''Saptapadi'' () is a 1961 Indian
Bengali-language
Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second most widely spoken of t ...
romantic drama film
Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typica ...
by
Ajoy Kar
Ajoy Kar (Bengali:অজয় কর; 27 March 1914 – 25 January 1985) was an Indian film director and cinematographer . He directed 26 films between 1949 and 1983. His 1961 film ''Saptapadi'' was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Fil ...
, starring
Suchitra Sen
Suchitra Sen ( ; born as Roma Dasgupta (; 6 April 1931 – 17 January 2014) was an Indian actress who worked in Bengali and Hindi cinema. The movies in which she was paired opposite Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Bengali cinema ...
,
Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar ( bn, উত্তম কুমার; born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), popularly known as the Mahanayak, was an Indian actor, producer, director, Screenwriter, script writer, composer, and sing ...
,
Chhabi Biswas
Chhabi Biswas (''Chabi Biśbās'') (13 July 1900 – 11 June 1962) was an Indian actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's '' Kabuliwala'' and Satyajit Ray's films '' Jalshaghar'' (''The Music Room'', 1958), '' Devi'' ( ...
and
Chhaya Debi
Chhaya Devi ( bn, ছায়া দেবী; 3 June 1914 – 25 April 2001) was an Indian actress known for her work in Bengali and Hindi cinema. She appeared in hundreds of films for over five decades.
Her first lead role was in Debaki ...
. Music direction and
playback singing
A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...
for Kumar voice was by
Hemanta Mukherjee
Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989), known professionally as Hemant Kumar and Hemanta Mukherjee, was a legendary Indian music composer and playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, as well as other Indian ...
and in Sen's voice by
Sandhya Mukherjee
Geetashree Sandhya Mukherjee (also spelled Mukhopadhyay; 4 October 1931 – 15 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and musician, specialising in Bengali music. She received Banga Bibhushan, the highest civilian honour of the Indian st ...
. The story is based on a 1958 novel by
Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay
Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay (23 July 1898 – 14 September 1971) was an Indian novelist who wrote in the Bengali language. He wrote 65 novels, 53-story-books, 12 plays, 4 essay-books, 4 autobiographies, 2 travel stories and composed several songs. ...
. This is regarded as one of the greatest romantic film in the history of Bengali cinema.
The film become
highest grossing Bengali film in 1961.
Plot
The story takes place in pre-independence India (early 1940) when young Indian students were competing equally with
Anglo-Indians
Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The ''Oxford English ...
in all fields, whether it be education or sports. Krishnendu (
Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar ( bn, উত্তম কুমার; born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), popularly known as the Mahanayak, was an Indian actor, producer, director, Screenwriter, script writer, composer, and sing ...
), a young
Bengali Hindu
Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Benga ...
medical student falls in love with an equally talented and attractive Anglo-Indian Christian woman named Rina Brown (Suchitra Sen). Both are students at the Calcutta Medical College and become close while meeting at many sports and cultural events. There is an interesting rendition of
Othello
''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...
within the movie; that portion of the movie was directed by
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 ...
. However marriage is not on the cards for them due to their differences in religion, (it is particularly opposed by Krishnendu's dad, a staunch, conservative Hindu), and they go their own ways only to unexpectedly meet again later in life.
Most of the movie is presented in flashbacks with Krishnendu pondering over the past after unexpectedly encountering a drunk and passed out Rina in a military hospital in returns.
Cast
*
Chhabi Biswas
Chhabi Biswas (''Chabi Biśbās'') (13 July 1900 – 11 June 1962) was an Indian actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's '' Kabuliwala'' and Satyajit Ray's films '' Jalshaghar'' (''The Music Room'', 1958), '' Devi'' ( ...
as Krishnendu's Father
*
Chhaya Devi
Chhaya Devi ( bn, ছায়া দেবী; 3 June 1914 – 25 April 2001) was an Indian actress known for her work in Bengali and Hindi cinema. She appeared in hundreds of films for over five decades.
