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Bollywood appears to have found a new love for history and literature. Despite many producers having burnt their fingers over their desire to make historical and period films, the road for such films seems to be alive and kicking. And this trend started three years back when Sanjay Leela Bhansali remade Devdas, an adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s classic novel with the same title. Today the trend has moved further. This time the intention is clearly to revive old classics and bridge the gap between the two generations.
Till now about 20 films have been made on Sharat’s literary works. After him comes the name of Munshi Premchand and Gulshan Nanda, the novelist.
In 1953, legendary Ashok Kumar decided to give a classic touch to Sharat Chandra’s Parineeta with the help of its director, Bimal Roy. The film is still remembered for its strong portrayal of the lead character by none other than the tragedy queen, Meena Kumari. Of late, Bollywood has been witnessing a severe drought of new ideas and new stories. So those who want to quench their thirst for good cinema have no option but to turn to history and dig out some classics to remake with new stars.
If V. Shanataram made Dr Kotnis ki Amar Kahani before Independence, the trend of biopic films too helped the new film-makers to continue with their efforts to contribute substantially to cinema. If Parineeta and after that Paheli succeed, chances are bright that those trying to rake in moolah through sex and violence will learn a lesson from this rising trend.
Bhatts and Mallikas of modern cinema should give way to Parineeta and Paheli presented in a new pack of entertainment—the only reason for which millions of people grace cinema halls.
Bhatts and Mallikas of modern cinema should give way to Parineeta and Paheli presented in a new pack of entertainment—the only reason for which millions of people grace cinema halls.
Parineeta is set in an era when women wore long-sleeved or frilled blouses and men were happy dancing during Durga Puja festivities with earthen pots in their mouths. The time depicted is early sixties and the story moves around Lolita (Vidya Balan) who lives with her relatives since her childhood. Brought up in a typical bhadralok culture, she oozes ethnic culture and etiquettes in her persona wherever she goes. She has a chance encounter with Shekhar (Saif Ali), the son of a rich businessman. Both become friends and start sharing everything in life. They share a bond between them, which is difficult to be defined in words.
Their life moves smoothly and gradually love blossoms between the two young protagonists. Then an outsider, Girish (Sanjay Dutt) enters their life. He falls in love with Lolita. Meanwhile, intimacy develops between Lolita and Shekhar. The triangle of love suddenly acquires an element of intrigue, leading to greed, deception and misunderstandings.
Parineeta by Pradeep Sarkar, has all the elements to become a classic in cinema but the recipe has gone wrong at some places. Pradeep has shown tremenous calibre to perform and deliver as a film director in his very first movie. He treats his technique as a tool and not as the master as happens in films made by young directors. He uses the locations as a canvas and paints the scenes over the canvas like a painter.
Sanjay Bhansali was sharp on this front and that is why he sent Devdas to study in London and not to Calcutta as presented in the original novel. Some slight changes in the screenplay would have earned more patronage for the film. Despite making several changes like making Girish, an NRI, settled in England—in the novel, he was merely a Bramho Samaji, or by omitting the crucial gudda-guddi wedding celebrations which Bimal Roy had picturised over the song Gore gore haathon mein, with Meena Kumari running to Shekhar’s room and dropping the garland around his neck. Finally Lolita, with her eyes downcast confesses to Girish that she is a married woman.
Vinod Chopra and Pradeep Sarkar have been courageous in adapting the 1914-published novel to 2005 but is the message as relevant to present times? Would the film be able to evoke the same nostalgia, the pain and passion that Bimal Roy projected several decades ago? If Meena Kumari was ethereal when crushed by the sarcastic Ashok Kumar in black and white version of Parineeta, doe-eyed Vidya Balan is angry and heartbroken by the caustic remark of her beloved. While in the older version, Ashok Kumar and Meena Kumari exchange flower garlands, the present pair exchange a gold chain in the new adaptation.
The adaptation does not carry the ‘I am a married woman’ scene. It would have looked too contrived in modern times when married women don’t even look married. Instead, the director used Sanjay Dutt to convey the message to Saif and what’s more appealing is that Sanjay combines anger with disappointment while expessing his feelings. The present film is high on technique and has melodious music too. However, what it lacks in is the script. Even the dialogue aspect, handled by Rekha Nigam, is weak. Among the actors, special mention is to be made on none other than Rekha, who sizzles on the screen even after crossing the age 50, providing the newcomer Vidya Balan a run for her money.
Another remake on the cards is that of the Bengali literary classic, Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam (made by Guru Dutt in 1962 ) which was to have been directed by Rituparno Ghosh but is now being given to Deepa Mehta to direct for Pritish Nandy Communications. The success of Godan and Gaban, based on the works of Munshi Premchand, is also under consideration by a new crop of producers and directors. The film-makers should certainly be allowed to present literature on the silver screen, but without instituting changes either in the incidents narrated in literature or in the period to which the literature belongs.
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