His tryst with the reel world

Along life of 80 years allowed Rabindranath Tagore to experience many historic landmarks. In this span, he saw India’s rapid growth and modernity; while abroad, he saw science and technology pushing new heights of civilisation. He witnessed two World Wars and endured an eventful journey in life. Throughout his journey, he encountered the strength and power of cinema as a tool of mass communication. In 1913, he became the first Asian to win a Nobel Prize and soon became a global icon. In his time, Bengal had finally started enjoying the magic of motion picture even before the first feature film hit theatres around India. Tagore initially entered the film industry as a story writer in the silent film era. However, his direct participation in cinema lasted a short while, and sadly, not with the heartiest memories.

Bisarjan

The first offer to visualise Tagore’s story on film came from Rustamji Dotiyala, owner of JF Madan’s company who approached Dhirendranath Ganguly (DG), the principal of Nizam Art College (Hyderabad). His famous play, Bisarjan, a dramatic version of his novel Rajarshi, was visualised for cinema. However, the initiative did not follow through due to the lack of actresses or the possible indifference between DG and Rustamji. Eight years later, the project was resumed and produced by Orient Picture Corporation and Madan Theatres. Two top actresses, Jubeda and Sulochona, from the Silent Era played the lead. Before its commercial release in Calcutta, it was screened in West End Theatre (London) on 12 June, 1928. In

Article source: https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/marquee/tryst-reel-world-1502768684.html