STROKES AND SILHOUETTES
Original Title: Saanjhbathir Roopkathara
India, 2002
Director: Anjan Das
Saanjhbathi (meaning twilight lamp) or Tukun, as she is known, was born at twilight time to Saikat, an artist. As she grows up, she is drawn into the mysterious world of strokes and colours on her father's canvas, she listens to his talk on the mysteries of creation and is nurtured by his ideas and by her mother's love.
But she gets entwined in relationships that cloud her perspective. Oscillating between confusion and comprehension, she seeks refuge in the silhouettes of her mind's eye.
Her father's protégé, Dipu, gets intimately involved with her family. Then, one day, life takes a strange turn, her mother dies and the family breaks up. Nurturing relationships become disruptive and Tukun's ideals collapse.
She moves away from her environment, the silhouettes disappear and she is left unfulfilled. But the ecstasy of creativity overcomes all barriers, brings her a more complete understanding of life and reunites her with her roots.
Screenplay:
Partho Bandopadhyay, Subir Mukhopadhyay
Cinematography:
Adinath Das
Editing:
Rabiranjan Maitra
Music:
Jyotisk Das Gupta
Production:
Sandeep Sen and Arindam Chaudhuri
Principal cast:
Soumitro Chatterjee, Indrani Haldar, Chhanda Chatterjee, Paran Banerjee, Ratna Sarkar Mandal, Firdaus Ahmed
Production: 35mm / colour