Tag Archives: Soumitra Chatterjee

The twenty selected films and their socio-historical analysis, coupled with anecdotes from the actor himself, help to trace the progression of Soumitra Chatterjee. A Book Review of Beyond Apu - 20 Favourite Film Roles of Soumitra Chatterjee.

Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee himself released the book Beyond Apu: 20 Favourite film roles of Soumitra Chatterjee today in the presence of the author of the book and film critic Amitava Nag. This book is an attempt to hold him up as a diverse creative genius.

This is not a biography since Soumitra himself doesn’t believe in one as he mentions in his note on the book. It is also not a comprehensive analysis of Soumitra’s work; rather it is an introduction to twenty of his most favourite roles, as selected by him, along with an attempt to showcase the many sides of an incomparable artist. It was tough...

Soumitra narrowed his focus on Ray’s handling of actors – how awe-inspiring it was to find that he would probably never cast someone who doesn’t seem fit for the role apart from a very few deviations.

Indian cinema reveals a wide variety of masculinities in the male protagonist, from God figures drawn from Hindu mythology to saints derived from the stories of saint poets; from swash-buckling, sword-swinging heroes whose aim is to rescue damsels in distress to the generous, kind-hearted, affectionate and self-sacrificing hero who gives up his love...

Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest), the 1969 masterpiece by Satyajit Ray, looks at the vagaries and vicissitudes of the “new generation” then.

This is not a traditional interview in the sense normally available. It is sort of a tête-à-tête with the legendary thespian. The conscious rationale was to ask minimally on his film-acting, rather try to focus on other aspects of the artist and the individual which can in some ways throw light on the creative facet. Amitava Nag, editor, Silhouette...