Subarnarekha

This last movie of Ghatak's "Partition" duels into the organic narrative of an uprooted family, their life in refugee camps, their exodus to far west of bengal, the migration of the next generation to the city and the most dramatic last act of moving to urban life and back to country once again. This might sound confusing enough, but those are the charming little artistic things which would eventually blame societal acts in the backdrop of political tragedy and their results. Having the music of Ustad Bahadur Khan again, I always felt this can be considered as a modern epic on celluloid. And partition is not just a mere recurring theme here, but literally the driving force when the virtuoso was at its prime. Personally a fond of the semi-tabooed love story and climatic, nocturnal hopping between the bars and brothels.

A golden thread of life passes through the experiences of refugees over two decades following WWII and also refers to a beautiful Bengali river.

Haraprasad and Ishwar are two moralistic men who attempt to scrape out some semblance of a dignified life for themselves and their dependents in the aftermath of Partition, where the subcontinent was split into two countries (later three), and the crisis that this caused to people who found themselves on the wrong side of borders where different theocratic ideals were playing out. The movie is set in Bengal (Bengal and Punjab were the two provinces that ended up with pieces on either side of the border).

Haraprasad is more of a believer in communal living, whereas Ishwar compromises and becomes a creature of the system. The main issue is that it didn't really matter what you did, leading a dignified and happy life weren't really possible. Human wellbeing is very fragile and our characters here suffer try as they might to readjust to their uprooting.

Director Ghatak tends to follow the stories of the middle classes, perhaps the worse route through life is a downwards one, and many middle class folk simply had their lives destroyed by Partition. The working classes are relatively ignored, although Ghatak is not blind to this: Ishwar can be complacent and there's a scene in a factory where he ignores the important request for leave from an employee, rather absent-mindedly. He had a nickname of "Ocean of thought" at university, the problem here is that as long as we might like to spend time in the idealistic hinterlands of our own minds, this can lead to ignoring others.

Part of Ghatak's charm is that he is self-aware, he knows that long stories of woe are not what people tend to want to watch, and yet he points out that maybe people should be concerned with their conditions, not just trying to momentarily escape them.

The wonderful symbolic cinematography is the best thing about this movie, I would love to see it in the cinema one day. Ghatak is also sensitive to the plight of women and Ishwar tends to have selective hearing towards them or to treat them like children, however well intentioned he may be. Another skill is the ability to evoke with small brushstrokes, The complete injustice of the differential access to politics enjoyed by the rich over the poor, is portrayed in a flash, the character Rambilas casually and callously mentions running for office as he believes the sacred caste system is under threat (the system which keeps him rich and others in grinding poverty and disesteem).

So what exactly is the golden thread? I think the golden thread is hope, the characters live on their hopes, and in admiration of natural beauty. Maybe this is enough. Maybe this is all there is.

The more I watch of Ritwik Ghatak, the more I wonder how such an enormous talent got not taste of success and accolades in his lifetime as much as his contemporaries did. As his movie Subarnarekha reiterates, that no matter how much people bear suffering, they are not willing to read or see on celluloid. But the movie ends with hope when the tired feet of old Ishwar are dragged on by his nephew boy to a yet new beginning with the spirit that not all is lost to life. Mr Ghatak's stories are of sacrifices, sufferings, acute turns and events of life and losses where it hits an individual the most, and he does not treat them with melodrama but portrays those moments as intense and loud as they hit his characters, which I believe he remains true to what it should be. Subarnarekha deals with pragmatism over idealism, realities over dreams, and the unending pursuit of security over everything else and the choices one makes of these. Stupendous acting by Abhi Bhattacharya of Aradhana fame and a young Madhabi Mukherjee who later on appeared in many a great film. My appetite increases with each movie of his and I am yearning for more. Subarnarekha 8/10.

Watched at a retrospective event at NYC. A true masterpiece .... glad to add this missing gem in my collections of great movies by the great masters ...

I watched this film at my college days.I saw it twice.But still I have not lost my appetite to watch it again.

This film features post-independent state of Bengal.

This film contradicted many old ideas like 'Nachiketa','Upanishad' and pioneered a new era after partition of Bengal.

The river Subarnarekha and a beautiful home (surrounded by birds,music) on the bank of the river symbolizes the happiness,joy of the homeless people who has come from the East Pakistan.

The director shows here that continuous rioting,communality,partition have killed Bengali classic culture,pride etc.

The background music applied is just awesome by Ustad Bahadur Khan and good singing by Arati Mukherjee.

The application and implication of the Rabindra song "Aj Dhaner Khete" implies the director's great sense.

No doubt it should be taken as one of the best movies ever made in India.

This great work by Ritwik Ghatak should get many awards but got nothing.

I think this was the next master work after 'Meghe Dhaka Tara' by Ritwik Ghatak.