Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976)
was a noted Indian film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...
,
Tapan Sinha
Tapan Sinha (2 October 1924 – 15 January 2009) was one of the most prominent Indian film directors of his time forming a legendary quartet with Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. He was primarily a Bengali filmmaker who worked both ...
and
Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen (''Beng.'' মৃণাল সেন; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was an Indian film director, and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Bengali, and few Hindi and Telugu language films. Regarded as one of the finest Ind ...
, his cinema is primarily remembered for its meticulous depiction of social reality, partition and feminism. He won the
National Film Award's Rajat Kamal Award for Best Story in 1974 for his ''
Jukti Takko Aar Gappo
''Jukti Takko Aar Gappo'' (''Jukti tôkko aːr gôppo'', ''Reason, Debate and a Story'') is a 1974 Bengali film directed by auteur of Indian cinema Ritwik Ghatak. ''Jukti Takko Aar Gappo'' was Ritwik Ghatak's last film. The film was believed t ...
'' and Best Director's Award from Bangladesh Cine Journalist's Association for ''
Titash Ekti Nadir Naam
''Titas Ekti Nadir Naam'' ( bn, তিতাস একটি নদীর নাম), or ''A River Called Titas'', is a 1973 film that was a joint production between India and Bangladesh directed by Ritwik Ghatak. The movie was based on a novel ...
''. The Government of India honoured him with the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
for Arts in 1970.
Family
Ritaban Ghatak, his son, is also a filmmaker
and is involved in the Ritwik Memorial Trust. He has restored Ritwik's ''Bagalar Banga Darshan'', ''Ronger Golam'' and completed his unfinished documentary on Ramkinkar.
He made a film titled ''Unfinished Ritwik''. He is working on adapting
Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay () (12 September 1894 – 1 November 1950) was an Indian writer in the Bengali language. His best known works are the autobiographical novel, '' Pather Panchali'' (''Song of the Little Road''), ''Aparajito (Undefeat ...
's novel ''Ichhamati''. Ghatak's elder daughter Samhita, made a docufeature titled ''Nobo Nagarik''. Ghatak's younger daughter died in 2009.
Creative career
In 1948, Ghatak wrote his first play ''Kalo sayar'' (The Dark Lake) and participated in a revival of the landmark play ''
Nabanna
''Nobanno'' ( bn, নবান্ন, Nobānno; lit: New Feast) is a Bengali harvest celebration usually celebrated with food and dance and music in Bangladesh and in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley. It is ...
''.
Ghatak, who was a member of the
Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925.
H ...
till he was expelled in 1955, was one of the main leaders behind the party's cultural wing, the
Indian People’s Theatre Association
Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) is the oldest association of theatre-artists in India. IPTA was formed in 1943 during the British rule in India, and promoted themes related to the Indian freedom struggle. Its goal was to bring cultur ...
.
He was renowned for his
partition trilogy Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud-capped Star), 1960; Komal Gandhar (E Flat), 1961; and Subarnarekha (The Golden Thread), 1962.
Ghatak entered the film industry with Nimai Ghosh's ''
Chinnamul
Chinnamul (alternate spelling Chhinnamul, lit. ''The Uprooted'') was a 1950 Bengali film directed by Nemai Ghosh. This was the first Indian film that dealt with the partition of India. The story revolved around a group of farmers from East Paki ...
'' (1950) as actor and assistant director. ''Chinnamul'' was followed in two years by Ghatak's first completed film ''
Nagarik
''Nagarik'' ( bn, নাগরিক), also spelled as ''Nagorik'', ''The Citizen'' in English, was the first feature-length film directed by legendary Indian director Ritwik Ghatak. Completed in 1952, it preceded Satyajit Ray's '' Pather Panch ...
'' (1952), both major breakthroughs for the
Indian cinema
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...
.
[Hood, pp. 21–24] Ghatak's early work sought theatrical and literary precedent in bringing together a documentary realism, a stylised performance often drawn from the folk theatre, and a Brechtian use of the filmic apparatus.
![Ritwik Ghatak (Young age photo)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Ritwik_Ghatak_%28Young_age_photo%29.png)
Ghatak moved briefly to
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
in 1966, where he taught at the
Film and Television Institute of India
The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. It is situated on the premises of the erstwhile ...
