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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Review: Soumitra Chatterjee and his World by Sanghamitra Chakraborty
A few weeks before the release of Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959), directed by Satyajit Ray, Charlie Chaplin's Limelight was re-released in Calcutta (now Kolkata). A large hoarding in the city displayed the film's poster. The actor Soumitra Chatterjee, who was making his silver screen debut with Ray's film, would 'admire this larger-than-life poster as he passed the area' on his way to work, writes journalist Sanghamitra Chakraborty. 'One evening… unmindfully looking up to get a glimpse of the Limelight poster… he got the shock of his life.' Chaplin's face had been replaced by his own. 'It was a poster of Apur Sansar.' This remarkable debut launched Chatterjee into a career that would make him one of the most important actors of the 20th century. Chakraborty's deeply researched biography, Soumitra Chatterjee and his World, explores all these different aspects of his life and career. Through in-depth interviews with his family, friends and colleagues, archival research (including Chatterjee's personal journals) and an analysis of his work, Chakraborty creates a compelling portrait of a complicated human being. Instead of slipping into the morass of a hagiography, which is common with celebrity biographies in India, Chakraborty explores even the less-than-complimentary aspects of her subject's life, such as his extramarital affairs and some dubious career decisions. However, she does this with a sort of empathy that does not in any way diminish Chatterjee, instead revealing him to be only too human. Though Chatterjee has been the subject of several biographies already, it is perhaps safe to say that this book is by far the most detailed and engaging one yet. Future biographers or anyone commenting on Bengali cinema, will have to take it into serious account. Soumitra Chatterjee and his World is divided into 10 parts, each exploring different aspects of its subject's life, such as his family and early years outside Calcutta, his college and university education, his early days in theatre (under the tutelage of the notable thespian Sisir Kumar Bhaduri), his Coffee House friends and literary pursuits, his committed leftist politics and his relationship with this wife Deepa, a talented badminton player. A significant portion is, obviously, dedicated to his relationship with Ray. The author writes several accounts of how Chatterjee prepared for the different roles he played in Ray's films, such as a hot-headed taxi driver (Abhijan, 1962), an aspiring 19th-century writer (Charulata, 1964), a beleaguered village priest (Ashani Sanket, 1973) or a sharp private investigator (Sonar Kella, 1974 and Joy Baba Felunath, 1979). These chapters also bring out the differences between the two men. The book is full of anecdotes that might surprise even the most devoted cinephile. For instance, writing about why Chatterjee did not collaborate with Ritwik Ghatak, one of the most celebrated art house Bengali film directors in the 1960s, Chakraborty describes an incident when the actor and the director came to fisticuffs. Quoting from an interview of Chatterjee, Chakraborty describes a public meeting where Ghatak and Chatterjee were guests. Quite characteristically, Ghatak turned up inebriated and started abusing Ray. 'I did not get provoked since I did not hold a brief to defend Ray,' says Chatterjee. 'Maybe he got frustrated at my nonchalance and he threw a swear word at me.' Flying into a rage, Chatterjee held Ghatak by the collar and landed a blow on his face. From the vantage point of half a century, it is somewhat amusing to witness, through Chakraborty's narration, two revered figures of Bengali cinema engaging in such behaviour. Such incidents remain with the reader long after the book has been put away. Chakraborty also analyses Chatterjee's work with filmmakers like Tapan Sinha, Asit Sen, Ajoy Kar, Tarun Majumdar, Dinen Gupta and Saroj De, locating it within the specific context of Bengali cinema. The sharp writing provides context to the cinema of the 1930s-40s, which Chatterjee watched while growing up, as well as his contemporary films. She also relates Chatterjee's complex relationship to Bengali cinema's reigning heartthrob, Uttam Kumar. While Chatterjee was a self-proclaimed Uttam Kumar fan, there was also considerable rivalry between the two, especially during a period of labour unrest in the industry in the late 1960s, when they found themselves in opposing camps. Some of this owes a debt to film scholar Sharmistha Gooptu's history of the Bengali film industry, Bengali Cinema: An Other Nation (2011). Though Chakraborty quotes from Gooptu, the book under review would have benefitted from more engaged editing, which would have ensured more rigorous citations. The book could have also included Chatterjee's family tree, bringing out his exact relation with such illustrious figures as poet and film critic Sourindra Mohan Mukhopadhyay, singer Suchitra Mitra or the freedom activist Jatindranath Mukherjee, better known as Bagha Jatin. Perhaps, these will be addressed in the next edition. Much of the writing on Indian cinema, both scholarly and popular, has focused on Bollywood. Besides Gooptu's groundbreaking work, there is very little scholarship on Bengali popular cinema. Film scholars and historians writing on Bengali cinema have focused mostly on Ray or his art house contemporaries, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak, or more recently, Rituparno Ghosh. Sayandeb Chowdhury's Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema and Maitreyee B Chowdhury's Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen: Bengali Cinema's First Couple are rare exceptions. Chakraborty's book, therefore, explores new ground. It will hopefully be an inspiration to more scholars and writers to examine the history of a remarkable film culture. Uttaran Das Gupta is an independent writer and journalist.
