#utpal dutta

[assamnews]

The story of an ice-cold relationship

Film review | Utpal Datta (utpal91@gmail.com)

It's approaching evening, and a woman in her forties is seated in her house, engrossed in a video conference on her laptop. The phone rings, prompting her to step out of the conference to take the call. Her facial expressions and tone shift to a mundane and unwanted conversation. After the call concludes, she re-enters the conference, restoring a smile to her face. This marks the beginning of the film, subtly expressing that the woman inhabits two distinct worlds. An evocative entrance unfolds, inviting viewers into the film.

Titled 'Deep-Fridge,' this Bengali film hints at a section of the refrigerator where ice quickly forms. The name unmistakably suggests an urban theme. The narrative revolves around the relationship between two individuals - Mili, the woman introduced first in the film, and her husband Swarnava, both divorced. They share a child named Tatai, who resides with his mother. Tatai's father has remarried and is anticipating another child. When the father visits, and Tatai reciprocates, his father's second wife, Ronja, establishes a warm bond with him.

The initial scene's conversation unveils Mili's assumption of full responsibility for Tatai, with Swarnava equally invested. On that stormy evening, Swarnava visits to inquire about the child's health. Reluctantly, both individuals engage in conversation, focusing on the child's well-being. The child persuades his father to stay the night, and with no alternative, they hesitantly begin talking, gradually revealing the thoughts concealed in their hearts. The accumulated ice between them, preserved in the deep freeze for so long, begins to thaw.

Their marital happiness is disrupted when a third party enters, altering the course of their lives. While such narratives are commonplace in films, Arjun Dutta's approach is distinctive. Swarnava marries a close acquaintance and is expecting children, while Mili falls in love with a younger man. Despite their intimate relationship being acknowledged by the boy's family, Mili is hesitant to formalize it. She confides in her male friend, describing this intimacy as a form of escape. The film explores why Mili, who voluntarily embraces a free life, perceives this connection as an escape. As the daughter of a broken relationship, Mili harbours disdain for her mother, preventing her entry into her home. Despite Swarnava's repeated apologies, Mili remains dissatisfied.

The film unravels the complexities on that rainy night, delving into various aspects such as questions, pride, conflict, sense of rights, responsibilities, and more, providing Mili with answers. It's a portrayal of the ice in the mind, needing to melt and flow like water for life to progress.

While the film primarily addresses personal issues, the director's adept storytelling elevates it to a profound exploration of the human psyche. Presented against the backdrop of a rainy night, the film captures the gloomy mood of the protagonist living in a confined space. Events unfold indoors, often in low light or even complete darkness, while flashback scenes bask in bright light, indoors and outdoors. Cinematographer Supratim Bhol skilfully utilises light and shadow to intensify the prevailing sense of claustrophobia. Capturing facial expressions in low-light situations is challenging, yet Supratim adeptly manages, maintaining the scene's mood. The blue colour effect harmonises indoor scenes with the prevailing mood. The flashback scenes, featuring Mili in a bright red saree, visually symbolize her strength. In a morning scene following a troubled night, the sunlight delicately highlights the actor's body and the room's interior, showcasing the filmmaker's sensitivity.

In this 100-minute film, Tanushree Chakraborty, portraying Mili, seizes the opportunity to express diverse emotions, perceptions, and reactions. Her nuanced performance, marked by restraint and avoidance of exaggeration, positions her as a potential contender for film awards. Abir Chatterjee, in the role of Swarnava, delivers a natural performance. The complexity of the principal character's emotional journey is navigated with skill, given Abir's experience. However, the kissing scene between Abir and Tanushree feels mechanical and hesitant, contrary to its narrative demand. Anuradha, playing Ronja, impresses with evident improvement as an actress.

The film alternates between the present and the past, with the present progressing chronologically and past scenes interjecting sporadically. Editor Sujay Dutta Roy adeptly manages this intricate pace transition.

The Western music used as background music complements the film's urban setting. Music director Soumya Rit seamlessly incorporates Indian Classical and Folk music as per scene and mood requirements. The sweet songs, especially the one composed with a blend of Mallar and Bhairavi ragas (Gagne Garaj Barse), stand out for their unique fusion and ability to enhance visuals. The singer Mekhla Dasgupta deserves special mention. However, the inclusion of Kaviguru Rabindra Nath Tagore's name as a lyricist in the film's credit title seems unjustified. Tagore did not write songs for Arjun Dutta's films; Dutta used uncopyrighted songs for his work. Tagore's name should be mentioned with proper dignity and respect, a practice observed in many Bengali films.

The screenplay (Arjunn Dutta and Ashirbad Maitra) could have benefited from greater attention to character development with visual details. While Swarnava's profession is labelled as an economist, this alone falls short in establishing his credibility. Characters visiting Mili's home needed more contextual references to firmly establish their identities. A brief verbal introduction proves insufficient for character identity establishment.

In his gentle and nuanced narrative, Arjunn Dutta gracefully unfolds the story of a divorced couple. As a suggestion for future endeavours, expanding creative horizons beyond the confines of upper-middle-class society could add a layer of richness to cinematic encounters.