(FTII). His students included film makers
Mani Kaul
Mani Kaul (25 December 1944 – 6 July 2011) was an Indian director of Hindi films and a reputed figure in Indian parallel cinema. He graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) where he was a student of Ritwik Ghatak and ...
,
Kumar Shahani
Kumar Shahani (born 7 December 1940) is an Indian film director and screenwriter, best known for his parallel cinema films '' Maya Darpan'' (1972), ''Tarang'' (1984), ''Khayal Gatha'' (1989) and '' Kasba'' (1990). Due to his dedication to forma ...
,
Adoor Gopalkrishnan,
Saeed Akhtar Mirza
Saeed Akhtar Mirza (born 30 June 1943) is an Indian screenwriter and director in Hindi films and television. He is the maker of notable parallel films such as ''Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!'' (1984), '' Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980), '' ...
,
John Abraham
John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor, film producer, writer and former model working in Hindi films. He has won a National Film Award and received five Filmfare nominations.
After modelling for advertisements and companies, ...
. During his year at
FTII, he was involved in the making of two student films: ''Fear'' and ''Rendezvous''.
Impact and influence
At the time of his death in February 1976, Ghatak's primary influence seemed to have been through former students. Although his stint teaching film at FTII was brief, one-time students
Mani Kaul
Mani Kaul (25 December 1944 – 6 July 2011) was an Indian director of Hindi films and a reputed figure in Indian parallel cinema. He graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) where he was a student of Ritwik Ghatak and ...
,
John Abraham
John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor, film producer, writer and former model working in Hindi films. He has won a National Film Award and received five Filmfare nominations.
After modelling for advertisements and companies, ...
, and especially
Kumar Shahani
Kumar Shahani (born 7 December 1940) is an Indian film director and screenwriter, best known for his parallel cinema films '' Maya Darpan'' (1972), ''Tarang'' (1984), ''Khayal Gatha'' (1989) and '' Kasba'' (1990). Due to his dedication to forma ...
,
carried Ghatak's ideas and theories, which were elaborated upon in his book ''Cinema and I'', into the mainstream of
Indian art film. ''Cinema and I'' was called by
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...
as a book that covers all aspects of filmmaking. Other students of his at the FTII included
Saeed Akhtar Mirza
Saeed Akhtar Mirza (born 30 June 1943) is an Indian screenwriter and director in Hindi films and television. He is the maker of notable parallel films such as ''Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!'' (1984), '' Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980), '' ...
,
Subhash Ghai and
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 3 July 1941) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), Go ...
.
While other filmmakers like
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...
succeeded in creating an audience outside India during their lifetime, Ghatak and his films were appreciated primarily within India. Satyajit Ray did what he could to promote his colleague, but Ray's generous praise did not translate into international fame for Ghatak. For example, Ghatak's ''
Nagarik
''Nagarik'' ( bn, নাগরিক), also spelled as ''Nagorik'', ''The Citizen'' in English, was the first feature-length film directed by legendary Indian director Ritwik Ghatak. Completed in 1952, it preceded Satyajit Ray's '' Pather Panch ...
'' (1952) was perhaps the earliest example of a Bengali art film, preceding Ray's ''
Pather Panchali
''Pather Panchali'' (; ) is a 1955 Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by the Government of West Bengal. It is an adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same na ...
'' by three years but was not released until after his death in 1977.
His first commercial release ''
Ajantrik
''Ajantrik'' (known internationally as ''The Unmechanical'', ''The Mechanical Man'' or ''The Pathetic Fallacy'') is a 1958 Indian Bengali film written and directed by revered parallel filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. The film is adapted from a Bengal ...
'' (1955) was one of the early Indian films to portray an inanimate object, an
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
, as a character in the story, many years before the
Herbie
Herbie, the Love Bug is a fictional sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, who has been featured in several Walt Disney motion pictures starting with the 1968 feature film ''The Love Bug''. He has a mind of his own and is capable of driving himself, ...
films.
Ghatak's ''
Bari Theke Paliye
''Bari Theke Paliye'' (English-language title: ''Runaway'' or ''The Runaway'') is a 1958 coming-of-age Bengali film by director Ritwik Ghatak. It stars Parambhattarak Lahiri, Kali Bannerjee, Nripati Chatterjee, Padma Devi, and Gyanesh Mukher ...
