In Search Of The Real "Apu"

First, there was a writer; then, there came a character; and at last, there was a creative mind. All of them contributed towards the creation of the world of Apu - the protagonist, and Apu - the legendary common boy of World Cinema. Neo-realism, artistic perception, hyper-linked narration - all those were discerning outer influences to be seen during that period, across the cinematic world. But the abject poverty of Bibhutibhusan's own life was the inner realism, the slow and steady growth of the filmmaker germ inside Satyajit Ray was the true realism, and the life-sketch of Apu through the prism of Apu Trilogy was the ultimate realism of the-then India.

                      Candid interview of Satyajit Ray on his visions, his art and his films

So, who exactly was this Apu ? Where did he come from ? Was he an unique character ? Let us take them one by one in our endeavor to find his true self. Before the chapter when Ray watched Bicycle Thieves and similar classic movies and decided to become a filmmaker himself ended, Bibhutibhushan had come out with his most accomplished and critically acclaimed novel "Pather Panchali" in the time-frame 1928-1929. The novel had certain elements that were never seen before - a kind of screenplay-like representation of facts mixed with a stark, yet lovable depiction of the central character. Losing the first wife one year into the marriage, the writer of Apu mingled with the sorrows of separation and the agony of Apu himself. Sounds uncanny ? Then, we must go on!

Losing father Sukumar Ray, the much celebrated poet of Bengal, at a very tender age and being brought up by a resolute mother was where Satyajit Ray, the maker of Apu conjoined with Apu himself. Sounds very miraculous ? Then, we must not go on further. No more parallels from here on, instead, let us focus on the society of that era to see if we can find out from where this Apu came. The collective intellect of any society tends to think only about the romanticism of its rural face, even in the backdrop of hardship. Bibhutibhushan, too wrote about romanticism and Ray followed him; but only partially. Hence, came in the sugarcane biting of Apu and Durga, or the path-breaking train scene. But Apu's father discussing how to increase the household income, or, Apu's mother putting every single item into the box that his son would take, or, the whimsical sister-in-law of Sharbajaya were not molded by any external influences other than by the rustic and earthen life of rural India.

                           The amazing train scene from the movie Pather Panchali

The parallel of Apu is the next focus. When Apu thought that he might be poor, but he could still imagine, and that no one could take away his imaginative power, he sounded very similar to many young boys and girls. When Apu received scholarships through his untiring effort and perseverance and decided to go to the big city to do higher studies, he resembled many talents likewise. When Apu thought that his worries, his sorrows, his pains were not just his and those could be found everywhere, he immediately became one in many. When Apu cried for his wife and broke down, his feeling reverberated through many similar hearts. When Apu lost his father and eventually his mother, stood firm to continue his studies and to materialize a dream, got determined to make a financially independent life, he echoed every single youth of every single generation, and every single era.

                          New-age filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly speaking about his new film "Apur Panchali"

The filmmaker inside Kaushik Ganguly spotted Subir Banerjee one day. Mr Banerjee was the one who played the role of the child Apu in Pather Panchali and then drifted away into oblivion. Subir-babu's life bore striking similarities to the life of Apu and a film by the name "Apur Panchali" got made taking elements from Mr Banerjee's life. However, the similarities were only in patches - the emotional highs that Bibhutibhushan received during his childhood while walking through the silence of the woods; or Apu's frequent shifts from one place to another in search of a new life; or Ray's move into fine-arts after completing Bachelor in Economics - were not really covered in the film. The purpose of the movie was probably not that. Therefore, we can deduce that the purposes of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay or Apurba Roy or Satyajit Ray or Kaushik Ganguly or Parambrata Chatterjee or Ardhendu Banerjee were not to make Apu, by any means, an unique character!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Raikamal : With Pain Matures Life

"Oh maajhi re...." - decoding a masterpiece!

Chronicle Of A Grand Relation