[warningsine]

2 5 7 28 29 38 60 67 (Movie Buff Questions)

2. What movie(s) could you watch over and over and not get tired of?

"Simon of the Desert"

"Gone with the Wind"

"Bringing Up Baby"

"All About Eve"

"The Piano"

"Barton Fink"

"No Country For Old Men"

Almost all Hitchcockian films ("Mr. and Mrs. Smith" is the exception to the rule)

Almost all Almodóvarian films

Almost all films by Ozu

Almost all films by Kiarostami

"Some Like It Hot"

"The Handmaiden"

"The 400 Blows"

"The Blue Angel"

"In the Mood for Love"

"Rome, Open City"

"Three Colors: Blue"

"Laura"

"8 Femmes"

"Ninotchka"

"The Circle" (2000)

"Double Indemnity"

"Shanghai Express"

"Sunset Boulevard"

"Touch of Evil"

"Tokyo Story"

"To Have and Have Not"

"Persona"

"The Big Sleep"

"The Red Shoes"

"Rocco and His Brothers"

"Kes"

"Gloria"

"A Woman Under The Influence"

"The Conformist"

among others.

5. Favorite dead actor/actress?

Actresses:

Emmanuelle Riva, Smita Patil, Kinuyo Tanaka, Anna Magnani, Machiko Kyō, Setsuko Hara, Danielle Darrieux, Ingrid Thulin, Jeanne Moreau, Hideko Takamine, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Giulietta Masina, Renée Jeanne Falconetti.

Actors:

Marcello Mastroianni, Jack Lemmon, Toshiro Mifune, Orson Welles, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Uttam Kumar, Anthony Perkins, Soumitro Chattopadhyay, Saro Urzì, Omar Sharif, Gian Maria Volonté, Utpal Dutta, Cary Grant, Anthony Quinn, Ezatollah Entezami.

7. Ever been/are you such a hardcore fan of an actor actress you watched/will watch any movie they were/will be in?

Isabelle Huppert comes to mind.

28. Top 5 actresses?

Already answered this here.

29. Movie you completely regret seeing?

All of Gaspar Noé's pseudointellectual films to be honest, but mostly "Irreversible." I find his filmmaking unintelligent af.

"Noah" by Darren Aronofsky is another example. Most of his films are.

"Martyrs" (2008), because I'm a total wuss.

38. Film(s) you’ve watched on a date?

Already answered this.

60. Most visually stunning movie you’ve seen?

Already answered this.

67. A movie that started a passion for you?

Almodóvar's "All about my mother" got me into cinema.

[politrixter]

The Youth of India: the change we need

“এরা যত বেশী পড়ে,  তত বেশী জানে,  তত কম মানে”

"Era Joto Beshi Pore, Toto Beshi Jaane, Toto Kom Maane" 

"The more they read, the more they know, the lesser they obey"

“Hirak Rajar Deshe” by Satyajit Ray

...reminiscent of India today. 

Why the government attacks institutions and the students, condones the desecration of places of study, why they are scared of the learned. The youth - the fearless torchbearers of the change we need.

[irispublishersengineeringscience]

Iris Publishers - Global Journal of Engineering Sciences (GJES)

A Data Driven Approach to Identify the Contributing Factors of Traffic Death in Low, Middle, and High- Income Countries

Authored   by   Utpal Dutta

Abstract

Road traffic crashes have been and will continue to be one of the primary causes of mortality all over the world. Globally, road traffic crashes have a widespread and devastating effect on public health and the global economy. According to The World Health Organization (WHO) [1], it is estimated that there are around 1.24 million people who die worldwide from traffic crashes. It is imperative to find out what factors contribute to the Traffic Death Rate (TDR).

This paper presents the finding of a study that used a data driven approach to identify the contributing factors of TDR in three groups of countries (low, medium, high) according to Gross National Income (GNI) per capita defined by WHO. By Traffic Death Rate (TDR), we define it as Number of Traffic/Number of Registered Vehicles.

This study intends to address the following research questions:

• Do TDRs have different patterns among the countries in three level of GNI?

• If yes, what are the main factors impacts to the TDRs positively or negatively? At what degree?

Based on the finding, recommendations aiming different types of countries will be made to make campaign to reduce TDR.

Data collection and Analysis

Three years of (2007, 2010 and 2013) traffic death related data along with GNI of each country are collected. The data sources include the WHO [1] and its partners; The World Bank, the United Nation (UN), and other international organizations. Data elements consist of number of road traffic deaths, total population, total area, urban population, alcohol consumption, number of registered vehicles, Education Index, Human Development Index, and GNI. Analysis variables are derived from these elements. Kolmogorov- Smirnov test and t-test show that the distributions of the TDR are significantly different among the three groups of countries with different means. Thus all related variables are standardized, and stepwise linear regression analysis was conducted within each group of countries using TDR as the dependent variable. The independent variables include: Registered Vehicles / Population, Registered Vehicles / Proportion of Urban population, Income, Education Index, Human Development Index, Population Density, Proportion of Urban population, Social Globalization, Cultural Globalization, Alcohol Consumption, Average Drivers Ages.