News18
7 days ago
- Business
- News18
Entrepreneur Says Controversies In Karnataka Over Kannada ‘Terrible PR' For Bengaluru
Last Updated: Delhi-based entrepreneur Abhijit Chakraborty said conversations must not end up "being a culture war". The language debate in Bengaluru has once again sparked a wider conversation and how it's affecting the city's image. A Delhi-based entrepreneur says these recurring debates over Kannada language in India's Silicon Valley are doing 'terrible PR" for the state's capital. Abhijit Chakraborty, founder of Alphanumero Agency & Studio, shared his views on LinkedIn, calling language nothing more than a basic tool for communication. 'Any language, in everyday life, is simply a means to communicate," he wrote, adding that people usually figure out a way to understand each other even when they don't share a common tongue. Citing an example, Chakraborty said that if someone from Chennai is trying to hail an auto in Delhi and that interaction turned into a cultural standoff, he said, 'you'd never reach your destination." Chakraborty also pointed to his time in Delhi, where even after knowing Bengali, Hindi and English, he had to get familiar with Punjabi. 'Because it's everywhere," he said. Even without fluency, he picked up enough to understand conversations and respond in his own way and was helped in part by his interest in Sikh history. The same, he argued, applies to Kannada. People who stay in Bengaluru long enough, and who feel drawn to the language, will naturally learn it. 'Shoving a language down someone's throat never works," he added. His post struck a chord with many. One commenter said she had been married to a Kannadiga for four years but only knows a few Kannada words. Still, she's slowly learning to follow conversations. 'Language should be a bridge, not a battleground," she wrote. 'These culture wars only distract from the real issues." The LinkedIn post comes days after a video from an SBI branch in Bengaluru's Chandapura area showed a bank manager refusing to speak Kannada, insisting: 'This is India, I'll speak Hindi, not Kannada." The video triggered backlash from pro-Kannada activists and politicians. The manager was later transferred, and both he and the bank issued apologies. Language advocates say learning Kannada is a matter of respect. Critics argue it's not that simpl, especially in a city as diverse and cosmopolitan as Bengaluru. First Published: May 26, 2025, 19:57 IST
NDTV
26-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
"Terrible PR For Bengaluru": Delhi Entrepreneur On Kannada Language Row
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. A Delhi entrepreneur warned that ongoing language disputes harm Bengaluru's image. He emphasised communication over cultural battles and suggested that language learning should be organic. A Delhi-based entrepreneur expressed concern that recurring incidents over the Kannada language were doing "terrible PR" for Bengaluru. Abhijit Chakraborty, Founder Partner at Alphanumero Agency & Studio, said that people often figured out a "common way to communicate" in situations where they couldn't understand each other, "Any language, in everyday life, is simply a means to communicate," Mr Chakraborty wrote in a LinkedIn post. He gave an example of a person from Chennai trying to book an auto ride in Delhi, suggesting that if conversations ended up "being a culture war", the individual would never reach the desired location. Next, Mr Chakraborty shared his experience of living in the national capital. Despite being fluent in Bengali, Hindi and English, he had to pick a fourth one (Punjabi) to speak with others "because it's everywhere in Delhi," he added. Even though he was not fluent in Punjabi, Mr Chakraborty said he could understand it and try to respond with his "own version of the language." Mr Chakraborty believed that "non-Kannadigas" in Bengaluru would learn the Kannada language if they stayed "long enough", and if they felt "an inclination towards it." He noted that he started speaking Punjabi through random conversations and had a general interest in Sikh history and heritage. "Shoving a language down someone's throat never works," he added. In the comments section of the viral post, multiple people agreed with Mr Chakraborty's suggestion. A woman said she can't speak "more than a couple of words in Kannada," despite being married to a "Kannadiga" for four years. She added that she started picking up the meaning of conversations with time. "Language should be a bridge, not a battleground. These culture wars around language often just distract from the real issues," she added. Another person said the "only way to make another person learn your language is to make it cool." A third user wrote that this "aggressive" imposition of culture in the name of "promoting and safeguarding" shall "never ever" work. Mr Chakraborty's post came days after a manager at the SBI branch in Bengaluru's Chandapura refused to speak with a customer in Kannada, saying, "This is India, I'll speak Hindi, not Kannada." The viral video soon drew sharp criticism from activists of the language and political leaders. Later, the manager was transferred, while both the bank and the person issued apologies. In recent weeks, the advocates for the language suggested people learn it to respect the local culture. However, critics argued such an expectation was exclusionary, especially in a cosmopolitan city.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Air India flight 182 archive opens in Canada
