Lacking the courage (Kaapurush from Kaapurush O Mahapurush)

I've been absent from the blogging world for quite some time now. I've had my reasons...
On the 7th of this month, my husband and I got blessed with a beautiful baby boy. Yes! I'm a proud mother now, to my doll-faced bundle of joy. And yes, he's kept me on my toes ever since his arrival. Though all he does is eat, sleep, pee and poop, yet somehow not a moment passes everyday when I'm not staring at his face. Yes, he's occupying my entire life now!!
I've named him Dingding. And occasionally I call him things such as White Kitten, Chini and Shona. We are yet to christen him. I'm still searching for a unique name that starts with S. Yes, I want my son to have the same initials as his mother :)
Suggestions are welcome...

Since Dingding has kept me busy, I haven't had much time to catch up on golden oldies. So, I'll write about a film that I saw a few months back. It's a good one directed by Satyajit Ray, and which is a complete contrast to another film that is celebrated for as much its humour as for its sarcasm, multiple layers and its characterisation.
Kapurush is the serious foil to Mahapurush. While Mahapurush is an ovation to the gall and charisma of a cunning man, a man who will not crumble under pressure, Kapurush throws light on the meekness of a man who doesn't have the mental strength to rise up to the occasion on any count. There are situations when fate gives him a chance to deliver, but he never can cough up enough courage to stand up and deliver. It is a love story gone wrong, a tale of a woman's belief and trust unrequitted and it is a strange case of three individuals brought under one roof that brings forth the true traits of these characters.
Kapurush, made in 1965, starts with Amitabha Roy (Soumitra Chatterjee) stranded on the roads of North Bengal. He is a Calcutta-based scriptwriter in the process of collecting material for his new film. But on the event of his car breaking down, he is looking for help, which arrives in the form of Bimal Gupta (Haradhan Bandopadhyay), the manager of a tea estate. Gupta offers Roy hospitality for the night, which Roy accepts because he has no other alternative.
When the men reach Gupta's bungalow, Roy is shocked to meet Gupta's wife. He recognises Karuna (Madhabi Mukherjee) to be the girl he had once let down. She has relied on him once and loved him dearly. She was ready to fight her family who disapproved of her relation with him. But Amitabha despite loving her, had disappointed her royally.

Unaware of their past affair, Gupta entertains Amitabha and comes across as a simple man, devoid of the physical and intellectual charms of the scriptwriter. It's obvious that what Karuna got from her relation with Amitabha is lacking in her relation with her husband. He is too engrossed in his profession to see that his wife is bored and just fulfilling her duties as a wife. There is no spark between the couple, no attraction whatsoever. Flashbacks of Karuna and Amitabha's time together depict the tangible sexual chemistry between the two, thereby showing the complete contrast between the two relations. But what chemistry alone cannot help further a relationship...
Amitabha manages to steal a few moments with Karuna, whereby he tells her that he still loves her and is repenting his past deeds. He tells Karuna that if she is ready he is eager to take her away from her husband. He tells her that he realises that what he did before was wrong and is dying to rejigg his deeds. But can Karuna now trust Amitabha? Can she rest her faith on the man who let her down in such a big way at a time when she most needed him?

Haradhan Bandopadhyay plays Bimal Gupta marvellously. He is simple, gregarious and extremely practical. He isn't the dishy hero, he is a burly tea estate manager with no airs of a handsome man. He gives Karuna the stability she was once ready to barter for romance. But is he capable of giving her the love that she desired from a relationship?

Madhabi Mukherjee appears the perfect, sophisticated wife. Somehow Ray paints Mukherjee in the best lights in all his films. I say best because only in Ray's films do we see Mukherjee with such layers. She looks great (not that she was a very good looking woman) and acts so well. Her restraint only shows how the vivacious part of her is dead after being ditched in love. She is just fulfilling her duties and is happy with the stability that her marriage has offered her. In the scene where she comes rushing to Amitabha to rescue her, it's a brilliant stroke by Ray when he shows her face changing on seeing Amitabha's dilemma. Initially she tells him that she doesn't care about riches and money, she only wants to be with him. But when she sees his palpable fear in plunging into a lifelong relationship that might destabilise his future for a while, Karuna recognises that Amitabha doesn't deserve to be loves and trusted. She wipes her tears and goes away, never to return. Here is a woman hurt and jilted, but she does not sacrifice her pride. Even the ending shows how Karuna only deserves respect...

Soumitra Chatterjee is superlative as the coward lover. Handsome and polished, yet absolutely lacking the determination and strength of character, Amitabha is the lover that no woman would like to have. He crumbles under pressure too quickly and even when he shows courage, he doesn't have the gall to pull off a brave deed. There is a certain scene that shows the storm brewing in his mind. The three people go for a picnic in a jeep. Gupta and Karuna are sitting in front and Amitabha sits in the rear seat. When the jeep takes a sharp turn, Karuna rests her hand on her husband's shoulder. Amitabha watches the action keenly. Perhaps he feels jealous when his past lover touches another man. Perhaps, he thinks that the man who Karuna touches could have been him if he had done things differently. Perhaps, Amitabha deliberates on whether Karuna is really happy in the marriage or is she just acting. Too many questions flutter in Amitabha's mind. And it is Ray's brilliance in bringing out the multiple thoughts that flit in and out of Amitabha's mind. And of course, Chatterjee is the fascinating actor who brings this coward to life with such aplomb...