The regressions produce three distinct models presented in Table 1.

These models show the following results which will be discussed and interpreted in detail in the full paper:

• Proportion of Urban Population is the only significant factor common to all three types countries. It can be interpreted as the higher the Proportion of Urban Population, the lower the TDR and its effect is more significant in the low income countries.

• Vehicles/Population has been identified a factor increasing the TDR in case of low and medium income countries, with more severe in the low income countries.

• Population Density and Average Drivers Age are factors negatively associated with TDR in the medium and high income countries both with lighter effect in high income countries.

• Alcohol Consumption contributes to TDR in low and medium income countries.

• Human Development Index has displayed conflicting influence between medium and low income countries.

• Social Globalization Index is a negatively impacted factor in medium income countries.

Conclusion

This paper identified a set of factors that influenced traffic death in countries with different level of GNI. Some factors are common between and among countries. Most cases common variables follow similar trends other than one with conflicting trends. Based on these results, we can come up with different recommendations for different groups of countries to control the TDR. For future study, a clustering analysis will be performed to classify the counties based on more comprehensive scenario and then significant factor will be identified.

For more about Iris Publishers please click on: http://irispublishersgroup.com/submit-manuscript.php

To read more about this article  https://irispublishers.com/gjes/fulltext/a-data-driven-approach-to-identify-the-contributing-factors-of-traffic-death-in-low.ID.000613.php

Indexing List of Iris Publishers: https://medium.com/@irispublishers/what-is-the-indexing-list-of-iris-publishers-4ace353e4eee

Iris publishers google scholar citations https://scholar.google.co.in/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=irispublishers&btnG=

[indianpolsoc]

Is Indian Folk Culture Deeply Political?

The following is a piece by editor Raibat Sinha.

Indian folk art, poetry and music has had a multitude of factors which has shaped it over the centuries- religion (the Madhubani paintings of Madhya Pradesh), geography (the Nautanki in Darbhanga), a sense of community (Bihu in Assam) and also a need to establish an ethnic identity(the Santhal tribe’s dance forms, primarily in West Bengal and Odisha). There are various examples of folk styles being class-conscious. For instance, Carnatic Music in southern India emerged as a way for the middle class community to aestheticise their devotion to Lord Krishna in the form of music.However, as folk culture started to develop over the centuries through oral passage, scriptures and societal inheritance, new sub- cultures emerged. Folklore has an “important role in handing down social norms, moral laws, religious knowledge and wisdom, and in keeping the social structure stable”. Perhaps this is the precise reason for the emergence of a folk culture that is political. One that voices dissent and disapproval, and stands up to the rigid power structure that Indian society had lent itself to.

Democracy in India is not an ancient concept. It had not been a part of societal practice for centuries before 1947, surely. However, the ethos of voicing an opinion, making a point and generating awareness which would later manifest itself into dissent is not new to the Indian subcontinent. The concept of a ‘folk’ culture, some argue, is a result of years of systemic oppression and a realisation to spread awareness among the masses. Casteism has been one of the oldest societal evils in the Indian landscape. As a result of caste- based discrimination, there has been a widespread culture of seclusion. What does this mean? It basically means that Indian society has developed its culture by way of exclusivity, of limiting itself, thereby providing itself a brand of elitism, of power, of the “upper hand”. However, as a result of this oppression, the brand of which was extremely incendiary in nature, the oppressed groups and communities emerged with their own music, their own art and culture. Take Dalit folk culture, for instance. The Dalit community’s culture has its roots primarily in politics. There exists a sense of apathy, pathos, hardship in Dalit music. The experience of this community with art of any kind reveals so much about how Indian society is limited in its approach to inclusion  and equality.

Scholars of Dalit theology argue that the ‘sanskritisation’ of Indian culture is an approach to further Brahminical supremacy in South Asian culture as a whole. Sanskrit being hailed as the mother of all languages, as the purest linguistic movement to have ever existed in South Asia, is a clear attack on, along with a desperate attempt to exclude the Dalit community and several other oppressed classes in India. As a result of this, however, beautiful art forms such as the Mithila paintings, have emerged and taken the forefront in defining Indian folk art. Mithila paintings emerged from a Dalit community in the Mithila region of Bihar in the 1970s, as a form of ‘Dalit intervention’. Soon these paintings which depicted Dalit life, rural hardships and the like, started being as sought after as the more bourgeoise art forms of India. Dalit pop and rap has also been emerging as a sub culture fairly recently. There are rappers which speak on issues ranging from the limited vocabulary that the privileged society has about the system of reservations, to more specific incidents such as the Kandhamal riots of 2008. There are even musicians who are using ‘gaana’, a musical folk style in Tamil Nadu, and incorporating lyrics which are an extension of their activism in the path of the Dalit liberation movement.

