''Palanka'' (English: ''The Bedstead'') is a 1975

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 ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Rajen Tarafdar Rajen Tarafdar (7 July 1917 – 23 November 1987) was an Indian film director, actor, and screenwriter. He was the recipient of two National Awards and two BFJA Awards. He graduated from the Government College of Art & Craft in Calcutta in 19 ...

based on a short story of

Narendranath Mitra Narendranath Mitra (30 January 1916 – 14 September 1975) was an Indian writer and poet, best known for his short stories in the Bengali-language. Several of his works have been adapted into films, such as Mahanagar directed by Satyajit Ray. Bi ...

. It was an India-Bangladesh joint production under the banner of Film Art, with

Utpal Dutt Utpal Dutta () (29 March 1929 – 19 August 1993) was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the "Little The ...

and Anwar Hossain in the lead roles. At the 23rd National Film Awards, India, it won the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

Synopsis

The film is set in the period immediately following the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

. Rajmohan (

), a Hindu aristocrat, decides to stay on in East Bengal, which is now part of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, rather than migrate to India with his family members. His companion in the village is Maqbool ( Anwar Hossain), a poor Muslim. Rajmohan's family faces financial hardship in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

. His daughter-in-law writes to him to sell a bed and send her the money. The bed,a huge ornate four-poster bed, which is famous in the village for its size and the quality of its craftsmanship, had been part of her dowry. Rajmohan is annoyed by this, and on an impulse he decides to sell the bed to Maqbool, who makes space for it in his dilapidated hut. This leads to an uproar among the upper-class Muslims in the village, who accuse Maqbool of trying to go beyond his class. Rajmohan too regrets his impulsive decision and wants the bed back. To Maqbool however, the bed has come to be a symbol of his liberation from feudal bondage. He would rather go hungry than sell the bed back. The issue is finally resolved to the satisfaction of all.

Cast

-- Rajmohan * Anwar Hossain -- Maqbool *

Sandhya Roy Sandhya Roy is an Indian actress and politician. She is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She is the recipient of BFJA Award for three times, and one Filmfare Awards East best actress for '' Ganadevata''. Roy made her cinematic debut with ...

* Amal Dey

Crew

* Direction --

* Music -- Sudhin Dasgupta * Cinematography -- Sailaja Chatterjee (as Sailaja Chattopadhyay) * Set design -- S. A. Q. Moinuddin * Playback Singers --

Manna Dey Prabodh Chandra Dey (May 1, 1919 − October 24, 2013), known by his stage name Manna Dey, was an internationally acclaimed and celebrated Indian playback singer, music director, and a musician. As a classical vocalist, he belonged to the Bhen ...

, Angshuman Roy * Make-up -- Noor Mohammad

Reception

The film did not enjoy commercial success, but was critically well received at the time, winning one National Award and two BFJA Awards. According to one researcher, the film has now "faded into oblivion".

Awards and honours

* 23rd National Film Awards, India (1975) --

* BFJA Awards 1976 -- Best Indian film; Best Music (Sudhin Dasgupta) * Selected for screening at the Fribourg Film Festival (2000) -- focus on Partition of Bengal

Preservation

An almost complete copy of the movie is available in web.

References

External links

* {{Bachsas Award for Best Film 1975 films Bengali-language Indian films Best Bengali Feature Film National Film Award winners 1970s Bengali-language films Best Film Bachsas Award winners Films based on works by Narendranath Mitra