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Indian Express
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Ek Doctor Ki Maut: Put some respect on Pankaj Kapur's name and give him that Padma Shri; he's a national treasure
It's Pankaj Kapur; he's the secret sauce that brings it all together. In India, even the best actors are rendered helpless without proper direction. Only a few of them can deliver dependably strong performances regardless of how skilled the filmmaker supervising them might be. This is the difference between Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, between Alia Bhatt and Taapsee Pannu. It is up to you to figure out who falls in which category. Kapur, however, can instinctively understand the tone of the project he's in, figure out his position in it, and then mould his performance accordingly. Over the course of his decades-long career, he has proven himself to be uncommonly chameleonic. In the cult comedy classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, he played the cartoonish villain Tarneja; a dastardly man with a Napoleon complex so comical that his entire body seemed to be revolting against it. In Vishal Bhardwaj's Maqbool, he communicated more through a silent closeup than others could with a soliloquy; in Anubhav Sinha's IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack, his one look was enough to inspire faith in an institution as untrustworthy as government. Kapur was doing television before it became cool (even in Hollywood). And yet, when lists are made about the greatest Indian actors of his generation, for some reason, his name isn't at the top of them. Naseeruddin Shah won a Padma Shri in 1987, and a Padma Bhushan in 2003. Kapur, 71, has won neither. Also read – Kapurush: The most underrated film of Satyajit Ray's career predates Past Lives by decades, but is even more stirring Perhaps the greatest metaphor for his career is the plot of the film Ek Doctor Ki Maut, directed by Tapan Sinha and released at the end of the parallel cinema movement; Aditya Chopra and Ram Gopal Varma were right around the corner, ready to drive Hindi movies to an entirely foreign destination. In the film, the detestable Dr Dipankar Roy claims to have invented a vaccine that could wipe leprosy off the face of the earth. But he's made to run around in circles by professional rivals, jealous colleagues, and petty superiors. In the end, he throws in his weapons and concedes defeat, allowing foreign scientists to claim a victory that was rightfully his. The biggest question that Ek Doctor Ki Maut leaves you with is this: had Dipankar been a more pleasant fellow, would he have avoided getting wrapped up in red tape? Would he have been honoured for his achievements? The biggest hurdle in Dipankar's path to success, the movie suggests, is his personality. He doesn't drink a drop of alcohol in the film, but Kapur plays him like a drunk. Dipankar is prone to outbursts; they're typically directed at his long-suffering wife, Seema, played by Shabana Azmi. He doesn't seem to have any friends, although he finds companionship of a kind in a young reporter, played by Irrfan Khan. His anger and frustration erupts with worrying regularity; he doesn't much care for the basic necessities of life, such as food and leisure. Dipankar isn't a happy man, not even when he's tinkering away in his home-made laboratory. There's probably more than one undiagnosed mental illness lurking in his psyche. It's a waste of his time, he says, to be put through the rigmarole by middle-managers and the like. Everybody in his community seems to either be jealous of him or furious at him. It isn't that they doubt his claims; he could've cured cancer for all they care. They simply don't want someone like him to succeed. But then, there's evidence to suggest that they'd have probably have treated him similarly had he been a nicer person. Kapur himself toyed with this alternate scenario in the show Office Office, which trapped an altogether more agreeable man in a web of bureaucracy. What Dipankar needed to be, it becomes clear as the movie goes along, is a sycophant. Read more – Sikandar: Anurag Kashyap's right; Bollywood is doomed if stars like Salman Khan enable the Snapchat-ification of cinema It's no secret that one's ability to navigate the system plays a role in their being considered for an award. Eligibility is secondary; talent is tertiary. Not always, but often. There is no way of knowing how astute Kapur is in these matters. But, as Ek Doctor Ki Maut asserts, Indian society has an odd relationship to fame. Poor behaviour is forgiven (at least publicly) the moment someone hits a certain level of popularity and power. Like everything else, their reputation often rests on their ability to make others money. And since fame and finances are usually in bed together, it's common for folks who've outlived their usefulness to be discarded without a thought. These are all ideas that Ek Doctor Ki Maut contemplates, but struggles to express; at least not as lucidly as IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, yet another project featuring Kapur that put 'babugiri' on blast. Dipankar is mature enough to understand the ways of the world, and yet, because of his misplaced idealism, he finds it near-impossible to fit in. He is a recluse; he leaves home only to tend to his patients. That, too, with a clinical dispassion. He finds it easier to channel his frustration into hate for an inanimate disease than empathy for a living being. He's a complex character with exactly two dimensions, the sort that sounds impossible to play on screen. And this is why Kapur's performance is so memorable, and his effortless talent so underappreciated. Post Credits Scene is a column in which we dissect new releases every week, with particular focus on context, craft, and characters. Because there's always something to fixate about once the dust has settled. Rohan Naahar is an assistant editor at Indian Express online. He covers pop-culture across formats and mediums. He is a 'Rotten Tomatoes-approved' critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild of India. He previously worked with the Hindustan Times, where he wrote hundreds of film and television reviews, produced videos, and interviewed the biggest names in Indian and international cinema. At the Express, he writes a column titled Post Credits Scene, and has hosted a podcast called Movie Police. You can find him on X at @RohanNaahar, and write to him at He is also on LinkedIn and Instagram. ... Read More
The Hindu
01-05-2025
- The Hindu
Rescued Bengal young adults find success after being freed from bonded labour in Tamil Nadu
About 143 young adults from West Bengal working as bonded labourers were rescued from gold manufacturing units in Tamil Nadu between 2019 to 2024. Many of them are scripting their own success stories. Information obtained from the non-government organisation and West Bengal government pointed out that 60 children and young adults were rescued in September 2019, 22 in February 2023, 54 in July 2023, and seven in November 2024. Dipankar Bera, 20, a survivor rescued from a jewellery unit in Chennai, now works as junior officer, operations at fast food barbeque restaurant chain after undergoing training in a Hooghly-based centre under the National Skill Development Corporation. Dipankar, who resides in Hooghly recalls the days when he used to be locked inside a jewellery manufacturing unit in Chennai and says his life is so different now. 'With government's support and training, I now have a proper job. I have a designation, a proper salary, leaves and benefits,' he said. Dipankar's story is also echoed in the experiences of Al Amin (18) who has returned to school and enrolled in a computer course, nurturing his dream of becoming a cyber security expert. Amin is also a community advocate, raising awareness so other young adults fall into the same trap of bonded labours. 'The work at the jewellery unit was gruelling. We and other boys my age worked long hours, crafting hundreds of pieces of gold jewellery daily. The harsh chemicals and metal dust left our hands stained, scarred, and burned,' the youth from North 24 Parganas said. Chiranjit Mondal ( 21) is working as housekeeping staff in a food services and facilities management firm and is not shy of admitting that working conditions in Tamil Nadu from where he was rescued and where he is working now is different. 'The staff where I work treat me with kindness. I am grateful to everyone who supported me in my journey and the workplace that hired me despite my limitations. I am looking forward to working hard and supporting my family in every way I can,' Chiranjit, who hails from Maipeeth in South 24 Parganas said. All the three, Chiranjit Dipankar and Amin were rescued by the Tamil Nadu police from gold jewellery manufacturing units in the southern state. Psychological and Career counselling for those rescued An official of the West Bengal Labour department said the entire rescue and bringing them and handing them over to parents is a convergence of different departments and non government organisations. The official said that those rescued were provided with psychological and career counselling so that they can overcome the trauma and resume work in more dignified conditions. The State government also provided guidance and training to the youths under 'Utkarsh Bangla' scheme. 'West Bengal does not have the problem of bonded labour or child labours. Those rescued are from other states and in case of bonded labourers it is workers from other states who are working here,' the official said. West Bengal government officials said that the young adults, who are rescued are not forced to go but they join the work of other villagers or their relatives from the same neighbourhood. Despite being abolished under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976, bonded labour continues to persist in hidden, informal sectors, particularly affecting the poorest and most vulnerable communities. Young adults fall prey to such practices on the pretext of employers providing skills in sectors like gold ornament making.
