 "A glorious cinematic journey")
In one of the many captivating moments in Rituparno Ghosh's Chokher Bali (2003), an unusually subtle and charismatic Aishwarya Rai Bachchan teaches actor Raima Sen the nuances of wearing a blouse. Based on Rabindranath Tagore's play by the same name, Chokher Bali (translated as "sand in the eye", it was used as a nickname by the two female protagonists to address each other) is the story of a newly-married couple, Mahendra and Ashalata (Sen), who are passionately in love, until their idyllic life is temporarily tarnished by the arrival of a young, educated - and English-speaking - widow, Binodini.
Rai played Binodini with an uncharacteristic, unabashed sensuality and enthralled viewers without a scrap of make-up or ornament. The credit for bringing out the finer aspects in her acting, many believe, went to master director Ghosh, who introduced a never-before-seen Rai to Bengali cinema, and by extension, Indian cinema.
A year later, Ghosh cast Rai in another role wherein she gave a landmark performance: in Raincoat (2004), adapted from O Henry's short story, The Gift of the Magi, Ghosh brought to celluloid the story of two lovers, who separate and then meet again only to find their dizzy optimism and dreams shattered by reality. Rai's portrayal of the unassuming Neeru, who continues to put on a brave face for her former lover, despite the glaring deficiencies in her supposed marital bliss, was applauded by critics and cinema buffs. Ghosh had yet again introduced us to Rai, the actor.
Catch Shob Charitro Kalponik (2009), the story of a woman who discovers her roots through poetry and lost love, prompting her to wonder if art is essentially an artifice. Or stop by for Abohomaan(2010), the story of Aniket, a filmmaker devoted to his craft. Also screened will be Memories In March (2010), starring Ghosh, Deepti Naval, and Raima Sen, wherein a bereaved mother comes to terms with her son's sexual identity. And Chitrangada (2012), one of Ghosh's last and most provocative films. Based on the life of Chitrangada from the Mahabharata, the film depicts the story of a choreographer struggling with his gender identity.
The screenings are open to both members and non-members; entry is free.
Vidyun Singh, director (programmes) at IHC, recalls the "fascinating" conversations she has had with the late director who was closely associated with the Habitat Film Club. "He was never afraid to say what he felt and that was true for his cinema as well as his real-life persona," she says. The screenings, she adds, have attracted an audience comprising both young and old. "The younger lot can relate to the themes he played with. The older generation is, of course, familiar with his fascinating oeuvre," she says. Hailed as an agent provocateur, Ghosh made 19 feature films in a career spanning 21 years. His films were often perceived as being 'middle class', and thus, somehow, automatically middlebrow.
Last month, at his memorial service, actor and director Aparna Sen - who worked with Ghosh in landmark films such as Unishe April (1994) and Titli (2002) - said his films and belongings should be archived to make them accessible to the public, including students researching his works.
Until that happens, efforts such as the one which is currently on at IHC will keep the director alive.
(The screenings are on at IHC till July 17. For full schedule, visit www.indiahabitat.org)
Rai played Binodini with an uncharacteristic, unabashed sensuality and enthralled viewers without a scrap of make-up or ornament. The credit for bringing out the finer aspects in her acting, many believe, went to master director Ghosh, who introduced a never-before-seen Rai to Bengali cinema, and by extension, Indian cinema.
A year later, Ghosh cast Rai in another role wherein she gave a landmark performance: in Raincoat (2004), adapted from O Henry's short story, The Gift of the Magi, Ghosh brought to celluloid the story of two lovers, who separate and then meet again only to find their dizzy optimism and dreams shattered by reality. Rai's portrayal of the unassuming Neeru, who continues to put on a brave face for her former lover, despite the glaring deficiencies in her supposed marital bliss, was applauded by critics and cinema buffs. Ghosh had yet again introduced us to Rai, the actor.
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It is these films which have scores of Ghosh fans queuing up at India Habitat Centre (IHC) in Delhi this month. The Habitat Film Club, in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals and Calcutta Presidency College Alumni Association, has organised "Remembering Rituparno", a celebration of the director's cinema and craft. It is a fitting tribute to the director who died of a massive heart attack on May 30 this year at the age of 49.
Catch Shob Charitro Kalponik (2009), the story of a woman who discovers her roots through poetry and lost love, prompting her to wonder if art is essentially an artifice. Or stop by for Abohomaan(2010), the story of Aniket, a filmmaker devoted to his craft. Also screened will be Memories In March (2010), starring Ghosh, Deepti Naval, and Raima Sen, wherein a bereaved mother comes to terms with her son's sexual identity. And Chitrangada (2012), one of Ghosh's last and most provocative films. Based on the life of Chitrangada from the Mahabharata, the film depicts the story of a choreographer struggling with his gender identity.
The screenings are open to both members and non-members; entry is free.
Vidyun Singh, director (programmes) at IHC, recalls the "fascinating" conversations she has had with the late director who was closely associated with the Habitat Film Club. "He was never afraid to say what he felt and that was true for his cinema as well as his real-life persona," she says. The screenings, she adds, have attracted an audience comprising both young and old. "The younger lot can relate to the themes he played with. The older generation is, of course, familiar with his fascinating oeuvre," she says. Hailed as an agent provocateur, Ghosh made 19 feature films in a career spanning 21 years. His films were often perceived as being 'middle class', and thus, somehow, automatically middlebrow.
Last month, at his memorial service, actor and director Aparna Sen - who worked with Ghosh in landmark films such as Unishe April (1994) and Titli (2002) - said his films and belongings should be archived to make them accessible to the public, including students researching his works.
Until that happens, efforts such as the one which is currently on at IHC will keep the director alive.
(The screenings are on at IHC till July 17. For full schedule, visit www.indiahabitat.org)