The lost ethos of Uttam-Suchitra films: a ‘nostalgic’ review of some classic romances from the golden era of Bengali cinema

Abstract

The mild tune of the sweet and soft song wrapped in sentimental love, “Ogo tumi je aamaar... Ogo tumi je aamaar” (You are mine, only mine…) from the Bengali movie  Harano Sur (Lost Melody) released in 1957 still buzzes pleasantries, not only  inside  my ear, but also at the centre of  my  mind. Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar were considered the ‘golden couple’ of Bengali films from 1953 to 1978. They left their special identities by contributing the best of themselves through their marvellous acting talent. When I reminiscence about some of  the Bengali films featuring the superb acting of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen from the depths of  my memory, it seems as if both of them are standing before my eyes in all their romantic glory. Such is the power they evoke in me, even today, since I first encountered them in my teenage years in the 1950s.

Since time immemorial man has looked for light, wisdom, eternal peace, sustainable contentment, mystery of immortality and the ultimate motive of that non-existing abstract concept of God. Now there is a big question mark before contemporary human society – whether we are moving forward or backward, whether we are really marching ahead, and if so whether it is in a positive or negative direction? This is a debatable topic, an opinion, which thinking minds will definitely differ on. Of course it is a matter of great joy that cinema, as a powerful medium of communication, has been able to touch every aspect of modern human society. This brings us to discussing the status of romance or love in Bengali cinema half a century back. 

These divine qualities teach us the hymn of humanity and the art of living. These heavenly qualities are highly essential for the survival of the human society in peace and happiness. Of course, the world of cinema has not totally ignored the importance of these human qualities to be reflected and utilized through the different roles of different characters in different movies. But most modern cinemas in almost all the languages of India are not paying much attention towards the above-mentioned heavenly qualities of human beings. “I” and “mine” are replacing the idea of “we” and “ours”.