The maestro and his music

Source http://www.thehindu.com/fr/2009/02/20/stories/2009022050560200.htm

The maestro and his music

RANJAN DAS GUPTA

Pandit Ravi Shanker looks back at his film compositions.

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I did not appreciate the popularisation of a divine instrument like the sitar though
I have highest regards for Salil (Chowdhury) as a composer.

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Photo: AP

Stringing divinity: Pandit Ravi Shanker performing with his daughter Anoushka in Kolkata.

Pandit Ravi Shanker was recently in Kolkata to perform live with daughter Anoushka Shanker. As he himself says, “This is in all probability is my last concert in Kolkata. I am not keeping well and I don’t think my health will permit another visit to the City Of Joy.”

As he sips a glass of water in his luxury suite at a posh Kolkata hotel, the sitar maestro says, “You are asking me to speak about my compositions in films, is that not too stale a subject? I have not composed any film music in the past two and half decades. Bright, young talents like A.R. Rahman and Shantanu Moitra can speak much more about this aspect of filmmaking.”

On persuasion, he recollects, “I was introduced to films by the late Chetan Anand in ‘Neecha Nagar’, India’s first anti-imperialist film. The highly imaginative Chetan possessed a keen ear for classical melodies and used my sitar counters very well along with some dialectical montages in the film. He gave me the freedom to compose and did not interfere in my work. We again teamed successfully for the background score of his ‘Aandhiyan’ along with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pannalal Ghosh.”

Apu trilogy

Ravi Shanker composed the tunes for K.A. Abbas’s “Dharti Ke Lal” based on Bijon Bhattacharya’s “Nabanna” after “Neecha Nagar” in 1946. Recalls Shanker, “‘Dharti Ke Lal’ required music with a tragic temperament as it was based on the Bengal famine. During those days our IPTA (Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association ) background was highly instrumental in shaping our work ideologies.” His greatest challenge though was to score the music for Ray’s Apu Trilogy in the mid-‘50s, which ushered in a revolution of sorts in film music. Hearing his compositions for the Ray masterpieces, Elia Kazan, the Greek-American award-winning film and theatre director and co-founder of the influential Actors Studio in New York, had commented, “A new genre of film music, fresh, melodious yet objective has been introduced by Ravi Shanker and his combination with the inimitable Satyajit Ray.”

The stalwart responds, “Here was a director who would never compromise nor allow me to go overboard. He was confident and rigid about exactly what he required from me or any of his composers. Ray himself was an outstanding composer and music sessions with him are still unforgettable. For the Apu Trilogy, he extracted the true essence of rural Bengal from me musically. Similarly, for ‘Parash Pathar’, he brought out of me music with a comic yet subtle touch which had ample depths. That was Ray, a director who believed in musical visualisation at its peak.”

Ravi Shanker scored popular numbers rendered by Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh for “Anuradha” and “Godan” too. He comments, “Both the films required sober, touching music and neither director Hrishikesh Mukherjee nor Trilok Jaitley asked me to move on the populist track whilst scoring their music.” The ustad had criticised Salil Chowdhury’s usage of the sitar counter in the song “O Sajna, Barkha Bahar Ayi” in “Parakh”. He clarifies, “I did not appreciate the popularisation of a divine instrument like the sitar though I have highest regards for Salil as a composer.” Ravi Shanker remembers, “What talents the Indian film music had in the ’40s, ’50s and the ’60s. Naushad, Anil Biswas, S.D. Burman, Madan Mohan and Shanker Jaikishan belonged to an era when melody was the king. I was internally inspired to compete with these stalwarts whilst composing music for films. Some of their creations are much more popular than any of mine. Who can forget Naushad’s ‘Mohe Bhul Gaye Sawariya’ from ‘Baiju Bawra’ and ‘Katon Se Khich Ke Ye Anchal’ by S.D. Burman in ‘Guide’?”