Folk culture has taken the route of politics in several pother ways. Theatre, for instance, has evolved, through the years, to reveal various forms in India, many of which are deeply rooted in politics. Street theatre, for instance, entered India by way of inspiration from the Communist Party of China and the this of communism in the Soviet Union. Safdar Hashmi noted this emergence of street theatre in Indian folk culture as a tool to further various political motives, such as raising awareness and gathering people for other related mass movements. Dinabandhu Mitra, in 1859, wrote India’s first street play, ‘Nil Darpan’, which portrayed the harsh reality of India’s oppressed indigo planters. Theatre activists such as Utpal Dutta and Safdar Hashmi incorporated various folk styles such as the Tamasha of Northern India, the Burrakatha of Andhra Pradesh and the Jatra of West Bengal to produce street plays that had a mass appeal, and spoke of issues such as the general elections in the 1950s, the economic liberalisation in the 90s, and also broader issues such as oppression of farmers, dignity of labour, etc.

What is folk culture? Is it simply so rigid that it has to remain limited to the boundaries created by a power structured laid out centuries ago? Should it be so elastic as to incorporate what is considered art today- Bollywood films, movie posters and the like? Culture is simply a product of circumstance. There can be no two ways about it. It is because of a certain circumstance, that art develops. The moment culture envelopes itself with an air of exclusivity, it stops evolving. Politics and folk art go hand in hand. Folk art could be the posters for political campaigns you might come across on your commute; it might be the statue of Ambedkar on a crossing; it might even be the way you visualise a life that may have existed when you come across a painting of Vrindavan as it was centuries ago. What is important though, is a realisation that your visualisation can be a result of your privilege or oppression, and something that is so much more than just ‘folk’ lore.

References:

http://theatrestreetjournal.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Evolution-of-Street-Theatre-as-a-tool-of-Political-Communication-By-Sangita-De-PriyamBasu-Thakur.pdf

https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/15122/7/07_chapter%201.pdf

https://indianfolk.com/analysing-tartakov-dalit-art/

https://niti.gov.in/planningcommission.gov.in/docs/reports/sereport/ser/ser_folk2211.pdf

https://www.ijmra.us/project%20doc/2018/IJRSS_MARCH2018/IJMRA-13496.pdf

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/bhim-rap-to-dalit-pop/articleshow/67211247.cms

[madhurimasengupta]

Movie Review

The magically musical duo of Goopy Gyne and Bagha Byne make a comeback in this sequel, where they are invited to the court of the Hirak Raja (The Diamond King) for their musical skills. They are to perform at the kingdom's Anniversary Celebrations.

Goopy and Bagha are bored with their lives as crown princes of Shundi and Halla. They are looking for a change, which comes in the form of a chance to visit Hirak (Land of Diamonds), known for its huge diamond mines. They happily set out for Hirak, unaware of the machinations of the King of Hirak (Utpal Dutt), who is a tyrant. Diamonds and riches get pent up in his treasuries, while his subjects starve and suffer. Those who protest are taken care of in the 'Jantarmantar', a chamber for brainwashing devised by the scientist (Santosh Dutta), who the king mocks calling as "Gobeshok Gobochondro Gyanotirtho Gyanorotno Gyanambudhi Gyanochuramoni." His ministers are mere puppets. The only enemy the king has in his land is Udayan Pandit (Soumitra Chatterjee). He is a school teacher and, more than that, he is a believer of values. The king forcefully closes his school down, and he flees to hide in the mountains.

Meanwhile, Goopy and Bagha are on their way to Hirak. By coincidence, they meet Udayan, who informs them of the king's true nature. The two impress Udayan with their magical powers, who makes plans to use them against the tyrant. Goopy and Bagha agree. The duo then head into Hirak, where they are welcomed with grandeur. They entertain the tyrant king, fooling him into believing that they think he is great. They rob the treasury (which was guarded by a tiger) using their magical music, to get diamonds for bribing the guards.

The king has his tricks, too. He captures Udayan and all his students, and takes them to the Jantarmantar for brainwashing. But Goopy Bagha have already reached there using their magical powers. They have also bribed the Gobeshok onto their side, with the guards. On reaching the laboratory, the king and his ministers are stunned magically by Goopy's singing and then pushed into the Brainwashing machine. After the king is brainwashed he turns to the good side, he then along with the villagers pull down his own statue situated at the center of the village, and everything goes back to normal in the land of hirak raja.

[byneddiedingo]

