also helped to attract audiences. In the ongoing resurrection, the importance of literature can be gauged from the fact that recent hits such as Noukadubi and Aparajita Tumi are based on literary works. The emergence of swanky multiplexes has given the once truant Bengali audience yet another reason to troop back into theatres.
But there is a warning even during this revival against giving in to complacence and creative stagnation. Repetition of the ‘winning formula’ will bring the industry to a standstill yet again. Experimentation with new ideas, actors and technology should continue. The industry shouldn’t take its success for granted and should instead explore uncharted territories to leave an indelible mark in the hearts of cinema lovers.
(Chakraborty is a Bengali film and serial actor)