By the time he scored for Gulzar’s “Meerabai” and Mrinal Sen’s “Genesis”, Ravi Shanker understood that he was losing his form as a film music composer. He analyses, “Film music is mainly dependant on scripts and special situations. It has constraints. Performing classical music has always been of much more interest to me. After ‘Genesis’, I decided to call it a day in films.”

Mrinal Sen, who directed “Genesis”, says, “I told Ravi Shanker to come out of the IPTA mould of music for ‘Genesis’. After seeing the first show of the film at Cannes, he severely criticised me for not using his music counters and experimenting with natural sounds instead. I politely explained to him that cinema is not only background score and during many sequences in ‘Genesis’, natural sounds were more essential than his compositions.”

Ravi Shanker agrees, “Today, I feel Mrinal was right in his assessment. Ali Akbar Khan stopped scoring for films after ‘Khudito Pashan’. Vilayat Khan only composed music for ‘Jalsaghar’. I should have stopped after the ’60s. Sitar jhankars during a live performance are really divine for me.”

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Devdas (1955)

Source http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/02/20/stories/2009022050660400.htm

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Devdas (1955)

Dilip Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Vyjayanthimala, Motilal

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It was essentially Bimal Roy’s exceptional direction that earned the movie its rave reviews.

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Melancholy reigns supreme in “Devdas”, a heartrending story of a lover committed to self-destruction, a story penned by a legendary writer and given the shape of an all-time classic by a master filmmaker. The timeless Saratchandra Chatterjee novel has been treated impeccably by Bimal Roy in this 1955 movie starring Dilip Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Vyjayanthimala and Motilal, a film that grows on you and ultimately leaves you devastated by the tragic end of the protagonist.

“Devdas” is a moving tale that revolves around three characters: Devdas (Dilip Kumar) and Paro (Suchitra Sen) are childhood sweethearts who grow up in a village. Their association assumes the form of love when they become adults but Devdas faces opposition from his father, who rejects their marriage proposal. Paro is married to a man twice her age with a grown up son and daughter while Devdas is packed off to Kolkata where he takes to drinking and comes into contact with Chunni Babu (Motilal), who introduces him to Chandramukhi (Vyjayanthimala), a dancer with a kind heart.

The dancer falls in love with Devdas, who is by now an incorrigible alcoholic, unaware of a reformed Chandramukhi’s feelings. The drinking drives him to death, the end coming at the door of Paro’s mansion. Devdas and Paro fail to meet and in that sombre moment the writer succeeds in evoking sympathy for the tragic hero, so brilliantly portrayed by Dilip Kumar. He was at his best in the film.

seeped in sorrow

“Devdas” was Bimal Roy’s tribute to a story seeped in sorrow, a most sensitive narration of a man who drinks himself into oblivion. Having worked as cameraman for the K.L. Saigal starrer “Devdas” in 1935, Bimal Roy waited 20 years to stamp his class on one of the most mournful stories ever. You feel it when Talat Mahmood renders the soulful “Mitwaa laagi re ye kaisi anbujh aag” and “Kis ko khabar thi kis ko yaqin tha aise bhi din aayenge.”

Dilip Kumar reportedly read the novel a few times before coming to terms with the character and is said to have taken a while to come out of the role, so stunningly enacted that it fetched him the Filmfare Award for best actor. Vyjayanthimala went on record to say that this was the role that actually launched her film career, transforming her from an acknowledged classical dancer into a respected actor.

It was Suchitra Sen’s debut in a Hindi movie and she left a lasting impression with her controlled performance, her beauty leaving the audience in a trance. The three main actors were so sincere to their job and given Bimal Roy’s abilities as a director of rare quality, they were bound to give memorable performances. This was a film that also features the great Pran in his tiniest role – a ten-second appearance at Chandramukhi’s kotha.

The movie fared reasonably at the box office even as it earned Bimal Roy the Filmfare Award for best direction, apart from supporting role honours for Motilal and Vyjayanthimala. It was essentially Bimal Roy’s exceptional direction that earned the movie its rave reviews.