Utpal Dutt and Bikram Bhattacharya in The Stranger (Satyajit Ray, 1991) Cast: Dipankar Dey, Mamata Shankar, Bikram Bhattacharya, Utpal Dutt, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Rabi Ghosh, Subrata Chatterjee, Promode Ganguly, Ajit Banerjee. Screenplay: Satyajit Ray. Cinematography: Barun Raha. Production design: Ashok Bose. Film editing: Dulal Dutta. Music: Satyajit Ray. Satyajit Ray's final film, The Stranger, based on one of his own short stories, ends with a rather sentimentally gratifying gesture on the part of its central character, but even this rather conventional narrative twist doesn't spoil the lovely seriocomic mood cast by the film as a whole. It's the story of a long-lost relative who suddenly, after 35 years without contact, arrives at the home of his one surviving family member, a niece who was 2 years old when he disappeared. Anila Bose (Mamata Shankar) and her husband, Sudhindra (Dipankar Dey), are well-to-do residents of Calcutta who can't help being suspicious that the man who arrives on their doorstep may not be who he says he is, her mother's brother, Manomohan (Utpal Dutt ). Sudhindra is especially cautious, warning that the man may be planning to filch some of the valuable antiquities they have collected, so Anila dutifully locks some of them away. But almost from the beginning, the "uncle" begins to win over Anila and especially her son, Satyaki (Bikram Bhattacharya), with tales from his travels and unusual insights into the way of the world. Even Sudhindra is disarmed when the man produces his passport but also warns him that passports can be forged. Some curious friends of the Bose family "drop in" to form their own opinion of the stranger, and they, too, are won over. Anila begins to have her doubts, however, when, while reading an Agatha Christie novel in bed, it occurs to her that the long-lost uncle may be there to collect his share of her grandfather's will.  Finally, it falls to another, more deeply skeptical friend to challenge the man and his ideas: his observations on civilization that he has formed from his travels. Their heated debate is the intellectual and dramatic turning point in the story. Ray's typically roving camera keeps the film from becoming stagy: It takes place mostly in the Bose home, because Ray's doctors had warned him to do most of his filming indoors, but there are also some lovely outdoor scenes, especially toward the end, when Manomohan takes the family to a tribal village where dancers show the family that there is more to Indian culture than their privileged middle-class lives. The Stranger is a fine farewell to an illustrious career.

[technewstoday24]

৫০ বছর পর অ্যাকাডেমিতে ‘টিনের তলোয়ার’, উৎপল দত্তের ‘বেণীবাবু’কে ফেরালেন বিধায়ক পার্থ

৫০ বছর পর অ্যাকাডেমিতে ‘টিনের তলোয়ার’, উৎপল দত্তের ‘বেণীবাবু’কে ফেরালেন বিধায়ক পার্থ

কুণাল ঘোষ: সেই ১৯৭১-এর ১২ আগস্ট রবীন্দ্রসদনে প্রথম প্রদর্শন। তার পঞ্চাশ বছরেরও পর সোমবার সন্ধেয় অ্যাকাডেমি অফ ফাইন আর্টস মঞ্চে অভিনীত ‘টিনের তলোয়ার’, (Tiner Talowar) অনুভূতি বলল, হয়তো প্রেক্ষিত বদলেছে, কিন্তু উৎপল দত্ত (Utpal Dutta) যে চোখ দিয়ে তৎকালীন সমাজকে বিঁধেছিলেন, তার দৃষ্টি ছিল নির্ভুল ও সুদূর নিক্ষেপিত। মূল সমস্যাগুলো আজও যেন খুব চেনা, বড়ই মন খারাপ করা। উৎপলবাবুর নাটককে আবার…

[assamnews]

Akashvani's Regional News Unit Empowers Youth: Exciting Outreach at D K College

Utpal Datta, Nayan Prasad, Nabajyoti Das at the inauguration of the event.

To promote Akashvani among the younger generation and raise awareness through various channels, the regional news unit of Akashvani Guwahati organized an outreach program at Dakshin Kamrup College in Mirza on a Saturday. The event saw active participation from numerous students and professors at the college's conference hall, in collaboration with the Centre for Media Studies of Dakshin Kamrup College, a prominent educational institution in the greater Mirza region.

The inauguration ceremony was graced by Dr. Nabajyoti Das, Principal of the College, former Akashvani Officer, and renowned film directors and critics, Nayan Prasad and Utpal Dutta. Manas Pratim Sarma, Head of the Regional News Division at Akashvani Guwahati, delivered the welcoming address, outlining the objectives of Akashvani's news and programs.

During the event, Dr. Nabajyoti Das, the Principal, expressed gratitude to the Regional News Unit of Akashvani Guwahati for organizing the event and encouraged students to take an active interest in Akashvani's programs. Nayan Prasad, the guest of honor and a former Akashvani officer, shared insights from his 30-year career, highlighting the values of punctuality and discipline instilled by radio. Utpal Datta, another former Akashvani official and current Dean at Assam down town University, emphasized the enduring trust people place in Akashwani as a powerful medium amidst modernity's challenges. He urged students to enjoy Akashvani programs and participate in initiatives like Yuvabani, among others. News Reader Sangita Sarma hosted the event.

Notably, the event also featured a career-oriented seminar, which was hosted by Arunima Goswami. Indian Police Service officer and Deputy Commissioner of Police for the West Guwahati Police District, Padmanabha Barua, State Youth Commission Member Dr. Ankita Dutta, and Manas Pratim Sarma took part in a panel discussion. Deputy Commissioner of Police Baruah stressed the importance of career planning during college and encouraged students to identify their innate talents and develop self-confidence. Dr. Ankita Dutta, a researcher, emphasized the significance of journalism as a profession in contemporary times, discussing the responsibilities and duties of journalists and exploring career opportunities in fields like public relations, advertising, and film media.

