Starcast: Uttam Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, Anil Chatterjee, Abhi Bhattacharya, Prema Narayan & Utpal Dutt Director: Shakti Samanta Musi...
Starcast: Uttam Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, Anil Chatterjee, Abhi Bhattacharya, Prema Narayan & Utpal Dutt
Director: Shakti Samanta
Music: Shyamal Mitra
As we conclude our tribute to Uttam Kumar, we go back in time to revisit
one of his greatest films of the 70s, Amanush. Released on the 18th
of October, 1974, Amanush, based on Shaktipada Rajguru’s novel, Naya Basat,
was a blockbuster and is still considered to be among director Shakti Samanta’s
very best. This was the first collaboration between Shakti Samanta and Bengal’s
matinee idol Uttam Kumar. It was also
the first bilingual by Samanta in its true sense (the Bengali version of
Aradhana was actually dubbed in Hindi and not shot simultaneously). Amanush is
still remembered for its breathtaking locales of the Sundarbans, brilliant
music and some riveting performances. It was also appreciated by many critics
for handling the complexities of human relations.
Storyline : Madhu Chowdhury (Uttam Kumar) is a scion of a
zamindari family in a village in the Sundarbans region of Bengal. He is
publicized as a drunkard, womanizer wastrel, an omanush (sub human) by the
zamindar’s manipulative and vile munim Mahim Ghoshal (Utpal Dutt), and
his henchmen. However, in reality, he often raises his voice against the poor
and oppressed tortured by Mahim but is grossly misunderstood thanks to Mahim’s
machinations and the accusations by the police who are in cahoots with him.
Even his old flame, the school teacher Rekha (Sharmila Tagore) misunderstands
and loathes him.
Things take a turn when honest and upright cop Bhuvan Roy (Anil
Chatterjee) arrives in the village. Initially, he also believes the rumours
surrounding Madhu, but when he learns that he is a victim of circumstances he
decides to help and reform him by giving him a contract to build a dam in the
adjoining village. What were the incidents that branded Madhu an “Amanush”?
Will he get back the love and trust of Rekha?
Amanush answers this and many more.
Direction and other technical aspects: Shakti Samanta was one of the most prolific directors
of those days and needless to say he used all his directorial experience to
uplift the overall underlying theme of the film from a mundane village drama to
an interesting and poignant journey of a man. He was a master in fully
utilizing the topography, the salient features of the locations and he does
exactly that with Amanush. The villages, backwaters, and rivers all seem to be
living characters in the film. Full credit also goes to his trusted
cinematographer Aloke Dasgupta for capturing Sundarbans and its villages in their
full glory. The production design was top-notch. In fact, the zamindar house, post
office, and the doctor’s chamber all were realistically constructed sets on
location. The action scenes, however, left much to be desired.
Performances : Anil Chatterjee, as the righteous police officer
Bhuvan Roy is excellent. He was one of the most natural actors of Bengali
cinema those days and here he is at his very best. Sharmila Tagore as Rekha is
excellent, especially in the emotional scenes. Even in simple clothes, she
looks gorgeous and glamorous. Asit Sen and Abhi Bhattacharya are brilliant in
their portrayals. Tarun Ghosh, another Samanta regular, is really good. Prema
Narayan gets almost a parallel lead here and she gives stiff competition to
even the lead actors with her firebrand performance and her rediscovered oomph.
But the mainstay performers are the two “U”s here - Utpal Dutt as Mahim Ghoshal
is delightfully evil. His effortless blending of comedy with villainy is to be
seen to be believed. His rolling and roving eyes reflect lust, greed, and at
times desperation effectively. Last but certainly not the least Uttam Kumar as
Madhu Chowdhury gives a towering performance, even today one can easily fathom
why he was the Mahanayak of Bengali cinema. His portrayals of wit, sarcasm,
anger, and sorrow can easily be a masterclass for aspiring actors even now.
Though the character could have easily gone loud and a little overbearing, to
his credit he never overacts and makes Madhu relatable.
Music: Music by the great singer and composer Shyamal Mitra with excellent
lyrics by the master wordsmith Gauriprasanna Majumdar was totally in sync with
the theme of the film. The tunes have a rustic and at times a sombre touch with
excellent arrangements. Justifiably, all the songs were chartbusters and are
still heard with a lot of fondness. Ki Ashay Bandhi Khelaghor (Kishore Kumar)
is probably one of the best Bengali songs sung by the versatile genius,
Bipinbabur Karonsudha is the ultimate “tipsy” song, Jodi Hoi Chorkanta, a
mischievous duet by Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar is still extremely popular.
Na Na Na Omon Kore is a beautiful Asha Bhosle solo filmed on Prema Narayan.
Amanush still is an extremely engaging watch, especially for the great
Uttam Kumar’s sincere performance. One can easily gauge why he was not merely a
superstar but also an able performer with some serious acting chops. 50 years
after its release, this “inhuman” humane portrayal remains etched in the
audience’s memories.
By Ayushmaan Mitra
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