'' (1958) had a similar plot to
François Truffaut's ''
The 400 Blows
''The 400 Blows'' (french: Les Quatre Cents Coups) is a 1959 French coming-of-age drama film, and the directorial debut of François Truffaut. The film, shot in DyaliScope, stars Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, and Claire Maurier. One of ...
'' (1959), but Ghatak's film remained obscure while Truffaut's went on to become one of the more famous of the
French New Wave
French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...
. One of Ghatak's later films, ''
Titash Ekti Nadir Naam
''Titas Ekti Nadir Naam'' ( bn, তিতাস একটি নদীর নাম), or ''A River Called Titas'', is a 1973 film that was a joint production between India and Bangladesh directed by Ritwik Ghatak. The movie was based on a novel ...
'' (1973), is one of the early to be told in a
hyperlink format, featuring multiple characters in a collection of interconnected stories, predating
Robert Altman's ''
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
'' (1975) by two years.
Ghatak's only major commercial success was ''
Madhumati
''Madhumati'' is a 1958 Indian Hindi-language paranormal romance film directed and produced by Bimal Roy, and written by Ritwik Ghatak and Rajinder Singh Bedi. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Dilip Kumar in lead roles, with Pran and John ...
'' (1958), a Hindi film which he wrote the screenplay for. It was one of the early ones to deal with the theme of
reincarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...
and is believed to have been the source of inspiration for many later works dealing with reincarnation in
Indian cinema
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...
,
Indian television
The television industry in India is very diverse and produces thousands of programs in many of the Indian languages. More than half of all Indian households own a television. As of 2016, the country had over 857 channels of which 184 were pay ...
, and perhaps
world cinema
World cinema is a term in film theory that refers to films made outside of the American motion picture industry, particularly those in opposition to the aesthetics and values of commercial American cinema.Nagib, Lúcia. "Towards a positive de ...
. It may have been the source of inspiration for the American film ''
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud
''The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' is a 1975 American psychological horror film directed by J. Lee Thompson, and starring Michael Sarrazin, Margot Kidder, and Jennifer O'Neill. It follows a university professor who, after experiencing a seri ...
'' (1975) and the Hindi film ''
Karz'' (1980), both of which dealt with reincarnation and have been influential in their respective cultures.
''Karz'' in particular was remade several times: as the
Kannada film
Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...
''Yuga Purusha'' (1989), the
Tamil film
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...
''
Enakkul Oruvan'' (1984), and more recently the
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
''
Karzzzz'' (2008). ''Karz'' and ''The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' may have inspired the American ''
Chances Are'' (1989).
The most recent film to be directly inspired by ''Madhumati'' was the hit Bollywood film ''
Om Shanti Om
''Om Shanti Om'' (transl. ''Peace Be With You'') is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language fantasy romance film written and directed by Farah Khan, co-written by Mayur Puri and Mushtaq Shiekh, and produced by Gauri Khan under the banner of Red Chillies E ...
'' (2007), which led to the late
Bimal Roy
Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as '' Do Bigha Zamin'', '' Parineeta'', '' Biraj Bahu'', ''Devdas'', ''Madhumati'', '' Sujata'', '' ...
's daughter
Rinki Bhattacharya
Rinki Roy Bhattacharya (born 1942) is an Indian writer, columnist and documentary filmmaker. Daughter of film director Bimal Roy, she was married to Basu Bhattacharya and collaborated on his films. She is the vice-chairperson of the Children's F ...
accusing it of plagiarism and threatening legal action against its producers.
![Ritwik Ghatak 2007 stamp of India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Ritwik_Ghatak_2007_stamp_of_India.jpg)
Ghatak's work as a director influenced many later Indian filmmakers, including those from the
Bengali film industry
Tollywood, also known as Cinema of West Bengal, is an Indian film industry of Bengali-language motion pictures. It is based in the Tollygunge region of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The origins of the nickname Tollywood, a portmanteau of the w ...
and elsewhere. Ghatak is said to have influences on
Kumar Shahani
Kumar Shahani (born 7 December 1940) is an Indian film director and screenwriter, best known for his parallel cinema films '' Maya Darpan'' (1972), ''Tarang'' (1984), ''Khayal Gatha'' (1989) and '' Kasba'' (1990). Due to his dedication to forma ...