Furthermore, a quiz competition organized by Akashvani Guwahati marked the end of the event, with Nayan Prasad and Utpal Datta as hosts. The winning students received a radio set as a prize.

[newsmatters]

Key Contests in Lakhimpur Assembly Constituency of Assam

Key Contests in Lakhimpur Assembly Constituency of Assam

Lakhimpur Assembly constituency in Lakhimpur district of Assam goes to the polls on Saturday, March 27, 2021. Lakhimpur seat is part of the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency, which falls in the Upper Assam region of Assam. In the 2016 Assembly elections Utpal Dutta of AGP won from this seat beating Joy Prakash Das of INC by a margin of 4,155 votes. In the 2011 Assembly elections Utpal Dutta of AGP…

[abhishekmukherjee]

Film: Agantuk

Director:satyajit ray

Monmohon Mitra (Utpal Dutta),a globe trotter, left his home 35 years ago and after he returns he comes to know that his only relative alive is his niece Anila Bose ( Mamata Shankar) who has married Sudhindra Bose (Dipankar De). What follows can be called 'to be or not to be - uncle '. Though Anila is sure about his identity her husband is sceptical about it . Their child Satyaki is mesmerised by his knowledge and adults are fascinated by his ideologies and concepts about civilisation . The story ends with uncle leaving for Australia and leaving all his money to his niece . An awesome script with equally mesmerising direction by Satyajit Ray in his last masterpiece . Nobody except him could have done such a film  . Also the most able actors have been casted in the film . Utpal Dutta shows his usual brilliance , Mamata Shankar ,Dipankar De , Robi Ghosh all did their roles pretty well . Most striking performance, however , was that of Dhritiman Chatterjee, the argument between him and uncle was the most climactic section of the film were the later shares his 35 years experience. The film makes us ponder about the definition of the term 'civilised'. It forces us to introspect and judge ourselves and our actions . And it makes us eager to know more about the lives , history and culture of the people labeled as 'uncivilised' or as it is said in the film 'JONGLI'.

[baharmusic2015]

CHANDALIKA Tagore's dance drama rehearsal - Utpal Dutta & Suchitra Mitra

[sportsavourblog]

Satyajit Ray: Cricket connections that led to some strong references in his creations

Oscar-winning film maker, Satyajit Ray, had a strong Cricket connection that led him to refer some unique incidents of the game in his films and books. Perhaps he inherited this cricket love from Sarada Ranjan Ray, brother of his grandfather Upendrakishor, who was a pioneer in Cricket in Bengal.

“Went there in 1958 to play a Cricket match”, Feluda enthusiastically said when he got a chance to visit Lucknow in Ray’s Badshahi Aaangti [Emperor’s Ring]. The readers gradually come to know that Feluda used to bowl ‘slow spin’ in his college and university days and had travelled to various parts representing the University team.

Satyajit Ray himself represented Calcutta University as a slow spinner and he passed these attributes to his iconic detective character Feluda. Later in Badshahi Aangti, he narrated that Feluda searched for Neville Cardus’s Centuries in a bookstore to make an acquaintance with Mahavir, a key character in the story. Although researches show that there have been no book written by Cardus with that name, Ray perhaps made up the name for the sake of his story.

However, Mahavir and Feluda got acquainted through Cricket and continued their conversation with a little debate about who is greater – Ranji or Bradman?

But the story that really proves Ray as a follower of Cricket is Khelowar Tarinikhuro [Tarini Uncle-The Player]. The series of tales on Tarinikhuro narrates several adventures told by Tarini Uncle himself to a group of young boys.  

In Khelowar Tarinikhuro, the story starts at a time when Tarini was an employee of Virendrapratap Singh, the king of Martandapur in Madhya Pradesh. There was a long-running rivalry between Martandapur Cricket Club referred to as ‘MCC’ and Planters Club. The Planters were always ahead because of the presence of some county cricketers in the team and they defeated Martandapur in the annual game show continuously for ten years.

While working for the kingly state, Tarini came across a diary of Rajendrapratap, an ancestor of Virendrapratap, who went to London to watch Ranji play a Cricket match. Rajendrapratap mentions in his diary that he reached London in 1901 and “at last I can watch Ranji play”. He also wrote in his diary about Duleep Singh, the Nawab of Pataudi, MCC, the Maharaja of Patiala and many other cricketing moments.

All these references in the text establish that Satyajit Ray was a Cricket enthusiast who put many of his known facts about the game in the story. But the highest point of reference was that of Rajendrapratap’s diary entry, “Today, Ranji gifted me one of his bats as a token of our friendship. This is the bat with which he had scored 202 for Sussex against Middlesex. Is there anyone as fortunate as me in the world?” The innings was actually played by Ranji in July 1900 at Hove. He scored 202 in three hours with 35 fours and 3 sixes.

This bat became instrumental at the climax of the story when Virendrapratap handed it over to Tarini to play for Martandapur in the annual game show. The bat was made by the British company Gun and Moore. Tarini walked out to bat at 92 for 5 and went on to play an out-of-this-world innings of 243 to bring in victory for Martandapur against Planters.