There are some unforgettable landmark scenes that only Bimal Roy and Dilip Kumar could have produced. “Kaun kambakht hai jo bardaasht karne ke liya peeta hai, mai to peeta hoon ki bas saans le sakoon,” Dilip Kumar captures the drunken stupor of Devdas like none could have. And then towards a depressing climax when he mumbles to the cart driver on way to Manikpur, “Arre bhai ye raasta kya kabhi khatam nahi hoga,” desperate to meet Paro before his last breath, Dilip Kumar leaves the audience in tears. You may silently find yourself praying the cart flies to Manikpur.

The spellbinding cinematic effort is heightened by S.D. Burman’s music and a young Sahir Ludhianvi’s enduring poetry, a rich variety so beautifully documented in the Manna Dey-Geeta Dutt bhajan “Aan milo aan milo shyaam sanvare ... aan milo”, a Lata Mangeshkar solo “Jise tu kabu kar le vo sadaa kahaan se laun” and the unforgettable Mubarak Begum number, “Woh na aayenge palat kar unhen laakh hum bulaayen.”

“Devdas”, the one by Bimal Roy, alone brings alive the Saratchandra Chatterjee story, thanks to a combination of artistes who signify the essence of pure cinema.

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Meticulous master

Joy Bimal Roy.

Joy was born the year “Devdas” was released and he was ten when he lost his illustrious father but the movie has remained close to his heart. “Baba never spoke to me specifically about the movie but over the years I gathered a lot. It was a great movie no doubt,” says Joy Bimal Roy.

“Baba was obsessed with making ‘Devdas’. There was no compelling reason for him to make ‘Devdas’. He had assisted in the making of the K.L. Saigal starrer and always wanted to make his own Devdas. My baba was a man of literature. Most of his works, notably ‘Devdas’, ‘Parineeta’ and ‘Biraj Bahu’, were based on literature. And he always remained faithful to the novels,” remembers Joy.

There was an exception though and Joy is quick to point it out. “It was an artistic liberty that he took in ‘Devdas’. The scene where Paro and Chandramukhi cross each other’s path, not a word is spoken as they look at each other. The background music makes it a memorable scene as it features Suchitra Sen and Vyjayanthimala together for the only time in the movie, even if for a fleeting moment. In the story they never meet though.”

In Joy’s views, “Devdas” encountered some casting problems. “Minor problems but what a cast it turned out to be. No one but Motilal could have played the role of Chunni Babu. I also remember the movie for its fantastic audio details. Baba was very meticulous. I remember Baba draping a dhoti for Balraj Sahni during the making of ‘Do Bigha Zameen’. He was a perfectionist to the core.” Joy recalls, “Dilip Kumar went on record later to say that his problem was to ensure what not to do than what to do. In fact, so immersed was he in the role that he had to see an analyst to come out of it. Those were the days. People were so sincere.”

VIJAY LOKAPALLY

Poornam Vishwanathan

source

In love with grease paint

SUGANTHY KRISHNAMACHARI

A stickler for perfection, Poornam Viswanathan’s passion for the stage never diminished.

MANY DIMENSIONS: Poornam Viswanathan.

A profile on Poornam Viswanathan (his 88th birthday falls on November 15) presents a difficulty. Where does one begin? Should one begin with Poornam as a newsreader of All India Radio, announcing India’s Independence? Or should one begin with Poornam as a writer? As an actor? As a director of plays? Or look at him as a human being, simple and unassuming, who preferred to travel by public transport? It should be mentioned here that he always insisted that all members of the troupe be provided the same kind of accommodation?

Perhaps Poornam, the romantic, will be apt. Poornam Viswanathan’s was a traditional, arranged marriage, and when he returned to Delhi after ‘seeing’ the girl, he sent her a telegram that said, “Returned safe, and dreaming.” In 1950, this certainly qualified to be called romantic!

