tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post3480091663844919709..comments2023-11-10T08:26:51.182-06:00Comments on Beth Loves Bollywood: Goopy Gyne Bagha ByneBeth Loves Bollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05540154833326987567noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-603207115223109392012-09-15T23:02:12.122-05:002012-09-15T23:02:12.122-05:00Shrabonti - Thank you for your thoughtful comment!...Shrabonti - Thank you for your thoughtful comment! I have just seen Sonar Kella and Joi Baba Felunath this week and was struck by the lack of women. I'm not even sure there's a woman who speaks (not sings) in the latter? I agree with you that Ray absolutely is able to portray women convincingly and to create complex, interesting, empathetic individual women...which makes their absence in other scenarios all the stranger. That interview you mention is really interesting. I'd like to know more about that. If he truly could not find a way to use women non-sexually, then that says something frustrating (and as you say, sexist and disturbing) about his concept of people as a whole (because someday, somehow, women will just be people too, you know?). Though it's always great to hear an honest answer out of someone. But that hardly even seems possible. <br /><br />It may be that his children-oriented projects are just not what I'm going to like most and I'll stick mainly to his work for adults. :) Beth Loves Bollywoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540154833326987567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-53489240819428195932012-09-14T09:22:09.384-05:002012-09-14T09:22:09.384-05:00I've been a huge fan of not just Ray's fil...I've been a huge fan of not just Ray's films but his writing as well. I don't know if you're aware but he wrote more than a 100 short stories for a young-adult audience -- not including the Feluda stories -- and I've been reading them ever since I learnt to read Bengali when I was 10 or so. Yet the fact that they are strangely thin on female characters only struck me when I was in my 20s and I try not to let that interfere with my enjoyment of his writing. <br /><br />Knowing his films, I don't think anyone could say Ray didn't understand women or could not portray them with conviction and empathy. But I somehow feel in his writing and his films for young people, he couldn't find a way to show women in non-sexual terms. I (vaguely) remember reading an interview in which he compared his Feluda stories to the Byomkesh Bakshi ones, which have a good dose of sexual politics and are firmly for an adult audience. <br /><br />I carry the impression that he failed to introduce female characters in Feluda and other kids' stories/films because, essentially, he couldn't figure out a way to use them in a 'safe', non-sexual way. Is that a cop-out? Yes, a huge, huge one. I'd even say it's faintly sexist and a bit disturbing, especially coming from someone so wise and erudite. Does it make me like his work less? Not really. Shrabontihttps://twitter.com/Shrabontinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-73171138278348126502012-09-02T21:37:15.540-05:002012-09-02T21:37:15.540-05:00Aparna - I'd love to see the next one and in f...Aparna - I'd love to see the next one and in fact it was one of the first Bengali films recommended to me. Just a matter of getting my hands on it. I am NOT a fan of Sandip Ray, I must say, though that's based only on Bombayer Bombete, which I thought was terrible. Hmm. <br /><br />I've only seen 10 of his films, but I don't that critique of Ray is particularly fair. What, did people want him to only show poor people as miserable, which is totally unfair and inaccurate and almost cruel? I like that his films show many different kinds of people (or so it seems to my perhaps too ignorant eyes).Beth Loves Bollywoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540154833326987567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-74589958205002148362012-08-30T10:36:16.676-05:002012-08-30T10:36:16.676-05:00Pls also share ur views on hirak rajar deshe by ra...Pls also share ur views on hirak rajar deshe by rayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-57511190134418107162012-08-20T14:06:02.184-05:002012-08-20T14:06:02.184-05:00Btw, on your comment about finding Ray's work ...Btw, on your comment about finding Ray's work less stodgy, I remember a related comment by him at an interview. He was asked whether he is disturbed by the accusation of glorifying poverty - a common accusation hurled at 'Art' movie makers in India at that time. He sounded surprised and replied that most of his movies have not been about extremely poor people. In fact, some of his movies have been about rich people!Aparnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17465535925292456208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-51392505902565275252012-08-20T14:03:41.713-05:002012-08-20T14:03:41.713-05:00So happy you liked it! I read