As is the practice in Mumbai, the screening of veteran filmmaker Bimal Roy’s classic Do Beegha Zameen began with the national anthem. Only this version of the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ had been composed by RC Boral way back in 1944, before it had been adopted as the country’s national anthem.
The version was used in the credits of Roy’s debut Bengali film, Udayer Pathe , which he made in Hindi as Humrahi.
“It shows us the foresight of Bimal da , that he understood the relevance of the song at a time when no one quite knew that it would become our anthem,” said Nivedita Bhauntiyal, vice president, Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), Mumbai, an organisation with which Roy and his associates have had a deep bond and connection.
It quite fittingly set the tone for the event that is being held to commemorate the legend on his 50th death anniversary.
Over this week, Bimal Roy Memorial Committee (BRMC) in collaboration with Cine Society will hold a retrospective of his classics at their venue partner Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. The first in the series of films was, Do Beegha Zameen , which was introduced by film historian and Roy’s granddaughter Anwesha Arya and noted filmmaker Ashutosh Gowarikar. The lamp was lit by actor Shabana Azmi. She spoke on how it was redundant to question the relevance of Roy.
“It’s a legacy we should cherish,” she said, adding that contemporary filmmakers cannot be making films today without knowing the oeuvre of Roy. She spoke about how his cinema was about conviction, about good stories and the stunning performances he drew out from his artistes.
Arya spoke of her grandfather’s legacy of stories, how he tried to raise social awareness through entertainment. ‘Mitwa’, a song from Gowarikar’s Lagaan , was played and he explained that it parallels ‘Hariyala saawan dhol bajata aaya’ from Do Beegha Zameen in expressing the elusive happiness of the farmer at the sight of the clouds. Like the Roy classic, Gowariker’s Oscar nominee also focused on the plight of the farming community. “It makes me feel extremely good when you compare me to Bimal Roy, he dealt with timeless themes that are relevant even today,” he said, going on to dwell on how the maestro set up his scenes, the tranquillity of his frames, how he used close-ups to evoke poignancy.
Since its inception 15 years ago, the BRMC has strove to raise the consciousness of viewers about Indian cinema’s legacy. The first Smriti Sandhya Programme organised by it was conceived as a musical biography of Roy, remembering him through his unforgettable film music.
“Against the backdrop of that first nostalgic evening, we honoured the stalwart director of photography, 82-year-old Dilip Gupta, who shot Madhumati , Biraj Bahu and others. More than being a DOP, he was Roy’s childhood friend,” said BRMC chairperson Rinki Roy Bhattacharya.
In 1998, BRMC honoured veteran filmmaker Kidar Sharma. In the third year, it feted a renowned photojournalist, Kumtakar, of Screen. In 2002, it honoured Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, who has played in most of Roy’s films, and Roy’s Bengali colleagues, including Tapan Sinha.
Later that year, it hosted a tribute festival to Waheeda Rehman. It has also feted Dilip Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Suraiyya, Nimmi, Vyjayantimala, make-up artist Pandari Dada, writer BK Karanjia and pioneering archivist PK Nair.
“We set up a benevolent fund to aid and assist artistes in need. In 2001, we honoured ailing playback singer, Mubarak Begum through this fund,” said Rinki Roy Bhattacharya.
Every year, BRMC recognises the contribution of a young director. In 1999, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma was honoured for his film Satya .
Shoojit Sarkar, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Nagesh Kukunoor, Vikramaditya Motwane and Rituparno Ghosh are among those on the honour roll.
This year, Neeraj Ghaywan, the young filmmaker of Masaan , and screen writer Juhi Chaturvedi of Piku and Vicky Donor fame. The lifetime achievement awards will be given to Dharmendra, Ameen Sayani and Helen.
The retrospective
is being held to commemorate the legend on his 50th death anniversary