, Mani Kaul,
Ketan Mehta
Ketan Mehta (born 21 July 1952) is an Indian film director who has also directed documentaries and television serials since 1975.
Early life and education
Born on 21 July 1952 in Navsari in Gujarat, Mehta did his schooling from Sardar Patel V ...
, and
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 3 July 1941) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), Go ...
. For example,
Mira Nair
Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spher ...
has cited Ghatak as well as Ray as the reasons she became a filmmaker. Ghatak's influence as a director began to spread beyond India much later; beginning in the 1990s, a project to restore Ghatak's films was undertaken, and international exhibitions (and subsequent DVD releases) have belatedly generated an increasingly global audience. In a critics' poll of
all-time greatest films conducted by the
Asian film magazine ''
Cinemaya
''Cinemaya'' (a blend of ''cinema'' and ''maya'' (illusion)) is a film magazine established in 1988 devoted exclusively to coverage of Asian film. It is published in New Delhi, India and distributed internationally. The present editor-in-chief o ...
'' in 1998, ''
Subarnarekha'' was ranked at No. 11. In the 2002 ''
Sight & Sound
''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...
'' critics' and directors' poll for all-time greatest films, ''
Meghe Dhaka Tara'' was ranked at No. 231 and ''Komal Gandhar'' at No. 346. In 2007, ''A River Named Titas'' topped the list of 10 best
Bangladeshi films
The Bangladeshi Cinema, better known as Dhallywood ( bn, ঢালিউড), is the Bengali-language film industry based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It has often been a significant film industry since the early 1970s. The dominant style of Bangla ...
, as chosen in the audience and critics' polls conducted by the
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
.
Russia-born German actress Elena Kazan once said Ghatak's ''Jukti Takko Gappo'' has the most profound influence on her view about world cinema.
Bangladeshi filmmaker
Shahnewaz Kakoli
Shahnewaz Kakoli (also spelled Shahneoyaj Cacoly Spelling according to ''New Age'' an''The Daily Star''/ref>) is a Bangladeshi film, theatre and telefilm director. She made her debut as a director with the film ''Uttarer Sur'' (2012), which was scr ...
said she has been greatly influenced by Ritwik Ghatak's films and regarded Ghatak as her idol. She said "like all Bengalis, I too have grown up watching movies of Satyajit Ray and Ghatak, though I like Ghatak more and I idolize him. I am greatly inspired by him and consequently my movie 'Uttarer Sur' (Northern Symphony) too is influenced by Ghatak."
Ideology
Ghatak was a theorist as well. His views and commentaries on films have been parts of scholarly studies and researches. As a filmmaker, his main concentration was on men and life, especially the day-to-day struggle of ordinary people. He could never accept the partition of India of 1947 which divided Bengal into two countries. In almost all his films, he dealt with this theme.
For him, filmmaking was an art form and a means to the end of serving people. It was a means of expressing his anger at the sorrows and sufferings of his people.
Filmography and accolades
*
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
for Arts in 1970 by The government of India.
*
Musafir had won the Certificate of Merit for Third Best Feature Film at
5th National Film Awards in 1957.
*
Madhumati
''Madhumati'' is a 1958 Indian Hindi-language paranormal romance film directed and produced by Bimal Roy, and written by Ritwik Ghatak and Rajinder Singh Bedi. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Dilip Kumar in lead roles, with Pran and John ...
Nominated for Filmfare Best Story Award.
*
National Film Award's Rajat Kamal Award for Best Story in 1974 for ''Jukti Takko Aar Gappo''.
*
Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film in Bengali for ''
Subarnarekha'' at
13th National Film Awards
* ''Heerer Prajapati'' had won the Best Children's Film Award (Prime Minister's Gold Medal) at
16th National Film Awards in 1970.
Bibliography and theatrical works
References
Further reading
*
*
* ''Ritwik Ghatak: The Celluloid Rebel'': Shoma A. Chatterji ,
* ''Riwik Kumar Ghatak'': (a monograph) Haimanti Banerjee, National Film Archive of India, Pune, 1985.
*
* Refugee Women In Ritwik Ghatak Movies= Debasmita Ray, Kolkata ()
External links
*
*
Film AnalysisAcquarello
Ritwik Ghatak films reviews
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghatak, Ritwik
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1925 births
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Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
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