Anjan Dutt – the new ray of hope
That urban Bengali cinema has been dead meat for the last couple of decades is as widespread a phenomenon as the very existence of Bengalis across the face of the earth. Rituparno Ghosh, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Aparna Sen, yes folks you are very good film-makers and we critics love your work but sadly the people haven’t turned up to watch your stuff. A couple of non resident Bengalis in Houston may have your DVDs flown down but Calcuttans don’t queue up at the theatres for a Dosar or a Kaalpurush or a 15 Park Avenue.
But maybe someone out there has found the impossible formula of how to get Bengalis back to the cinemas. In Calcutta and elsewhere. Perhaps, fingers crossed and wood touched, it’s finally happening!
Dutt’s the man, Anjan Dutt. Mrinal Sen’s favourite actor, a musical phenomenon, a failed Bollywood film-maker, Dutt knows what he is saying when he says before the release of his new film Chalo – Let’s Go: “I think I have arrived as a film-maker with this one!” More than a director, he has arrived as a messiah.
Dutt’s The Bong Connection last year was the first spark. Bengalis trooped in everywhere to watch the story of Apu and Andy crisscrossing the seven seas to chase their dreams and then returning to their roots, refreshed. They saw themselves up there, Bengalis trying to conquer the world, yet not losing out on their Bengaliness for a moment. The film was a cathartic moment for so many of us. Finally someone was speaking our language. Dutt wanted to transplant the ethos of Dil Chahta Hai in Bengali. It turned out to be cult all right but it became so much more. It made the Bong connection.
But then we have seen other flashes in the pan before. And Dutt’s Bow Barracks Forever, despite its earnestness and topicality, stirred up thoughts that The Bong Connection might have been a one-off wonder.
And that’s why Chalo Let’s Go, which released on June 6, is such an important film. Beyond everything it assures Bengalis and Caluctta’s cinegoers that Dutt can revisit the Bengali mindset at will and whip up all the right emotions. Right here, right now. I was away in Bangkok for the IIFAs and could only catch the film a couple of days back. And trust me I have not seen such a rush at a plex to catch a Bengali film ever. I repeat EVER. And which plex? The one which was running Sarkar Raj, Mere Baap Pehle Aap, De Taali, Indiana Jones 4, Sex and the City, Incredible Hulk, Get Smart, Dasavataram…
It’s not that Chalo Let’s Go is great cinema. There are problems galore. Characters are still being introduced after the interval and same information is being passed on to every character three times over. Then a love triangle emerges out of nowhere and throws the entire many-stories-in-one format completely haywire. The songs are ill-placed and the picturisations do not go the distance. Sometimes you feel that nothing much is happening out there and the plot points are not strong enough.
But it speaks our language. It’s like the Indian you meet in China and even if he curses you, you just soak in the Hindi after being subjected to only Mandarin and Cantonese for so long. Chalo Let’s Go has characters you can bump into in Gariahat and their problems are not alien to us. Most importantly, Dutt knows where and how much to preach. He advocates Bengaliness unashamedly and he never gets it wrong. He gives the anti-thetical viewpoint of Bengalis being rather useless wherever they are and has someone quashing it convincingly. Even the music, by son Neel Dutt, hits the right notes, a lovely mix of Tagore, old Bengali film songs and new band music.
Some times, only some times, there come films which score in scope over substance. Chalo Let’s Go is that film. Dutt told me once: “I have tried making all kinds of films (he also has a Hindi release coming up called BBD with Kay Kay and Naseer) but The Bong Connection is perhaps the real me and I would make my kind of films.”
Not everyone realises his or her strengths and shortcomings. Dutt has. And it couldn’t have been any better for Bengali cinema. I wouldn’t call Dutt the new Ray because his films and he himself advocates that we have to get out of this mindset of finding the new Ray, the new Tagore and the new Ganguly. But he is indeed the new ray of hope for us. Chalo Anjan-da, let’s go…
I am attaching the theme song of the film which is on youtube. It’s sung by Rupam Islam and music is by Neel Dutt.
Cross the line from Chalo Let\'s Go
Tags: "anjan dutt", "bengali cinema", "chalo let's go", tollywood, World Cinema
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Nice. good to know that he stayed on the lines of the Bong Connection. Waiting to check this one out. great song. thanks.
Cannot comment on Dutt the film maker as I have neither seen his films nor do I consider myself capable enough of rating cinema, but for sure that can that musically he is a dud. Hence, Anjan Dutt a ‘musical phenomenon’ is a nonsensical statement. He is a lousy singer. It is courtesy the misguided musical values of the self proclaimed Bengali intellectual , the likes who have wedded Bangal rock with Rabindra Sangeet, the likes of Anjan Dutt whose signing should being and end in the bath room as being recognized as cult musicians.
I won’t say I LOVED Bong Connection but I definitely would vote that Anjan Dutt has the calibre to deliver the goods.. he just has to find his note.
