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Celebrating Durga Puja with on-screen favourites
While the festivities alone are enough to celebrate the holiday, watching a few good movies can help captivate the essence of the occasion.
LUBABA MAHJABIN PRIMA
Mahalya has arrived once again, bringing with it the spirituality and festivity that many of us love and cherish. And while the festivities alone are joyous enough for us to celebrate the holiday, it would be even more delightful to watch a few good movies that captivate the essence of the occasion.
So, with that in mind, I prepared a list of movies that feature Durga Puja, so that this year’s celebrations can be that much more special.
Joi Baba Felunath
This movie revolves around a murder mystery during the time of Puja, on the holy site of Varansi. This “Feluda” movie, by Satyajit Ray, has been a favourite for many years. The first scene, where a child learns about mythology and continues to credit humanity, beautifully shows the very essence of Puja. The triumph of good over evil is also a reminder as to why we celebrate the holy occasion to begin with.
Devi
Satyajit Ray, the unparalled hero of Bangla cinema does a wonderful job of showcasing the hidden and darker sides of blind faith. “Devi” begins with scenes of Puja, as the audience are introduced with Doyamoyee, a docile housewife, played on-screen by Sharmila Tagore.
Soon enough, we get to see how the very aspect of love ties her up, particularly when it becomes entangled with superstitions. Ray had been a strong protester against dogmatism and this particular project showcases this belief of the filmmaker clearly.
Parama
“Parama” is Aparna Sen’s directorial marvel. The film begins with us seeing an eminent Bengali family celebrating Durga Puja. One character who is highlighted from the very beginning, is Parama, a housewife, and her role in the household. Showing her managing the Puja, the film questions if she can have any agency over her personal life.
Antarmahal
“Antarmahal”, a film by the legendary director Rituparno Ghosh, is based on Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay’s masterpiece, “Pratima”. Highlighting the Puja celebrations of a Zamindar family during the British period, it questions the notions of piousness, devotion and love. While this movie shows the much darker sides of humanity, it also showcases the concept of unconditional love and what it means to be truly loved.
Kahaani
Set in modern-day Kolkata, during the Durga Puja festivities, this film reverses the roles we typically see in cinema. Vidya Balan plays the role of a woman searching for a mysterious person amidst turbulent times. “Kahaani” is an intense crime drama, featuring the colourful backdrops we see during Puja, which makes it quite a visual treat for viewers. The intensity of the ongoing plotline combined with the wonderful use of colours are what made this movie such a big hit.
Bela Seshe
This film captures the love and joy that is such a big part of celebrating festivals with family. “Bela Seshe” is able to resonates these emotions even further, particularly when the song “O Thakur” plays, with the lyrics “God, don’t go for Bishorjan, let the family stay happy”. The festivity of Durga Puja, the joy associated with the arrival of goddess Durga and the return of family members to their homes are beautifully narrated throughout the movie.
Bishorjan
A beautiful story of a cross-border romance, between a Bangladeshi-Hindu widow and an Indian-Muslim man, “Bishorjan” tries to tell a story about how love triumphs all. The on-screen chemistry of Jaya Ahsan and Abir Chatterjee, combined with Kaushik Ganguly’s wonderful writing and direction, creates an emotional rollercoaster ride that has you on edge from start to finish. So successful was this film that Kaushik Ganguly created “Bijoya”, a sequel to “Bishorjan”.
Uma
This Srijit Mukherji movie shows the strength of a father-daughter relationship, and how culture plays a role in binding them together. An emigrant father teaches his daughter, Uma, about Durga Puja, Kolkata and Hindu culture in general.
While Uma is very excited about the Puja, she is soon diagnosed with cancer. The doctors say that she might not be able to make it to autumn, when Durga Puja will take place. At the heart of this film, is an attempt to question the idea of dogmatism, reminding us that humanity comes above any fundamentalism.
I hope, that alongside your families and the festivities, good art and cinema will be able to make this Durga Puja even more joyous for you all!