Toronto: A formal archive memorialising the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182, the Kanishka by pro-Khalistan terrorists, has been launched at McMaster University located in the city of Hamilton, in Ontario. The archive contains both physical and digital material including testimonies from the family members of what remains the worst terrorist incident in Canada's history. The initiative has been led by McMaster professor Chandrima Chakraborty, who said, 'The goal of the Air India archive is to address the silencing of the Air India tragedy in Canadian history and public memory.' She elaborated, 'The objective is to educate the public about the grief of families, preserve and honour the memories of those who perished on Air India Flight 182, and create avenues for memorialisation and ongoing research.' The university is also hosting a two-day conference this weekend to mark the 40th anniversary of the Air India bombings. Professor Chakraborty said, 'The AI tragedy has been called a Canadian tragedy, yet the grief of those who lost loved ones continue to be unacknowledged in Canadian history and public memory. Perhaps, marking the 40th anniversary through such free, public events such as this conference that centres the voices and experiences of families can create greater public awareness and enable informed engagement with this historical event.' As the conference organisers, Chakraborty, Amber Dean, also a professor at McMaster, and Maia Lepingwell-Tardieu, a PhD candidate there, stated, 'June 23, 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of the Air India bombings. Although this event has been described as a Canadian tragedy that resulted in the mass murder of 331 people, it remains little known and seldom remembered in our national consciousness.' The archive is being hosted at McMaster University's Research Collections and has the support of the university's library's William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections and the Sherman Centre of Digital Scholarship. 'The Air India archive is a community co-created public memory archive that will preserve and honor the memories of those who perished on AI Flight 182 and document the experiences and memories of Air India families and critical witnesses,' Professor Chakraborty said. Physical items include badges of the pilot and co-pilot, memorial books published by the Air India victims' families, other works n the subject, seven volumes of the public inquiry report, which was released in June 2010, among other items. However, Professor Chakraborty said the project has funding till March next year but will require support in the form of donations to sustain it and allow it to expand. 'I have boxes and boxes of materials that I will not be able to digitize without receiving substantial funding to continue the work of digitising materials,' she said. The Kanishka bombing claimed 329 lives and two baggage handlers at Narita Airport in Japan were killed when another bomb on another Air India flight exploded there. The 40th anniversary of Canada's worst terror episode comes at a time when pro-Khalistan separatism has been largely normalised by Canada's political leadership and in the country's mainstream media and its link to extremism largely ignored.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Junior doctor assaulted by patient's relatives in PGI
Chandigarh: A junior resident doctor was physically assaulted by the attendants of a paediatric patient inside the neonatal intensive care unit. The incident occurred around 12.20pm on Thursday. Based on the statement of the victim doctor, Sector 11 police registered a case against unidentified persons and started a probe. No arrest has been made in the case so far. In his complaint, Siddharth Chakraborty, a junior resident in the 5th semester of the paediatrics department, alleged that he was attacked by the relatives of an infant. Earlier in the day, Dr Chakraborty assisted a fellow junior resident, Paras Kandpal, with a difficult intravenous cannulation for the child. After the procedure, the child's mother, Manpreet Kaur, alleged that bruises on the child's neck were caused during the medical intervention. She reportedly threatened to summon her relatives, accusing Chakraborty of misconduct. By 12.20 pm, four to five persons, reportedly family members of Manpreet Kaur, arrived at the ICU. "The male relative held my collar and tried to drag me outside the ICU. The mother slapped and kicked me multiple times. They hit me repeatedly," the doctor said. He managed to escape after nearly 10 minutes and took refuge inside the ICU. The hospital administration was alerted, and the security in-charge of PGI informed the police, who reached the spot and recorded the statement of Dr Chakraborty. Police also took the doctor to GMSH-16 for a medical examination. After verifying the facts, the police registered a case against unknown persons under the relevant sections of BNS and have been checking CCTV cameras to identify the persons who assaulted the doctor. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
