''Chaturanga'' () is a 2008 Indian

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

-language film directed by Suman Mukherjee, starring

Rituparna Sengupta Rituparna Sengupta is an Indian actress and producer who is known for her work in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema. One of the most successful actresses of Bengali cinema, she rode the crest of her box office success in the late 1990s. She won ...

, Dhritiman Chaterji, Subrata Dutta,

Joy Sengupta Joy Sengupta (born 14 December 1968) is an Indian film and stage actor works Bollywood cinema and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema as well as theatre. He is best known for his debut feature, ''Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa'' (1998) directed by ...

and

Kabir Suman Kabir Suman (born Suman Chattopadhyay; 16 March 1949) is an Indian music director, songwriter, singer, composer, politician, and former journalist.

. Based on the 1916 novel, ''

Chaturanga Chaturanga ( sa, चतुरङ्ग; ') is an ancient Indian strategy game. While there is some uncertainty, the prevailing view among chess historians is that it is the common ancestor of the board games chess (European), xiangqi (Chinese), ...

'', by author

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

the film is about a love caught between conflicting worlds of ideas.

Plot

Set in Colonial Bengal at the turn of the twentieth century, the film weaves a rich tapestry of crisscrossing desires and moralities. The protagonist Sachish fleets from radical positivism to religious mysticism in his quest for life's meaning. However, his search ultimately yields nothing but crushing disillusionment. This is because he cannot square his abstract ideals with the powerful presences of two women in his life. One of them is Damini, a young Hindu widow, and the other is Nanibala, the abandoned mistress of Sachish's own brother. Sachish tries to convince himself that Nanibala is simply a helpless woman who needs to be 'rescued' by him. Similarly, during his later religious phase, he pretends that the widow Damini is merely an enticement of Nature that must be avoided at all costs for spiritual salvation. Chaturanga thus becomes, after a point, a psychodrama of cruelty. Nanibala becomes a victim of it because as a 'fallen woman' she can only be 'saved', but her humanity cannot be recognized. Damini is first given away by her dying husband, along with all her property, to a religious guru. She then falls in love with Sachish who can accept her only without her sexuality.

Cast

* Dhritiman Chaterji ... Uncle *

... Damini *

Subrat Dutta Subrata Dutta (born 16 November 1975) is an actor who appears in Indian films. He is best known for his role in Bollywood films like Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, ''Talaash'', ''Tango Charlie'', Zameen (2003 film), ''Zameen'', ''The Shaukeens' ...

... Shachish *

... Shribilash *

Kabir Suman Kabir Suman (born Suman Chattopadhyay; 16 March 1949) is an Indian music director, songwriter, singer, composer, politician, and former journalist.

... Lilananda * Trina Nileena Banerjee ... Nanibala

Music

The songs, especially those from the

Vaishnav Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

tradition, are erotic. The divine is expressed in them through allegorical depictions of the illicit love between

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

and

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

, who was actually his aunt. There is a radical side to this blend of eroticism and divinity. Radha's love for Krishna is beyond all social norms. It is directly expressed, without the priest or the

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

caste coming in between. When devotees sing and rejoice in that form of love, it is thus a popular and democratic process that defies caste divisions. # "Allah Ke Nur—Shafqat" — Amaanat Ali & Chorus #"Din Thakte Tiner Sadhan" — Kartick Das Baul #"Bhajo Patito Udhadharana"— Arijit Chakraborty & Chorus #"Hara Gauri Prananath" — Dohar #"Esraj" — Instrumental #"Hari Haraye Nama" — Monomoy Chakraborty & Chorus #"Jagohu Brishobhanu" — Sri Bani Kumar Chatterjee & Chorus #"Hese Khele Nao Re Jogu" — Neel Mukherjee & Chorus #"Rupo Lagi Aankhi Jhure" — Raghab Chatterjee #"Joy Radhe Radhe" — Arijit Chakraborty & Chorus #"Moula Tere Bina" — Shafqat Amaanat Ali & Chorus #"Nirodo Nayane" — Santa Das #"Background Music" — Instrumental #"Praner Majhe Sudha (Hum)" — Parama Banerjee #"Radha Madhabo" — Kabir Suman & Chorus #"Aalo Je Amar Gaan Kore" — Parama Banerjee

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaturanga (Film) 2008 films 2000s Bengali-language films Bengali-language Indian films Films directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay Films based on works by Rabindranath Tagore Memorials to Rabindranath Tagore Films scored by Debojyoti Mishra