

Murmurs continues to receive warm reviews in traditional newspapers and magazines as well as in social media posts and comments.
Collating a few here which delve deep into the book and its reading experience.
In his own writing, Soumitra Chattopadhyay once said, that those who buy his labor-acting, do not buy his desires, ideals etc. They do business their way by taking away his acting talents. As a result, a distance between his personality and his work is born. Which opens the door of separation in habit. This loneliness used to hurt him. The strong truth that lies within such feelings, is a great actor and consciously the peril that can cause contemporary modern people, is past our imagination. Yet he had to go through it for decades. Otherwise, in the context of actors and politics, it seems that an actor is basically the interpreter of the filmmaker’s thoughts and philosophy. When acting is not an independent art, then it is useless to search for the actor or his life vision within acting. So where is the worth of an actor? He reaches the eternal consciousness of life, with joy, in its answer or resolution.
If we go beyond acting and search for that life vision of Soumitra Chattopadhyay, then we have to find the range where the actor’s makeup is no longer relevant. Finding Ehen is not easy, and its support is – or what? Definitely his writings-prose and poetry. And, there may be interviews too. But nothing is printed on a measured newspaper; because, there are naturally many limitations. Rather, at different times, in different episodes of life, if someone writes the pure narration of his personal outlook towards life, then maybe we can find the person’s psychology very insecure, irrelevant, irrelevant i.e. fundamentally. Amitabh Nag has done the same thing by quenching our thirst, in his newly published book.
This book is called a joint journey. Of course the writer’s long introduction journey with Soumitrababu, externally. In intimacy, this book is of two times, a different view of life or can I say it is the companion of different experiences. Holding hands for a while. A Forest. He has shadow, he has illusion. There are two hidden rivers inside the Kasthal powder. The other, new sunshine in comparison. He has a sparkling mind, thirst, curiosity, doubts are vast. This sunny conversation with the Banaspati, gradually overcoming the idea of interviews tied to Q-A, touches the level of exposure on many levels. The field of self-visibility is ready.
The writer has brought here many moments found in the company of Soumitrababu, they are not just traditional anecdotes, but can be called life shaking or similar philosophical molakat. The epidemic may get the hint of this — Rejection, Horizon, Pain, Care, No one escapes Death. Some intense questions come around. What is called success? As Soumitrababu’s A-question pushes the writer towards his own answer, similarly this question is asked to Soumitrababu by his own question. A man who is the ultimate successful in our eyes, why do you put yourself in the face of this question? Wow, how does the horizon come to his idea? Or the rejection! Is he just a return of some rolls, or something else? Forest bows down near a deeper sensation; such a moment’s collage is here on every page. Not an incident, not a frequency, but a lot of space within a little thing to happen, so that the silence between the two dialogues can spread throughout these episodes. And, much like movies, as if in the collage of some shots decorated with well-planned inconsistency we discover a man’s thoughts capture the philosophy. What mortality cannot consume. Not a person, as if he becomes a man of thought or a poem at the end.
A lot of work has been done with actor Soumitra and will be done. The author of this book also analyzed several other notable characters of Soumitrababu apart from Apu in the past, writes the book. But the present book is from other households in mood, morji. And so maybe even more important. Apart from acting, talent, etc, there are some other components of legends based on oral words. To many people it is composed in different ways. Amitabh presented Soumitrababu who was near him in front of us or Soumitra has been built by finding a little bit of Soumitra for a long time. We, who are far away travelers, may feel a little closer to the stars in this range. But the bigger thing is that, another very known outsider Soumitrababu remained near the future, Soumitrababu remained like a cloud for a few moments, whose Hadith cannot be found in any way. That’s why this book acquires its speciality. No biography, no discussion, no analysis, almost nothing wants to happen so this book finally becomes something special.
The publisher gifted a calendar with the book Blue Pencil; that is also excellent, informative.
The collector’s edition calendar – tribute to Soumitra Chatterjee
When I received Murmurs: Silent Steals with Soumitra Chatterjee, as a gift from my daughter, I expected it to be another memoir of the legendary actor.
I have this habit of reading through a new book so that I can breathe in its freshness as I flip through the pages.
Afternoons, have been always my favourite time of the day. All my passionate readings, informal musings and imaginary conversations with the favourite fictional characters and real life idols had happened in the languid hours of late afternoon, when the sky begins to change its colour.
Today was no exception. I slouched in my study room with the new book, which had just arrived. On the cover of the book, stood the man, whom I had first seen on screen, twisting to the iconic, ‘Jibone ki pabona, bhulechi se bhabona‘ , in a shiny red kurta.
As I started reading, I immediately got transported to the magic world, where words get merged with dreams, poetry seeping through the every little anecdote and conversation, self realisation dawning through the closing lines of each chapter.
Murmurs is not a memoir or a biography at all, it is as much about Soumitra Chatterjee, the complete artist and a hum
an being as it is about Amitava Nag, the author, whose words could be mistaken for lucid poetry, written in prose form, their journey together, in search of many meanings of life.
We all have read a lot of literature on Soumitra Chatterjee, specially after his passing away but this book is absolutely different from all that have been written on him, till now.
Amitava Nag, captures the nuances of Soumitra Babu’s thoughts and dreams, his disappointments and happiness, meandering through the labyrinth of the mind of the legend and at times getting merged with it, in their passage of soul searching, together, holding each others hands.
This book is perhaps what could be aptly described as trying to search out the known among the unknown, ‘janar majhe ajanare, korechi sondhan’.
We are bound to remain awake in wonder, for long, after completing the read, throbbing in an indescribable pain that this memorable journey ended so soon.
Special note by Atanu Ghosh
Published : 2021
Binding : Hardbound
Pages : 84 + 8 photo pages
ISBN: 978-81-943921-1-8
Available on Amazon, Flipkart and Blue Pencil
More to read on Soumitra Chatterjee
Ke Jaino Go Dekechhe Aamay: The Songs of Soumitra
Soumitra Chatterjee – A Habit of Our Lives
Soumitra Chatterjee on Acting in Satyajit Ray’s Films – Exclusive Interview (Part 1)
Soumitra Chatterjee on Acting in Satyajit Ray’s Films – Exclusive Interview (Part 2)
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