Suman Ghosh on the feminism and humanism in Aparna Sen ’s cinema Page 1 of 2 Follow Us: Today's Edition | Monday , July 16 , 2012 | Search IN TODAY'S PAPER Front Page > Entertainment > Story Front Page Nation 4 0 Calcutta Bengal Suman Ghosh on the feminism and humanism in Aparna Sen’s Opinion cinema International Business Sports Rituparno Ghosh had made a comment about current At Leisure Bengali films that ‘nowadays people want to become Entertainment filmmakers but not make films’. Sudoku Sudoku New BETA I definitely think there is much truth to that statement, particularly when one juxtaposes that sentiment against Crossword a filmmaker like Aparna Sen. With the generation of Jumble filmmakers of that era we are losing out on directors Gallery Paromitar Ekdin who are responsive to the socio-political environment Horse Racing and there is almost a visceral need of reacting to the Press Releases surroundings through their films. Travel WEEKLY FEATURES It is exemplified in the cinema of Aparna Sen. Whether it is about the disturbing communal environ during the early part of the last decade, or the issue of women’s identity or environmental degradation — the gamut of her subject matter in her body of films is 7days commendable. She is a true humanist in the tradition of Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Graphiti Ray and Amartya Sen. Hence the topics she delves into are always under the aegis of Knowhow humanism and thus do not seem like espousing a cause. Jobs Careergraph Salt Lake That is what makes her work aesthetically so subtle. Her style of storytelling blends with that general philosophy quite seamlessly. Take the example of women’s identity. I think CITIES AND REGIONS there is no other director who has represented Indian women of different strata so Metro convincingly — whether it is the Anglo-Indian portrayal by Jennifer Kapoor in 36 North Bengal Chowringhee Lane , the Tamil Brahmin portrayed by Konkona Sensharma in Mr and Mrs Iyer or the character of a north Calcutta housewife portrayed by herself in Paromitar Northeast Ekdin . Jharkhand Bihar Yes, all of these stories portray different aspects of Odisha their lives such that we identify with them at a personal ARCHIVES level but her feminism is part of her humanism. I know Since 1st March, 1999 of generations of Bengali women who have found life inspiration from her movies. THE TELEGRAPH Another noteworthy thing in her films is the portrayal of - About Us the male characters. Along with the above mentioned - Advertise female characters, her films have portrayed very - Feedback strong and significant male characters. - Contact Us 36 Chowringhee Lane Rahul Bose’s character in The Japanese Wife or Rajesh Sharma’s in Paromitar Ekdin or more recently Koushik Sen’s in Iti Mrinalini are memorable male characters. The point that I want to hone in is that it is not necessary to portray the other sex in a lesser light or depth in order to espouse woman’s identity. Again, her humanism always takes the front seat in her stories. She has explored love in different forms through her films — illicit love in 36 Chowringhee Lane , extramarital love in Paroma , platonic love in The Japanese Wife , love in the time of riots in Mr and Mrs Iyer or the daughter and mother-in-law love in Paromitar Ekdin . And her exploration of different forms of love, however against convention, is never judgemental. In terms of directorial style, she is the perfect amalgam of the visual and the verbal. There are some directors whom one will love for the impeccable incisive dialogues, and some for their stupendous visual imagery — but for Aparna Sen, the two are enmeshed to make http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120716/jsp/entertainment/story_15732490.jsp 9/28/2012 Suman Ghosh on the feminism and humanism in Aparna Sen ’s cinema Page 2 of 2 cinema. Get New DO YOU AGREE WITH SUMAN’S VIEWS ON APARNA’S FILMS? TELL [email protected] Customers Online Advertise On Google. Get 1500 INR Advertising Credit When You Sign-Up www.Google.com/AdWords Dr. P. Banerji of India Over 14 Million Patients Treated World's Largest Homeopathic Centre www.Dr P Banerji.com/Hom … Kolkata Movie Ticket Book Latest Movie Tickets in Your Favourite Movie Hall in Kolkata! www.ticketnew.com Free Online Movies Free Movie Clips & Sneak Peaks. Choose from Hundreds of Movies! www.FilmFanatic.MyWebSe … India Get India info for free, from IndustryWeek www.IndustryWeek.com Copyright © 2012 The Telegraph. All rights reserved. Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact Us http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120716/jsp/entertainment/story_15732490.jsp 9/28/2012.