REMEMBERING BUDDHADEB DASGUPTA
Buddhadeb Dasgupta, one of the most original icons of cinema, who helped put Indian cinema on the global stage, passed away in Kolkata yesterday. The 77-year-old director had been suffering from kidney-related ailments for some time. He is survived by his wife, filmmaker Sohini Dasgupta, and two daughters. This tribute is indeed a memoir by his friend and prominet film maker Sri.B.Narasing Rao.
I had met ‘Buddhdeb Dasgupta’ in 1980. But only in early 1987. I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with him at NCPA , Norman Point , Mumbai. We had a film seminar on ‘East and West’. Along with me was Alok from Andhra Pradesh. Most art film makers participated in that seminar. It went on for a couple of days. It was here that Buddhadeb became very close to me. We used to have lengthy discussions on subjects mostly related to cinema and cinematography. At the same time Tarkovsky retrospective was being held in Mumbai. I was quite familiar about him and his works by then.
We had discussions at length on Tarkovsky. Buddhadeb was not familiar with his works then. I insisted that he should watch Tarkovsky’s works. I also suggested he should get a good cinematographer for his future films. Buddhadeb would listen to everything that I used to tell him, with a smile on his face (that was his hallmark) because he was surely a highly educated and cultured person.
As per my advice he roped in Venugopal, a very good cinematographer from Kerala. I think later on Venu – Buddho combination worked on several projects till his very end.
These discussions brought him very close to me. There were regular correspondences between us. His handwriting was very attractive and he used to write his letters on onion skin paper. We regularly exchanged many things predominately regarding films. As per my advice he roped in Venugopal, a very good cinematographer from Kerala. I think later on Venu – Buddho combination worked on several projects till his very end.
Buddho used to be a good scriptwriter. He used to also write very apt dialogues for all his sequences. His films were mostly based short stories and yet it used to be a gripping one. That was his biggest plus point. His themes used to revolve around middle class family life. Actually he was a very different kind of filmmaker. He was a great storyteller. His films used to be short and sweet. After watching his film one could experience a sense of a short story that one might have just read in a magazine. That was my impression too. His characters used to be mostly complex, but his films were easily understood.
Before becoming a film maker, he was a professor by profession and possibly he had the same mental make-up while working on his films. As a person he was soft spoken, gentle in behaviour, a good friend, a compassionate person. but a great lobbyist. In this regard there was no match to him. I clearly noticed this in him. Of course a man may have some contradictions. That is what we see in many personalities we come across in our life.
Once we held a retrospective of his films (about 5 of them) at Institute of English and Foreign languages , Hyderabad. The program went off very well and at that time he came over and stayed with me. As far as I remember, this was in 1986 -87. Alok Bhalla and K. N. T. Shastry were associated with me then.
I never thought he would vanish leaving us behind all of a sudden. I am writing these last words with tears in my eyes.
When I visited Kolkata for the preview of my full length documentary film ‘The city’ at Nandan, I stayed with Buddhabeb and he had organised the entire program to perfection. Even in 2007- 08 he again came over to Hyderabad to attend Chitra Yatra, world film festival as a guest on my invitation. After a long time we got an opportunity to spend time together. Buddahbeb used to love me a lot and he was very good at keeping in touch. He always made his kind of films which were very much relevant in Indian context.
I heard that in the last few years (possibly a decade or so ) he suffered a lot in multiple fronts, including his failing health. Unfortunately I didn’t have much contact in this last phase. But I never thought he would vanish leaving us behind all of a sudden. I am writing these last words with tears in my eyes. He will always live in my memory till the very end
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B. Narsing Rao is a prominent film director, screenwriter, composer, poet, producer, actor and painter known for his works in Telugu cinema, and Telugu theatre.