For Indian cricket, the name Sachin is revered God-like (and yes, of a billion dreams !) and in the same vein, for the Bengali films, Uttam Kumar was ‘Mahanayak’ the ultimate legend whom Kolkata swears by ! But as die-hard fans ( of cricket and Bengali films ) would acknowledge, for sheer consistency, conscientiously cultivated talent and class over several decades, cricket has ‘the wall’ in Rahul Dravid and Bengali films, perhaps with the longest innings ever played, the amazingly gifted and ageless star actor and theatre personality, Soumitra Chatterjee !
Soumitra Chatterjee is one of the most prolific actors of the Bengali film industry and has worked with legendary director Satyajit Ray on numerous films. His body of work has been widely regarded as a milestone in Bengali cinema. He made his silver screen with the film Apur Sangsar (1959), which was directed by Satyajit Ray. He then went on to act in some of the biggest hits by Ray, including Devi (1960), Teen Kanya (1961), Abhijan (1962), Charulata (1964) and Kapurush (1965).
One of his memorable and which I still enjoy with childlike mirth, were performances as the super sleuth ‘Feluda’, a Sherlock Holmes like character created by Satyajit Ray in his wonderful detective series of ‘Sonar Kella’ and ‘Joy Baba Felunath’ ( there are several other films of Feluda with other actors but none with Soumitra’s suavity !)
After establishing himself as a talented actor, Chatterjee starred in a wide genre of Bengali films like Baghini (1968), Parineeta (1969) and Jiban Saikate (1972). However, his real breakthrough came in the film Devdas (1979), which cemented his reputation as a maverick actor. Thereafter there was never any looking back for the man who worked with great film-makers like Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, Asit Sen and Ajoy Kar but is still best-known for his incomparable work with the master craftsman and tallest cult figure, Satyajit Ray.
In a sort of second innings, Chatterjee collaborated with Satyajit Ray again, this time for classics like Aranyer Din Ratri (1970), Asani Sanket( 1973), ‘Feluda’ series in the 70s, Hirak Rajar Deshe (1980) and Ghare Baire (1984). Following this, Chatterjee also starred in some of last of Ray’s celebrated films, Ganashatru (1989) and Shakha Proshakha (1990) and also few lesser known ones. In one of his interviews Soumitra himself has said of Ray “..Maybe there was some convergence in our thoughts too. He was a rare genius, I am not close to him by any standards yet I guess there was some parity of thought – the legacy of the Bengali educated middle class, the legacy of Tagore…”
Now, at the age of 83 years, Soumitra is still going strong with his innumerable portrayals of a senior citizen and family patriarch facing the dilemma that today’s elders face with the liberalized modern generation and their changing value-systems and nuclear families. One of his recent Bengali drama films ‘Posto’ is one such poignant story of the undying love and bonding of grandparents with the grandchildren with heart-wrenching consequences.
What can be said about Soumitra Chatterjee’s contribution to Bengali cinema. Most deservedly he has been the winner of the prestigious ‘Dada Saheb Phalke Award’ and many national awards in recognition of his huge body of work. The question one may ask (without sounding blasphemous !), would Ray’s films be the same without Soumitra?
Working on Living 