He may not be making great cinema but the thoughts that he cultivate needs to be on record — at least going by his songs.
All the same, Pratim, I really think Bangla cinema needs more thought. Justifiably you are upbeat about the crowd. But that’s just the plex crowd. What’s gram Bangla watching? How to make them watch good stuff? How to make the language a strong enough factor to promote quality (in films, in music, in literature, even in spheres outside culture) that can beat the political divide separating Bengalis?
We are stuck. We are stuck BIGTIME. We need to break the deadlock. If Anjan can break it, all the best — I like the film or not
3 cheers to Anjan-da & his Park Street spirit
@Anirudha
Many feel Himesh can’t sing, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he is a musical phenomenon. Same with Anjan Dutt. He has a huge fan base across Bengal and you have to attend one of his live shows to fathom his popularity…
@joyjeet
I wouldn’t mind if there is an audience divide… Let gram Bangla watch Swapan Saha and Haranath Chakraborty and let Calcutta and the other urban audiences watch films of the Dutt company… At least they will watch something in Bengali… Do you know that multiplexes struggle to fulfil their quota of 5 Bengali films in the whole year. That needs to be changed pronto. And I mentioned plex audience because I attended that show… I stay very close to Priya cinema and let me assure the Chalo Let’s Go shows there are overflowing as well… It’s happening…
Hmmm mama,
tumi te besh enthu peyecho mone hochche!
Will b in cal nxt wk & try 2 catch a show. btw, can we meet up?
what’s wrong with his singing? I heard his famous ‘2441139′ song few days back and absolutely loved it.
Looking forward to Chalo Lets Go and his hindi film.
pratim…i am not very sure that people are not crowding to watch rituparno ghosh films…i was in calcutta in the april of 2006 when dosar released and i caught the show at priya…the show was pretty much houseful…and also, whenever i have seen rituparno’s films in theatres (most of the times i have done that) i have found people queueing up to watch them…i don’t know about exact collections but he seems to be quite popular at least in calcutta…about anjan dutt i am not so sure…people might be watching but is he a good filmmaker…i have seen a number of his telefilms which keep coming on ETV Bangla and very few have left a lasting impression….
i agree with u pratim….dutt might not be whipping up masterpieces but he sure does know how to strum the right chords when it comes to connecting with urban calcutta and that spells relief. It’s amazing to find the same faces who throng hookah bars and headbang at rock gigs, go crawling in for a Bong Connection or Chalo Let’s Go. They clap, they laugh and you know that the film’s worked its magic. That doesn’t necessarily cast aside all its frail moments and uncertainties…but sometimes it’s all that matters to bring in a sweeping change…
but if Karan Johar/yrf plays to the audience and whips them into a frenzy its pandering … hypocrisy of the most parochial kind
the more parochial a film the greater the chances of widespread acceptance… in giving a film a local feel or making it ethnically specific… for example- very Bengali, makes it most attractive to national audiences. The question is in what respect is it parochial and in what sense universal…
Anjan is the bengali director who is perhaps the only one today, who connects with the generation.. I have been fortunate to know him personally and can say that folks watch out… there is more in store…
Anjanda … U r simply great…
Neel … U r the next promise as well…
it is indeed very heartening to see people thronging to see any bengali movie ( even swapan saha ones and fatakeshto ones? who knows)-and anjan dutt’s two movies of recent times are eminently watchable . not masterpieces -but they don’t pretend to be in any case. but i don’t think you are factually correct when you say other film makers don’t draw any audience – aparna sen’s mr and mrs iyer and 15 park avenue (both had predominantly english dialogues mind you )were quite popular , gautam ghosh’s abar oronye ran to packed houses for weeks , all of rituporno’s recent movies except antarmahal have had a good recpetion (based on the crowd i saw ). and well u cant include anjan dutt in the same bracket with buddhadeb dasgupta -his works are masterpeices of world cinema – if people stay away from them -its entirely their loss- plz don’t ask him to make duttesque movies. i can still barely stop oozing praise for kaalpurush.
i do think we need to have both kind of movies – people who tread the middle path and make sensible yet mass watchable movies- something like agradoot and tapan sinha of yore – if dutt manages to do that – bengali cinema will be grateful to him.
p.s- by the way i am a fan of his music -thats coz of his lyrics and his compositions (which though often unabashaedly inspired from the music he grew up listening to -is always honerst )- but i think his greatest fan will admit he is no great singer.often sings out of key.
but best thing to come out of the anjan stable is his series on rudra sen – the one truly macho detective of the bengali small screen -its a pity its not more widely avialable.
partha
“tumi na thakle sokalta eto misti hoto na”-its all about fresh bong and its romanticism,but “come cross the line” is song from our soul.(we=all twenties!!!!1)seriously I find Neel dutt as a nice music director.but variation is important,but he is young.I hope that he can be a better one.