Brutal Realism in Ritwik Ghatak's Filmmaking
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- #videoessay #film #cinema #bengalicinema #bengalifilm #indiancinema #indianfilms
Even in the darkest of times a faint light of hope and better future can be seen and that was evident when India became an independent country, one of the darkest and turbulent times of the nation
However the aftermath did gave rise to various artistically defining movements, Bengal being the most prominent force in that campaign, which was heavily influenced by what the Bengali Renaissance departed the place with
A cultural, social, intellectual and artistic turning point for the people residing there and the literature from them were used as a base to explore various issues that came about after the British Rule
Amongst all those artists that were seen as the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema, Ritwik Ghatak stands apart with his easily distinguishable method of direction and the way he filmed the scenes for his films
A rare director whose work hardly had any traces of Western influence, an entirely self-taught filmmaker who used his expressionist methods to visualize and emotionalize the lives and struggles of his people
A culture which in his eyes was being strained by outside forces who constructed a barrier between them by ripping them apart into multiple pieces, hence partition was an ever-present theme in his work
And how it affected the victims in so many layered ways and the violent hatred that it gave birth to between those groups of people, which still hasn't faded away after almost a century since it first happened
Voice V - You know what, I think I need a bit of break from this
Voice S - From what exactly?
Voice V - Focusing on these films
Voice S - But isn't this what you wanted to do?
Voice V - Yes, I did
Voice S - I thought you were starting to enjoy it
Voice V - I am, but that isn't the issue here
Voice S - Then what is?
Voice V - The material and subject matter is great, however it takes a lot out of me to discuss about them
Voice S - How so?
Voice V - Well it's not that easy to explain
Voice S - Give it a try, after all I'm here to listen to you, so go on
Voice V - I do cherish them, with all of my heart and there isn't a part of that doesn't work on them
Voice S - Well then what is it?
Voice V - It can be a bit of chore to get hold of them
Voice S - Understandable, but that doesn't mean you can leave them stranded like others
Voice V - I know and I'm not saying that I will do that
Voice S - Just a little break from them right?
Voice V - Yes, until I found more of it to dissect and share it to others
Voice S - Now that's more reasonable, just don't forget this cause of ours - บันเทิง
With these past videos, the films that I watched were occasionally tough to collect, but luckily the ones I genuinely wanted to discuss where easily available, well this time it was a messy situation
Not only was it quite tiresome to find the films that I wanted to watch but the viewing experience in itself was somewhat troublesome, from the lower video quality with missing frames to audio de-sync issues where dialogue weren't easily understandable
It was annoying at that moment but by the time I was done with the writing I was hit with the sadness how a person's entire work which was already limited was made even more restricted with availability issues
That too of a director who had such a prowess to capture a group of people and their life that hasn't been shown similar attention since his departure from this world, hardly preserved and accessible to the general public
It's painful that even though I wanted to do justice to his films I was forced to stick to what I was able to show in the video and honestly it's depressing to witness the aftermath of the treatment towards his work and life
It sucks that Ritwat Ghatak’s films aren’t easily accessible. I can’t speak for everyone but I know I haven’t heard of him until this video. The way you talk about his films and him as a director is very interesting. I would love to see his films more easily accessible to watch. Some directors are unfortunately ahead of their times. Great video as always!
@@ExzactlyPresents It is really a sad situation and the accessibility issue is one of the major reasons why his work isn't that popular even in the country he made those films, hopefully some of his more work gets better preservation in the future
And I'm really glad you enjoyed this video :)
I have downloaded many of his movies via torrent and many of them are available at YT itself, but it has to be said that his movies are rare to get even when downloading via torrent, which is a sad reality that we have to live in, a man of his stature walked here on earth, directing every facet of society through lens.
I have almost got 5 of his movies downloaded forever to remain with me, however the quality is questionable.
I am still in the hunt for Nemai Ghosh's, "Chinnamul", in which Ghatak had an acting credit. Hope I find it soon so that I can share the link here.
Thank you for the video that you have uploaded and your effort in contributing to this mystery of a man, underrated and unappreciated by the masses.
@@sayanpaul111 Exactly, it is quite frustrating to see that his work are neither preserved in a large scale nor distributed, it is truly a disheartening reality that one has to go to such lengths to find his films that too in inconceiveable quality.
For the same reasons I haven't been able to create anything on filmmakers such as Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha or Bimal Roy.
Hopefully one day that would be possible and million others would be able to consume their cinematic achievements.
I have done the similar for certain Indian films which I consider to be way too valuable to not keep with myself, someone has the archive his projects.