The story concludes with Tarini Uncles’s quote, “Etodin Ranji-r sudhu naam-i sunechilum. Aaj taar mrityur sholo bochor pore nijer khela theke aach korlum tini lemon khelten.” [Today, 16 years after Ranji’s death, I could make out what he was like as a batsman through my own game.] The lines confirm the fact Ray held Ranji in high esteem.

There are several references to Cricket in some of his acclaimed films. In the famous memory-game scene in Aranyer Din Ratri [Days and Nights In Forest], the character establishes their character through the names they mention. When her turn comes, Aparna (played by Sharmila Tagore) cites Bradman.

However, in Kanchenjungha, there is an elaborate stating of Cricket when the patriarch Indranath Roy (portrayed by the legendary Chobi Biswas) describes to Ashok (played by Arun Mukherjee) about his innings of 96 runs for Ballygunge. At 96, he was challenged by a British leg-spinner called Griggs who said, “I will now bowl you an easy one. Let’s see you send it to the ropes.” But he eventually gave a straight ball that took away Roy’s stumps.

As Indranath says, “I never liked football, it hurts my aesthetic sense. But look at cricket: it has polish, it has elegance”, it very well replicates Ray’s opinion. Satyajit was never an avid soccer watcher. But he respected Pele and therefore kept all information regarding him and his World Cup exploits.

In his children magazine, Sandesh, Ray once drew a sketch of Pele and in his last film Agantuk, when the lead actor Utpal Dutta mentions Brazil, seeing actor Robi Ghosh’s interest in it, Dipankar Dey- another actor- sarcastically comments, “He is dreaming of Pele”.

In Manik and I: My Life With Satyajit Ray, Bijoya Ray once mentioned that ‘The Wimbledon Championship was on at the time. Whenever we were in the hotel, we would watch matches on T.V.  Tennis was our favourite sport.”

But Ray was basically a Cricket fanatic which he perhaps inherited from his ancestors. Sarada Ranjan Ray, brother of Ray’s grandfather Upendrakishor Roy Chowdhury, was a pioneer in spreading the game of Cricket in parts of Bengal. It is noted that Sarada Ranjan walked along with a bat and book in his hands. 

He played the game with passion and read about it with zeal. While studying at Dhaka College, he and his brothers - Upendrakishore, Muktidaranjan, Kuladaranjan and Pramadaranjan - established the Dhaka College Cricket Club. The Club travelled to Kolkata to play against Presidency College in 1884. In the match that was played at Eden Gardens, the Dhaka Club defeated Presidency.

After moving to Kolkata, Sarada Ranjan joined Metropolitan Institute as a teacher. But when the institute faced financial crisis, he opened ‘S Ray and Company’ which sold books and cricket kits. He also opened a shop in 1895 that sold imported cricket merchandise at a cheaper rate in Kolkata.

Sarada Ranjan Ray’s coaching skills took him to Natore where the Maharaja appointed him as the coach of the local team. His understanding of the rules of the game was so clear that he compiled the first book in Bengali about the laws of the sport.

Thus the cricket connection of Satyajit Ray had started quite early from the days of Sarada Ranjan. His father Sukumar Ray also mentioned about Cricket in some of his verses. The most popular is Bombagorer Raja where the aunt of a king play cricket with a pumpkin.

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New Post has been published on http://www.visionmp.com/list-of-national-film-award-winners/

Here's The List Of National Film Award Winners

The National Film Awards were presented today but protests over the president handing over the honour to only a select set of winners cast a shadow over the 65th edition of the highest government recognition for the film industry with many of the recipients staying away. In a departure from tradition, the function, held at Vigyan Bhavan, was divided into two phases.

The first set of awards was conferred by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and the Minister of State Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. The second lot, which included posthumous recognitions for Vinod Khanna and Sridevi (Dadasaheb Phalke and Best Actress respectively), was presented by President Ram Nath Kovind. “We will miss them forever,” the president said in his speech. The murmurs of discontent over the new practice under which the president was not going to present the awards to each of the winners began to gain ground during the rehearsal of the ceremony yesterday when the winners were informed about the change.

Traditionally, the president gives away all the National Film Awards. In an open letter earlier in the day, marked to the Office of the President and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, over 70 artistes said they were skipping the ceremony as they “felt dejected rather than honoured” on being informed at the last minute that the president would give away only 11 awards.

Sridevi’s daughters — Janhvi and Khushi — and husband Boney Kapoor attended the ceremony to receive her posthumous best actress award for her last release “Mom”. “We feel proud of her achievements and we miss her today. We miss her very, very much,” Boney said. Akshaye Khanna and step-mother Kavita Khanna were here to receive Vinod Khanna’s posthumous Dadasaheb Phalke award. “We are really proud as a family. It is a bittersweet moment for us. I wish my father was here to receive this award. I am missing him. It is an emotional day for us,” Akshaye said. Divya Dutta, who won the best-supporting actress award, said it was a huge honour for her.