While in Delhi, Poornam acted in the plays of South Indian Theatre. One of the members was music critic Subbudu. They staged many plays including Kalki’s ‘Kalvanin Kadhali’ and Devan’s ‘Gomathiyin Kadhalan.’ When Poornam was transferred to Madras in 1964, he began to act in the plays of Triplicane Fine Arts and later in those of Kala Nilayam. One of the most popular plays he acted in was Savi’s ‘Washingtonil Thirumanam.’ While in Delhi, Poornam had translated Ramesh Mehta’s Hindi play, ‘Under Secretary,’ and YGP’s UAA staged it with Jayalalitha, her mother Sandhya and Cho in the cast.

At Kala Nilayam, Poornam acted in Marina’s plays — ‘Oor Vambu,’ ‘Thani Kudithanam’ and ‘Kaal Kattu,’ and Sujatha’s ‘Oru Kolai Oru Prayaanam’ and ‘Kadavul Vandirundaar.’ Koothapiran, who played the role of Koda Naidu in Thani Kudithanam, says, “I learnt how to act only by watching Poornam.”

Forming a troupe

Scenes from Oru Kolai Oru Prayanam and Oor Vambu.

In 1979, Poornam left Kala Nilayam and started his own troupe ‘Poornam New Theater.’ Ever on the look out for fresh talent, he welcomed into his fold many youngsters.

The first play they did was Sujatha’s ‘Adimaigal.’ It was a dicey theme about a lecherous patriarch, who tyrannises his nephews. But Sujatha and Poornam handled the subject adroitly, so that there was not a trace of vulgarity in the presentation.

Baldev, who acted with Poornam in Kala Nilayam and had left when Poornam did, played the role of Sundaram, the wronged, cowardly nephew. Venu Arvind, whose real name is Tyagarajan, made his debut in this play. ‘Adimaigal’ marked the beginning of a long association between Poornam and Sujatha, who wrote a succession of plays for Poornam.

Actor Sivakumar says, “I was moved by the play Oonjal. And ‘Dr. Narendranin Vinodha Vazahakku’ was amazing.” Dr. Narendranin Vinodha Vazhakku was staged 175 times. When this writer met Sujatha a couple of years before his death, he said, “I will continue to write plays, if Poornam is willing to act.”

Poornam, was a hard taskmaster, but never failed to compliment talent. He admired troupe member Gowrishankar’s hand gestures. Poornam paid attention to every detail, so that there was never a jarring note or incongruity in any play. “He didn’t like an orchestra in the pit, and would only play taped music,” says M.B. Moorthy. “For Adimaigal, the only music he used was the veena playing of Gayatri,” says Baldev.

Poornam also had definite ideas about make-up. “For the role of Dr. Narendran, he wanted to be made up to resemble Dr. Schweitzer,” says Poornam’s daughter Uma.

Poornam would wince at the slightest mispronunciation, and during rehearsals for the play “Fifty-Fifty,” Viswanathan Ramesh had to say his lines over and over, because he seemed incapable of getting the ‘zha’ right. On the day of the show, his pronunciation was perfect.

Sense of humour

Poornam could always see the humour in a situation. Once during the staging of “Anbulla Appa,” troupe member Malathi Sampath was in the audience with her three year old niece. Poornam had just done an emotional scene, and with his hands on his cheeks, struck a note of despair with his words, “Enna Pannuvaen?” The little girl, who had been quiet until then, walked up to the aisle, put her hands on her cheeks, and in close imitation of Poornam, repeated his words! The audience burst out laughing. Malathi made a hasty exit, niece in tow. At the end of the show, she approached Poornam with an apology, but he said, “I hope this little Poornam will act in my plays, when she grows up.”

“Poornam did many one-act plays, one of which ‘Vandavan’ was enacted on the terrace in Sankara Netralaya,” recalls Baldev.

Poornam last acted in 2000, before passing on the mantle to Gurukulam, a troupe that consists of those he trained. However, he could never bring himself to say that he would no longer act in plays. Wife Susheela, who has seen every single show of Poornam’s, recalls how a few months before his death, he said to his relatives, “I’ll be doing a play soon.” That is perhaps why Susheela wanted make-up to be applied on his face as he made his last journey from home. And that was how Poornam left, with pancake on his face, in death, as in life.