''Komal Gandhar'' ( bn, কোমল গান্ধার ''Kōmal Gāndhār''), also known as ''A Soft Note on a Sharp Scale'', is a 1961

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 ...

film written and directed by legendary film maker

Ritwik Ghatak 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, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily rememb ...

. The title refers to the Hindustani equivalent of " E-flat". It was part of the trilogy composed of '' Meghe Dhaka Tara'' (1960), Komal Gandhar and '' Subarnarekha'' (1962), all dealing with the aftermath of the Partition of India in 1947 and the refugees coping with it, though this was the most optimistic film of his oeuvre. The film explores three themes juxtaposed in the narrative: the dilemma of Anusuya, the lead character, the divided leadership of IPTA, and the fallout from the partition of India.

Overview

The title was taken from the line of a poemBook: Punascha, poem: Komal–Gandhar; bn, নাম রেখেছি কোমল গান্ধার, মনে মনে। by

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 ...

that meant a ''sur'' or note, E-flat. As in other films by Ghatak, music plays a pivotal role in the movie. Through the microcosmic perspectivising of a group of devoted and uncompromising IPTA workers, Ghatak with his signature style touches on varied issues of

partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

, idealism, corruption, the interdependence of art and life, the scope of art, and class-struggle. Unlike his other films, this one runs along an upbeat mood with the lead pair of lovers (Vrigu and Anusua) being reunited.

Cast

Supriya Devi Supriya Devi (Supriya Choudhury; 8 January 1933 – 26 January 2018) was an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema for more than 50 years. She is best known for her portrayal of Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak's Bengali film '' Megh ...

as Anusuya * Abanish Bannerjee as Bhrigu * Bijon Bhattacharya as Gagan * Satindra Bhattacharya as Shibnath * Debabrata Biswas *

Chitra Sen Chitra Sen is an Indian actress and dancer who works in Bengali language films and television series. She has worked mainly in theatres, but she has also worked in films and on television. She started her career under Jnyanesh Mukhopadhyay. She ...

as Jaya *

Anil Chatterjee Anil Chatterjee (Chattopadhyay) bn, অনিল চ্যাটার্জী (চট্টোপাধ্যায়) (25 October 1929 – 17 March 1996) was an Indian actor in the Bengali cinema during the early fifties through the mid-ni ...

as Rishi *

Gyanesh Mukherjee Gyanesh Mukherjee (5 July 1926 – 8 May 2008) was a Bengali actor, director and theater personality. Career He was involved with Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA). In his film career, Mukherjee worked with number of famous directors l ...

* Satyabrata Chattopadhyay *

Gita Dey Gita Dey (5 August 1931 – 17 January 2011) was an Indian actress in Bengali cinema, theatre and Bengali folk theater. She became a stage artist at the age of 6 years. She came to the film industry in 1943. Her first film release was '' Ahut ...

as Shanta

Soundtrack

Music was by Jyotirindra Moitra, from IPTA, and a noted

Rabindra Sangeet ''Rabindra Sangeet'' ( bn, রবীন্দ্র সঙ্গীত; ), also known as Tagore Songs, are songs from the Indian subcontinent written and composed by the Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize in ...

exponent who had previously given music in Ghatak's '' Meghe Dhaka Tara'' (1960), and had song by singers like, Bijon Bhattacharya, Debabrata Biswas, Hemanga Biswas. Bahadur Khan played

sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...

in the soundtrack. The film is noted for its wedding songs and also

contrapuntal In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

use of sound.''Indian horizons'', Volume 44.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 Apri ...

., 1995. ''p. 127''.

Screening of Komal Gandhar aka E-Flat in different festivals

*2017: Ritwik Ghatak Retrospective UK, at Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Scotland, UK, Programme curated by Sanghita Sen, Department of Film Studies, St Andrews University, U

References

Citation

Notes

External links

*
A Review by Erin O'Donnell
{{Ritwik Ghatak 1961 films Bengali-language Indian films Films directed by Ritwik Ghatak Films set in the partition of India Indian black-and-white films 1960s Bengali-language films