I really appreciate those words, as time has passed by Ritwik Ghatak and his films has became even closer to me as a person, he was without any doubt one of the most special artists in the world and did a lot for the Bengali culture.
@@ExzactlyPresents The negligence Ghatak faced all his life and what he created despite those insurmountable odds surprised me everyday. I wish I could show his films in communities setting up projections and screens... His works are root-works and cinema at its best.
Partition was always seen from the lens of western Pakistan... India never paid heed to the partition victims of bengal... No help was provided.. They have been hounded by Nehru, later Cpm, now TMC.
This is another banger of a video essay. It's unfortunate that the movies aren't easily accessible but I'm glad you persevered through the ones you were able to access. I hope I am able to watch some of his movies in the future.
Do tell me your thoughts on them whenever you get to watch them and I'm immensely delighted that you enjoyed the video :)
Ultra realistic like a pro. His movies are visual masterpiece.
Of course, visual storytelling and how the camera moves is really impressive in his films.
Not only brutal,but devastating too,at that.
Can't disagree with that point.
my favourite director 😍😍😍😍😍
Meghe Dhaka Tara should be given Oscar.
In an ideal world Indian Cinema would've achieved a lot more, but unfortunately that isn't the reality. What is sad is that Meghe Dhaka Tara and Ritwik Ghatak are almost forgotten in the eyes of the public.
how fluently you tells about great work ...!
Take love
ধন্যবাদ🙏
Great work 👏
I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
इतिहास की सबसे शर्मनाक घटना
भारत के इतिहास में सबसे खराब में से एक।
Such a nice content. I loved it. But I have to say you really need to work on your speech. It's really difficult to decipher what you are trying to say here. Maybe you should use someone else as a narrator.
First of all thanks for taking time out of your day to watch the video, I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
Now my speech or pattern of speaking has always been something I've struggled with, I try my best to improve on that part with every new project.
Wouldn't say I'm ever pleased with it as I consider that my biggest weakness and potentially the reason for the lack of recognition my videos tend to receive.
I have considered using someone else as the narrator as I don't enjoy the process, writing and editing is far more satisfying to me, the narration is just the step that allows me to get that point.
However as you might have already guessed, it's a one person show and I don't think I can afford to hire someone to do the narration.
Maybe in the future when I make some income from this, but until that point that avenue isn't open for me, still thanks for suggestion.
Hopefully I have answered your questions in a sensible manner.
Sir you didn't gave any narration on Subornorekha 's stunning surrealism. At that time it was way beyond even the great Satyajit Ray to mix up harsh realism with surrealism that was shown masterfully by Ghatak in Subornorekha. I am sorry but your perception on Subornorekha is incomplete and rushed on.
This is a valid and fair criticism of yours and no need to apologise for sharing your opinion on it
One of the biggest reason I kept the section of Subharnerkha short was because of the issues with the film's print(visual and audio quality) and I briefly mentioned that in the closing section of the video and expanded on that via text on screen
I couldn't place the origin of my issues with the film on the work in itself or the version I was watching
Ghatak by all means was a far daring director than Ray, you can see that he was actually willing to break every boundary of not only Indian Cinema but the medium as a whole
Subharnerkha is one of the better work of his, let it be it's subject matter and how it was dealt or as you said the surrealism of the film, the taxi scene and everything prior to it and the ending too is such a strong piece of it, that is not only remarkable but memorable too
I just hope it gets restored in a better quality or to the one the artist intended
@@VamshiOhgs Thank You Sir for elaborately explaining the issue. Much Appreciated. Definitely look forward to more such essential videos on your channel.
@@somnathchakravarty3658 No problem and welcome aboard in my journey : )
Where are these films available?
A River Called Titas and The Cloud Capped Star are available in Criterion in higher quality and in Hoichoi for a cheaper price
And as for the others (Subarnarekha, Ajantrik, Komal Gandhar, etc.) they can be found in Amazon Prime, Mubi and in general TH-cam can be helpful for watching them albeit with lower video and audio quality
Bengalies were n r deceived by each n every political party
👍
:)
... the voice over is so bad 😢
Well if it is utterly incomprehensible from your end then I can't help you at all, auto generated subtitles or transcript of the video are your only options.
Why are you speaking like this?😂
It's just the way I find comfortable while narrating, the flow isn't perfect or something that I'm ecstatic about but I try to improve myself on that part
@@VamshiOhgs play a music while you record the narration... try satie E. and see the difference
I personally like it
@@augustuscaeser10b78 Thanks for the suggestion, will try that