“It’s my first national award. My certificate will have the President’s stamp and it doesn’t matter if I get it from him or not,” she said. Dutta’s award was presented by Irani. The president, who presided over the national film award ceremony for the first time, described it as a special moment. “I must begin by congratulating each of the 125 award winners as well as the countless artists who have worked on films that are being recognised today. This is a special moment,” he said. Paying homage to the two late artists, he recalled their “finest films” — Khanna’s “Mera Apne” and Sridevi’s “Lamhe”.

“They are more than just box office successes. They tug at our hearts,” Kovind said Irani also paid warm tributes to Sridevi and Khanna. “Today on this stage we also honoured a woman who is not among us anymore. It is her first win… I remember Sridevi, who not only left a great impression on the film world but on our lives as well,” she said.

Recalling the “calibre” of Khanna, she said: “The President today also honoured a personality who, on the basis of his calibre, created history not only in cinema but also in politics.”

Among those present at the ceremony were composer AR Rahman, best feature film director Rima Das, “Newton” director Amit Masurkar, best actor Ridhi Sen, best female singer Shasha Tirupati and best Assamese film director Utpal Borpujari. Director Shekhar Kapur, who headed the jury for the feature films section, was also present for the ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan.

List of National Film Award winners in feature film category

Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Vinod Khanna

Best Feature Film: Village Rockstars (Assamese)

Best Popular Film: Baahubali 2 (Telugu)

Best Director: Jayaraj for Bhayanakam (Malayalam)

Best Actress: Sridevi, Mom (Hindi)

Best Actor: Ridhhi Sen, Nagarkirtan (Bengali)

Best Supporting Actress: Divya Dutta, Irada (Hindi)

Best Supporting Actor: Fahad Faazil, Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (Malayalam)

Best Film Playback Singer: Shasha Tirupati (Vaan Varuvaan song)

Best Male Playback Singer: KJ Yesudas

Best Film for National Integration: Dhappa (Marathi)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Bhayanakam (Malayalam), to Jayaraj

Best Screenplay Original: Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum

Best Assamese Film: Ishu

Best Odiya Film: Hello Arsi

Best Marathi Film: Kaccha Limbu

Best Malayalam Film: Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum

Best Tamil Film: To-Let

Best Kannada Film: Hebettu Ramakka

Best Telugu Film: Ghazi

Best Hindi Film: Newton

Best Bengali Film: Mayurakshi

Best Gujarati Film: Dhh

Best Tulu Film: Paddayi

Best Ladakhi Film: Walking With The Wind

Best Jasari Film: Sinjar

Best Action Direction: Baahubali 2

Best Choreography: Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (Hindi) to Ganesh Acharya

Best Special Effects: Baahubali 2

Special Jury Award: Nagarkirtan

Best Lyrics: for Song Muthu Ratna, for Kannada film March 22

Best Music Direction: A R Rahman for Kaatru Veliyidai

Background score: A R Rahman for Mom

Best Make Up Artist: Ram Razak, Nagarkirtan

Best Production Design: Santhosh Raman, Take Off (Malayalam)

Best Editing: Rima Das, Village Rockstars

Best Book on Cinema: first book on Manipuri films. This is the first time that a book on Manipuri Films has got award

Best Film Critic: Giridhar Jha

Special Mention for Film Criticism: Sunil Mishra of Madhya Pradesh

Special Mention Awards: Marathi Film – Mhorkya; Odiya Film: Hello Arsi; Malayalam: Take Off; Pankaj Tripathi for Hindi film Newton; Malayalam actor Parvathy too received a special mention for Take Off.

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Debutant director Naeem A Siddique hopes that his film ‘Hamne Gandhi Ko Maar Diya’ reinforces people’s faith in Mahatma Gandhi’s ideologies. He shares, “I have made this film for the youth. Somehow, today’s scenario is similar to how things were in 1948. I sincerely hope this film makes an impact on the younger generation and they learn to live with peace and love.” He believes that today, Gandhi’s ideologies are once again in focus and this film will provoke the thoughts of those who follow these ideologies.  According to Utpal Acharya of Indian Film Studios, the marketing and distribution company behind the film, the movie is contemporary and socially-relevant. Acharya says, “The idea of the movie originated on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary last year. We are releasing the film on Holi to celebrate the colours of communal harmony, inner peace and tranquility.”  Apart from directing it, Naeem A Siddiqui has also written the film, which stars Jatin Goswami, Pratima Kazmi, Sameeksha Bhatnagar and Subrat Dutta. ‘Hamne Gandhi Ko Maar Diya’, produced by Touchwood Multimedia Creations, is being released worldwide by Indian Film Studios.  The Times  of  India : 1st. Mar,18

DIRECTOR NAEEM A SIDDIQUE SAYS HIS FILM ‘HAMNE GANDHI KO MAAR DIYA’ REINFORCES PEOPLE’s FAITH IN MAHATMA GANDHI’s IDEOLOGIES : Debutant director Naeem A Siddique hopes that his film 'Hamne Gandhi Ko Maar Diya' reinforces people’s faith in Mahatma Gandhi’s ideologies.