From ‘Shonar Pahar’ to ‘Belashese’: Bengali cinema’s tribute to senior citizens

The catchword ‘mellowing’ represents positive implications of aging these days which is represented quite aptly in Bengali cinema. The celluloid portrayal of aging in Bengali cinema centered on senior citizens has attracted a large scale of audience to the theatres over the years. On the occasion of World Senior Citizen’s Day, here is a list of Tollywood films that paid tribute to senior citizens with excellent content.

‘Shonar Pahar’ highlights the fading shades of an elderly person's life and how a strong bond is built between a kid and an old woman. The film, directed by Parambrata Chatterjee, tries to strengthen that bond further. In today's era of the rat race, kids should spend more time with their family especially the grandparents who have the ability to nurture and shape their mind in the right way, that’s the message it spreads. The story is about an elderly woman who has to confront a tense relationship with her son and ultimately finds some sort of peace in her friendship with a little boy. Not only the story, Tanuja Mukherjee and Jisshu Sengupta’s presence in the cast have made this film worth a watch.

The unique bond between a grandkid and his/her grandparents is something that is unexplainable. That’s what Nandita Roy & Shiboprosad Mukherjee’s ‘Posto’ teaches us. It aptly explores the psyche of senior citizens in our society, more specifically when the parents grow older and the loneliness they face in their son or daughter’s absence. No doubt Jisshu Sengupta, Lily Chakraborty, Mimi Chakraborty and little Arghya Basu Roy gave stellar performances. But the show stealer is none other than Soumitra Chatterjee, portraying the aged guruji of Santiniketan. Jisshu as the alcoholic and struggling painter who tries to be a good son and a good father at the same time does his job well. After all, it’s not easy to play a man who ‘dances to his wife’s tunes’ or is ‘dependent on his wife’s income’.

With Prosenjeet Chatterjee's brilliant acting chops, the iconic Soumitra Chatterjee and the supporting cast's performances, this film has amazed many people not just in Bengal but all over the country. ‘Mayurakshi’ is about a father-son relationship affected by long distance and the events that follow when the son gives his 84-year-old father a surprise visit only to realise he is gradually slipping into dementia. Soumitra Chatterjee as the aging father seemed to be the pillar of success for ‘Mayurakshi’.

A great family movie, 'Belaseshe' gives us many learning experiences. It highlights the value of a relationship and the bonding between family members. ‘Belaseshe’ gave a serious message about how we depend on our family to lead a healthy and happy life. Who could have played the challenging role better than Soumitra Chatterjee! His presence made the Shibprasad Mukhopadhyay and Nandita Roy directorial a really special one. Soumitra Chatterjee and Swatilekha Sengupta’s portrayal of an elderly couple left the audience in awe. Focusing on the marital life of an elderly couple, it gives a strong message. Couples of the present generation have to continually strive to rejuvenate our relationships. A heart-warming conversation, a walk together, going down memory lanes together can work wonders and can prevent a marriage or relationship becoming lifeless. These are the few things highlighted in 'Belaseshe'.

Directed by Sudeshna Ray and Abhijit Guha, this social film is set against the backdrop of an old age home and its members. Each of them has their complex idiosyncrasies. Their world is out-of-sync due to the strict, autocratic director-founder of the home. But it transforms into a topsy-turvy one when Paromita Sen, a young psychiatrist, enters their world. Paromita counsels the members who are troubled by a sense of isolation and yet can’t live together in harmony.

‘Jalsaghar’ (The Music Room) is all about a dissolute zamindar counting his last days. The lonely, aged zamindar character, played by Chabi Biswas, spends time listening to music and hosting spectacles instead of protecting his assets and property. The properties are devastated by flood while the abolition of zamindari system takes its toll too. Chabi Biswas for his outstanding performance in this Ray classic became a legend in Bengali cinema.

It’s the story of an old peasant, Bancharam (Manoj Mitra) who stood his ground against the tyrannical landlord Chhakari (Dipankar Dey). Undoubtedly a venerable powerhouse in 20th-century theater, a superb playwright, actor, director, producer and film-maker, Manoj Mitra, is most famous for his portrayal of Bancharam. The film was adapted from a stage play ‘Sajano Bagan’ directed by Manoj Mitra himself. ‘Bancharamer Bagan’ shows how an elderly man becomes a one-man army against the corrupt society. It epitomises the struggles of lonely aged persons.

The world sees him as the iconic character Apu. He is the skinny, bright-eyed, shirtless child from ‘Pather Panchali’. But only a few can recognise the child actor who essayed out Apu in ‘Pather Panchali’. Nobody knows what happened to him. His name is Subir Banerjee and Kaushik Ganguly’s ‘Apur Panchali’ chronicles his tragic life. Parambrata was used as a young Subir Banerjee who had an uncanny resemblance with the fictional character Apu. It’s a pure cinematic delight to see him in this role as Kaushik Ganguly masterfully portrayed the parallels between Subir’s life and that of the fictional Apu. Ardhendu Banerjee as the elderly Subir Banerjee left us in awe with his each and every scene of the lonely 60-year-old man who seeks for some sort of respect from the younger generation.