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Dear Barun Da... It took me a bit of more time than usual, to complete your book 'SATYAJIT RAY- THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, is due to the obvious fact that I wanted to re-read many of the chapters, word by word, a number of times...out of sheer amazement, excitement and for the reference to various context being narrated in them!
Now I am ready to narrate my feelings to youπ!
Starting with the 1st Part - RAY ON MY MIND :-
I was simply bowled over by that 'all important' Junior Statesman interview that you took of the great man! I had a gala time picturising this eager wannabe actor, interviewing the maestro...which ultimately led to him being the iconic Shyamalendu in 'Seemabaddha'!!
Next is my flights of fancy going full jet-mode on hearing the fact that you might have been His 'Gora'!! Oh! What a film it would have been!
With all the vivid description of HHI, CSC, Grand Hotel and the days of shooting in them, made me visit these places again...both literally and figuratively! I wanted to re-imagine the venue ,with Him and His unit shooting this cult film with you there!
Isn't there a way to somehow find or access that all important BK. Barun Haldar interview from the archive??
The photos of the premiere and release of Seemabaddha on The Statesman and ABP must and should have been archived....I have a feeling they are there!
১০০ was a pathbreaking television detective drama, for its sleek, smart, hi-tech making and acting from the whole cast, especially someone named Mr. Barun Chanda, who I used to call Bengali 'Karamchand' as a child! I was simply glued on to it, every episode!
The incident of 'Seemabaddha' screening at Radio Bhawan Bombay, was funny as well as exhilarating! I fancied you in a Shyam Babu's film!
The theory of 'subtext'...the explanation of it by a director, the need for silence, pauses during building up a moment in a scene has been so richly narrated by you, through the style of Mr. Ray! I must point out here that,in my 20 years of being an actor, I did find the same qualities in a director with Mr. Ravi Ojha...who as you know was a master in building up a scene, with silence, with those all important pauses and other subtle nuances!
The case of Mr. Murthi the actor is too delightful to say the least! As an audience we don't get the slightest hint of the challenges!
Part 2-THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH:-
Both Baba and myself were stupefied to read about the challenges He faced with the actor Mr. Banerjee, who played Apu in Pather Panchali!! How is it possible that he looked so so so natural and effective on screen then?? There lies His magic as a director!
I totally agree with you that Ratan in Post Master was brilliant and we should have seen her in many more films! Even today I can't hold back my tears when the film ends!
How I wish the world could watch Babu Da's experimental film in super eight with you!!
I had always read about the BRILLIANT Chunibala Debi with amazement, here in your account too...but I wish to find out what happened to her after the film released? Her life actually started after 80...or did it?? What happened to her with all those heaps of appreciation worldwide? How did her life change...or did it???
The chapter on Mr. Chhabi Biswas was revealing and very interesting!
The Chapters on Ray's 'leitmotifs' and 'dialogues' are extremely fascinating...we learn so much, not only as an actor, but also from a film maker's point of view!
I had always wanted to know the real reason behind the tiff between Mr. Ray and Mr. Subrata Mitra...and how insignificant it was...perhaps, that is why there is that word coined - 'ego'!
I felt greedy as an avid cinema lover, that there are a lot of unused footage of 'Pather Panchali'...how I wish Babu Da, makes a documentary out of them someday and we get to watch those historically precious yet unused shots!!
The chapter on 'Ray's Title Sequences'...made me go back to all of his films to watch their title sequences once more!
I must tell you here that I feel on a popular scale...no one can ever beat the ingenious title sequences of all Bond Movies!
I have refused to watch a movie in a theatre,on some rare occasions because I was somehow late by some minutes and I had missed the show right from the censor card!! Yes that obsessive I am about watching a film in totality!
I was simply blown away to read that the iconic music of Pather Panchali was composed in only 11 hours on a single day!!!
I am still laughing my hearts out on that anecdote of how Mr. Anil Chowdhury, was spotted with that favourite jacket of yours from Seemabaddha , at a mall in Darjeeling!!
Chapter 16- RAY AS A PERSON is my favourite... where we get to see a person we have never seen before!
Heartwarming to hear how he addressed you as his 'friend' to Mr. Karlekar!
In that humongous library, at 1 Bishop Lefroy Road Or Satyajit Ray Dharani, the glimpse of which I had a chance upon too, shows what a mine of knowledge He was! How hungry He was to know about everything under the sun!!
The script of 'The Apartment' (one of my favourite movies) being there in that library too!!! Wow!!!
There is a brief mention of His dream project with Hollywood 'Alien'. I have always wanted to know how He felt or was He crestfallen on the fact that a notoriously similar film was made by a contemporary filmmaker named Mr. Steven Spielberg during that same time???
Those 'telegrams'!!! Truly exhilarating as well as heartbreaking too!!
Those international 'reviews' of Seemabaddha made me feel proud too, that I have known you for not less than 15 years now, not only as my co-actor but as a dear well wisher too!!
Lastly those dreams that you dream of Him... I will ask about them in details when I meet you in person again...but as you have written, HE CAN NEVER BE YOUR PAST... HE WILL ALWAYS BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF YOU, EVERY MOMENT OF THIS LIFESPAN OF YOURS... YOU ARE TRULY TRULY TRULY BLESSED DEAR BARUN DA...π
Loads of love and respect ❤π
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