Soumitra Babu,
I was driving back home after a long and tiring day when the phone beeped. A friend of mine sneaked in a news in my mobile – “Soumitra Babu has been conferred the Dada Shaheb Phalke Award for his life time contribution to Indian cinema”. My heart leaped. I met you last week and I never could imagine life has such a surprise in store. I am supposed to meet you soon for the project that I have undertaken. What will I tell you then? I know you don’t have much faith in the award process and have refused Padmasree a couple of times before. Do you care for a Dada Shaheb Phalke? You may, I guess. After all, any star of the screen yearns for posterity. Almost 25 memorable films apart, awards of highest degrees do matter. Being a professional that you are, I guess you may probably brush aside and wake up tomorrow since tomorrow is always a different day.
As I sit in my quiet room the mental bioscope unfurls – where to start from? Apu I guess undoubtedly. The light of your eyes, the belief in everything noble is so sublime that for a person who belongs to a different generation and genre, there is no problem in connecting. Or the quintessential romantic in Amal who like Apu fosters our belief in the milk of human kindness and love. And as Feluda, suave and smart yet traditional. You move on with Gangacharan, to Sashibhusan of ‘Dekha’ and the indomitable Kshit-da in ‘Koni’. How can I forget the several theatre jewels that you so casually sprinkled at us – Tiktiki, Naam Jibon, Homa Pakhi, Nilkantha and Raja Lear to name a few. We and many others before and after our generation grew up to be like you – not one ‘you’ but the many profiles of yours. Are these all masks of a superlative actor? Then who are you Soumitra Babu? The rational friend in my head has always warned me – “Judge a creative person by his creations only”. But through-out our lives as we embrace death and rise to live so many times, we cling on to these different Soumitra Chatterjees of our lives.
Whom can I think of as a parallel to you? Not one Uttam Kumar or an Amitabh Bachhan. If there is one he is none other than a Naseeruddin Shah for his range and depth of sensibilities. But Naseer also probably will be proud to match your stage presence.
The Govt of India should be proud to confer this award. Since after all these and everything, you make me believe that even if I am not Apu, I am none but Apu.
I conclude with an ode, hats off to you.
The sky
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In our sky of silence
Your dreams flutter their tail,
Glide up,
Forget.
I have followed them
Every time,
My strings tired,
Sad.
Painted black
The canvas beckons,
I wind up my kite –
The sky is yours.
Amitava Nag
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