the book when I was ...So happy you liked it! I read the book when I was maybe 7-8 years old, and did not get to see the movie till it played on television some 3-4 years later and I was a little confused at some of the differences. When I see it again, I understand how Ray slipped in the messages to an otherwise innocent, happy story. The trick was to still make it enjoyable enough for kids so that they take the message easily without having it explained to them I guess. And the songs...I love the songs! <br />Maybe you can now move on to the next one in the series - Hirok Rajar Deshe? <br />The third one, unfortunately, had Sandip Ray directing it or completing the direction (got to check up my knowledge) and it was not so much fun, though again, it did have a message.<br />And I think, none of them have women. Strangely, that never bothered me, maybe because this is fantasy fiction realm.Aparnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17465535925292456208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-17196406008024087512012-08-20T12:33:09.100-05:002012-08-20T12:33:09.100-05:00 I say thanks to that person who made this Wonderf... I say thanks to that person who made this Wonderful Blog. www.lilipool.comfathyryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15725510069119674169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-45973165454487735152012-08-19T06:47:59.724-05:002012-08-19T06:47:59.724-05:00Beth if you haven't seen Sonar Kella w/ Englis...Beth if you haven't seen Sonar Kella w/ English subtitles,I can make that happen for you (loan), but not likely before September. Just let me know by e-mail. MMichael Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-75541247732066089732012-08-18T12:18:55.045-05:002012-08-18T12:18:55.045-05:00http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIdqTkUa5gE
Link o...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIdqTkUa5gE<br /><br />Link of sonar kella. kaushikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04892449826518511600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-74498710824325030742012-08-18T12:16:37.899-05:002012-08-18T12:16:37.899-05:00Dear Beth,
I am your fan for many years and readi...Dear Beth,<br /><br />I am your fan for many years and reading your blog with keen interest. <br /><br />Very happy to know you loved "Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne". <br /><br />Regarding "Bombayer Bombete" requesting a few minutes of your time to explain. <br /><br />Satyajit Ray write detective fiction for teen age children. The main character was "Felu-da" and his watson was his nephew "Topse".<br /><br />One of these stories he made into a movie "sonar Kella" (Golden Fortress) starring Soumitra Chatterjee (1974)<br /><br />Years later Satyajit Ray's son Sandip Ray directs movies based on his father's 'felu-da' stories. Bombayer Bombete is one of them.<br /><br />These movies are nowhere near the class of Satyajit Ray's Sonar Kella. Moreover, Soumitra Chatterjee set such a high bar with his performance that no one else has come near his performance.<br /><br />The complete movie "sonar kella" is in youtube at link below. It is unfortunately without subtitles. <br /><br />A young boy has visions of past life in a golden fortress in the desert with jewels, diamonds etc. His story is published in the papers. The boy is soon kidnapped. and Felu-da takes up the job to rescue the boy.kaushikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04892449826518511600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-21716905301955612332012-08-18T09:22:31.631-05:002012-08-18T09:22:31.631-05:00Oh Greta, I think you'll love this one. I have...Oh Greta, I think you'll love this one. I haven't found any of Ray's films stodgy either - I think somehow in the world I grew up in he was sort of lumped in with "inaccessible foreign directors" who were raved about by snobby people. I'm loving learning to the better on my own. I watched the Apu Trilogy last week too and LOVED IT. Beth Loves Bollywoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540154833326987567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-72216838658573947662012-08-18T09:08:38.403-05:002012-08-18T09:08:38.403-05:00(lack of women in this *one* sorry)(lack of women in this *one* sorry)memsaabhttp://memsaabstory.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-64164755351218531482012-08-18T09:07:54.424-05:002012-08-18T09:07:54.424-05:00I haven't seen this one yet, I need to...but I...I haven't seen this one yet, I need to...but I love Ray's work. I don't find it in the least stodgy (and I'm a girl who finds Shyam Benegal stodgy sometimes) and it's always beautiful. I don't know about the lack of women in this women (maybe as an antidote see George Cukor's "The Women" which has nary a man in sight and is marvellous) but it's not a theme in Ray's work for sure...Charulata is one of my favorite movies :)memsaabhttp://memsaabstory.comnoreply@blogger.com