Chaturanga (film)

Chaturanga
The poster for the film Chaturanga
Directed by	Suman Mukherjee
Produced by	Campfire Films Production
Written by	Rabindranath Tagore
Starring	Rituparna Sengupta Dhritiman Chaterji Subrata Dutta Joy Sengupta Kabir Suman
Music by	Debojyoti Mishra
Cinematography	Indranil Mukherjee
Editing by	Arghakamal Mitra
Release date(s)	21 November 2008
Running time	125 mins
Country	India
Language	Bengali

Chaturanga (Bengali: চতুরঙ্গ "Four Chapters") is a Bengali Movie released in 2008. Directed by Suman Mukherjee, the movie featured Rituparna Sengupta, Dhritiman Chaterji, Subrata Dutta, Joy Sengupta and Kabir Suman.^[1][2][3]

Plot

Based on the novel by the Nobel Prize winning author Rabindranath Tagore, Chaturanga is about a love caught between conflicting worlds of ideas. Set in Colonial Bengal at the turn of the twentieth century, the film weaves a rich tapestry of crisscrossing desires and moralities.The lead protagonist Sachish fleets from radical positivism to religious mysticism in his quest for life's meaning. However, his search ultimately yields nothing but crushing disillusionment. This is because he cannot square his abstract ideals with the powerful presences of two women in his life. One of them is Damini, a young Hindu widow, and the other is Nanibala, the abandoned mistress of Sachish's own brother.Sachish tries to convince himself that Nanibala is simply a helpless woman who needs to be 'rescued' by him. Similarly, during his later religious phase, he pretends that the widow Damini is merely an enticement of Nature that must be avoided at all costs for spiritual salvation.Chaturanga thus becomes, after a point, a psychodrama of unbelievable cruelty. Nanibala becomes a victim of it because as a 'fallen woman' she can only be 'saved', but her humanity cannot be recognized.Damini is first given away by her dying husband, along with all her property, to a religious guru. She then falls in love with Sachish who can accept her only without her sexuality.

Cast

• Dhritiman Chaterji... Uncle
• Rituparna Sengupta... Damini
• Subrat Dutta... Sachish
• Joy Sengupta... Sribilash
• Kabir Suman... Lilananda
• Trina Nileena Banerjee ... Nanibala

Crew

• Screenplay & Direction Suman Mukhopadhyay
• Cinematography Indranil Mukherjee
• Editing Arghakamal Mitra
• Music Debojyoti Mishra
• Playback singers Shafqat Amanat Ali, Kartick Das Baul, Parama Banerjee, Arijit Choudhury
• Production Design Hiran Mitra
• Costume Design Suchismita Dasgupta
• Sound Design Jojo Chaki and Anirban Sengupta (Dream Digital)
• Sound Consultant Sukanta Mazumdar
• Subtitles and Consultant Anustup Basu
• Production Controller Pritam Choudhury
• Executive Producer Mallika Jalan
• Producer Avik Saha, Vishal Jhajharia
• Production Company Campfire Films

Music

The songs, especially those from the Vaishnav tradition, are erotic. The divine is expressed in them through allegorical depictions of the illicit love between Krishna and Radha, who was actually his aunt. There is a radical side to this blend of eroticism and divinity. Radha's love for Krishna is beyond all social norms. It is directly expressed, without the priest or the Brahmin caste coming in between. When devotees sing and rejoice in that form of love, it is thus a popular and democratic process that defies caste divisions.

• Allah Ke Nur—Shafqat Amaanat Ali & Chorus
• Din Thakte Tiner Sadhan—Kartick Das Baul
• Bhajo Patito Udhadharana—Arijit Chakraborty & Chorus
• Hara Gauri Prananath—Dohar
• Esraj—Instrumental
• Hari Haraye Nama—Monomoy Chakraborty & Chorus
• Jagohu Brishobhanu—Sri Bani Kumar Chatterjee & Chorus
• Hese Khele Nao Re Jogu—Neel Mukherjee & Chorus
• Rupo Lagi Aankhi Jhure—Raghab Chatterjee
• Joy Radhe Radhe—Arijit Chakraborty & Chorus
• Moula Tere Bina—Shafqat Amaanat Ali & Chorus
• Nirodo Nayane—Santa Das
• Background Music—Instrumental
• Praner Majhe Sudha (Hum)-- Parama Banerjee
• Radha Madhabo—Kabir Suman & Chorus
• Aalo Je Amar Gaan Kore—Parama Banerjee

Critical reception

• The film version of Tagore’s novel Chaturanga releases on 21 November five years after Rituparno Ghosh gave us the passionate period piece Chokher Bali. Chaturanga director Suman Mukhopadhyay tells t2 about the challenges of adapting a complex Tagore tale for screen.
• Suman Mukhopadhyay, who has just completed post-production of his second film Chaturanga based on a noted novelette by Rabindranath Tagore, talks about his film in detail .
• Hélas, je n'ai vu que la moitié du film indien Chaturanga (Four Chapters) de Suman Mukhopadhyay. Cette année, les premières projections de certains films en compétition sont programmées à des heures tellement tardives qu'on ne peut assurer tout le service. Désolée!
• L'un des trois films inscrits hier en compétition officielle manquait à l'appel. Enfin, pas tout à fait. Retenues en transit quelque part entre l'Argentine et le Québec, les bobines de Lluvia n'ont pu arriver à temps pour la représentation de la matinée. En revanche, l'honneur devrait quand même être sauf car la représentation de gala devrait avoir lieu comme prévu ce soir à 21h30. Ô cinéma, que de sueurs froides en ton nom! Nous. reviendrons ainsi plus tard sur l'entrée Argentine.
• Chaturnaga, a Rabindranath Tagore classic is now on the big screen. Tagore's highly acclaimed work was written in 1916 and is now being adapted into a feature film by filmmaker Suman Mukhopadhyay. "I realised there will be a lot of expectations attached, but I was very intrigued by the story," said Suman Mukhopadhyay, director.
• Chaturanga, which has been made into a film, has been shortlisted in the world competition section at the Montreal World Film Festival.

References

1. ^ "Film In Focus: CHATURANGA". www.fest21.com. http://www.fest21.com/en/node/17251. Retrieved 2008-11-17. 
2. ^ "Chaturanga - Reviews, Movie Trailers, Cast & Crew. Movies at Film.com". film.com. http://www.film.com/movies/chaturanga/22665712. Retrieved 2008-11-17. 
3. ^ "Tagore's Chaturanga soon on celluloid - ScreenIndia.Com". www.screenindia.com. http://www.screenindia.com/news/tagores-chaturanga-soon-on-celluloid/359249/. Retrieved 2008-11-17. 

External links

• Chaturanga at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Website

See also