Her first lead role was in Debaki ...
as Rina's maid
*
Jennifer Kapoor
Jennifer Kendal (28 February 1934 – 7 September 1984) was an English actress and the founder of the Prithvi Theatre. She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film '' 36 Chowringhee Lane'' (1981). Her oth ...
as Desdemona (voice-over)
*Padma Devi as Krishnendu's mother
*
Suchitra Sen
Suchitra Sen ( ; born as Roma Dasgupta (; 6 April 1931 – 17 January 2014) was an Indian actress who worked in Bengali and Hindi cinema. The movies in which she was paired opposite Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Bengali cinema ...
as Rina Brown
*
Tarun Kumar
Tarun Kumar (born 8 January 1980) is an Indian actor known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in few Tamil and Malayalam films. He has received three state Nandi Awards and the National Film Award for his works. H ...
as Krishnendu's friend
*
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 ...
as Othello (voice-over)
*
Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar ( bn, উত্তম কুমার; born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), popularly known as the Mahanayak, was an Indian actor, producer, director, Screenwriter, script writer, composer, and sing ...
as Krishnendu
Production
The film was adapted from
Tarashankar's 1958 novel ''Saptapadi''. In the novel's ending Krishendu dies, but for the audience point of view in the film ending Krishnendu doesn't die and again joins with Rina Brown because Bengali audience not accepted Uttam Suchitra separation.
Shooting commenced started in late 1959. But during the production Uttam's father is died. So film shooting was stopped. Later again in late 1960s shooting started again. This was the second film after ''
Harano Sur
''Harano Sur'' () is a 1957 Indian Bengali-language romantic drama film by Ajoy Kar, starring Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar, with music by Hemant Kumar, and sung by Geeta Dutt. This is the first film that Uttam had produced along with Ajoy Kar. ...
'' produced by Uttam Kumar under his banner Alochaya Production along with Ajoy Kar. Suchitra Sen was again cast in the Rina Brown role. For the film Kumar and Sen practiced dance and reading
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
. The
Othello
''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...
play scene in the film had Kumar's voice-over by
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 ...
a and Sen's voice-over by
Jennifer Kapoor
Jennifer Kendal (28 February 1934 – 7 September 1984) was an English actress and the founder of the Prithvi Theatre. She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film '' 36 Chowringhee Lane'' (1981). Her oth ...
.
Kumar was a
Mohun Bagan
Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...
football fan, and in the football match scene he wanted to play in a Mohun Bagan jersey, but there was none available. He played instead in an
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
jersey.
The famous bike sequence from the song ''Ei Path Jodi Na Sesh Hoe'' Uttam and Suchitra did not ride the bike at all that day. The
BMW bike on which this song was shot was not on the star duo ar all. Vetaran film critic
Swapan Kumar Mallick unearths the famous scene in his book ''Mahanayak Revisited : The World of Uttam Kumar'' said the director
Ajay Kar manipulated the close-up shots to shoot the bike scene. Multiple dummies were used in long shots. Uttam Suchitra didn't ride that BMW bike.
Music
''Saptapadis music was directed by
Hemant Kumar
Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989), known professionally as Hemant Kumar and Hemanta Mukherjee, was a legendary Indian music composer and playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, as well as other Indian ...
, with lyrics by
Gauriprasanna Mazumder
Gauriprasanna Majumdar (1925–1986) was an Indian lyricist and writer, known for his work in Indian cinema and Bangladeshi Cinema . He is most commonly associated with the black and white era of Bengali cinema, when he penned several enduring c ...
. The song "Ei Path Jodi Na" was sung by Hemanta for Kumar, and by Sandha for Sen.
Soundtrack
Release and reception
During the advance booking there was long queue and police was lathi charged for the craze. The film was released at
Durga Puja
Durga Puja ( bn, দুর্গা পূজা), also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated ...
on 20 October 1961. There was huge craze for the film because this was the comeback of Uttam-Suchitra pair more than two years after ''
Chaoa Pawa'' in 1959.
The film was massive success at the box office and breaking all the previous records. It's become all-time blockbuster and ran for 105 days in theater and collected over four times more from the budget. The film become
highest grossing Bengali film in 1961.
Saptapadi entered in
Moscow Film Festival
The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
in July 1963 with english subtitle as ''Seven Steps'' and nominated for Grand Pix Award.
Awards
*
9th National Film Awards
The 9th National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in 1961. The awards were announced on 5 April 1962 and were prese ...
, 1961:
Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film in Bengali
*1962:
BFJA Award for Best Actor - Uttam Kumar
*1962:
BFJA Award for Best Actress - Suchitra Sen
*1963: Grand Prix
omineefor Ajoy Kar at
Moscow International Film Festival
The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
(1963)
Legacy
The song ''Ei Path Jodi Na Sesh Hoe'' become evergreen blast hit and most popular romantic song in the history of Bengali cinema and the iconic bike sequence from that song remembering as one of the greatest romantic scenes ever. The song still popular among the bengali audience and used many cultural event and social issues.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1961 films
1961 romantic drama films
Bengali-language Indian films
Films set in Kolkata
Films scored by Hemant Kumar
1960s Bengali-language films
Films directed by Ajoy Kar
Indian romantic drama films
Films based on works by Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay