acted in 14 of Ray’s films, says Goopi
Gyne Bagha Byne ran for 100 consecu-
tive weeks, a record that remains unbro-
ken. Ray was encouraged to do a sequel
Hirak Rajar Deshe in 1980. Later, his son
Sandip Ray made the third film of the
series, Goopi Bagha Fire Elo (1991).
But what made GGBB such a classic?
The story revolves around the two villag-
ers Goopi and Bagha, both tone-dead yet
aspire to become singer and drummer
respectively. After obtaining three
boons from the king of goblins, they
embark on an adventure that takes them
to distant places. Finally, they arrive at
the kingdom of Shundi and were ac-
cepted as court musicians. When the
king of the neighbouring kingdom Halla
plans to attack Shundi with the inten-
tion to occupy it, Goopi and Bagha foils
it with their magical power and brings
peace in the two countries.S
OUMITRA Chatterjee points out
that while the story line was a fantasy,
the strong anti-war message was
ing rained artistically in the story
that made its appeal universal. However,
he reminds that to make it acceptable to
the audience, Ray rooted his film firmly
on Bengal’s soil. The village from where
Goopi begins his journey, the forest where
he and Bagha are forced to spend the
night and first meets a tiger and then the
king of goblins, all portray Bengal’s rural
ambience. The dance of the ghosts was
craftily designed to portray the society
and its hierarchy. On top of that the music
he composed for the film also gave it a
quintessential Bengali flavour. “The king
of goblin and his three boons should be taken
metaphorically. The fantasy film took help of
symbolism to move forward with the story and its
subtext. The moot point is that even if these two
village youths are otherwise weak and daft, through
their adventurous journey they could overcome
their weakness and transcend into better human
beings,” observes Chattopadhyay. “The story line
and its treatment, backed by high quality music
that struck a chord with not only children, but also
with the adults,” he adds.
To commemorate 50 years of its release, the
Society for the Preservation of Satyajit Ray
Archives held an exhibition in Calcutta this April. It
showcased various sketches of characters, sets,
court scenes, posters, score sheets of songs, and
photos of actors and Ray.
Goutam Ghose, another filmmaker from Bengal
with international repute, points to some of the
subtext underlying the storyline of GGBB. In the1960s, the Vietnam War was dominating
the global narrative. The strong anti-war
message in Ray’s film could be seen
through the prism of Vietnam War.
Incidentally, in 1970, Ray made another
film Pratidwandi (The Adversary), a
commentary on the politically turbulent
times of that period. There the protago-
nist faces a interview board as a job
asp irant and asked the simple question:
What is the most important event of the
world today? His answer was Vietnam
War. He was further asked a question:
Don’t you think men landing on moon is
much more important? He shrugs and
says: Don’t think so. Thus, Ray took a
clear stand on the question of war and it
was not surprising that his position was
artistically woven in the children’s
movie without unsettling the main
theme of the film. “Ray’s adaptation of
his grandfather’s story was so timely,
even if it was a fantasy for children, its
latent message was missed by none,”
says Ghose. He further explains, “Look
at the sequel Ray made later. Hirak
Rajar Deshe (In the Land of the Diamond
King), made in 1980, speaks of the tyr-
anny of a bad king, who tries to brain-
wash his subjects with the help of
scientists, in his desire with to continue
his rule. With extraordinary prescience,
Ray portrayed wizard Borfi and his
magic potion in GGBB and hinted at the
realistic possibilities of rulers trying to
subjugate people by gagging them.
During the Emergency (1975-77), India
had experienced similar things.”
In 2017, actress-turned-director
Aparna Sen had said that Ray political
attitude was reflective of a typical rhetoric of
political parties. In 1966, he was at the forefront
of a silent protest march against police brutality.
Many tend to forget that Ray was one of the signa-
tories demanding the release of political prisoners
languishing in various jails from before and during
Emergency. Also, in 1989, when the Chinese army
brutally suppressed students at Tiananmen Square,
Ray had joined a worldwide protest by issuing a
statement condemning the crackdown, causing
much heartburn in the ruling Left in Calcutta.
Half-a-century later, Goopi Gyne Bagha Byne’s
anti-war message finds resonance in today’s polit-
ical climate. Contrast it with the growing drum
beating for war and the popular jingoism that is
sweeping across Indian society and one gets the
right language to counter it: Rajye rajye paraspare
dwande amangol/ Tora juddho kore korbi kita bol
(Wars only bring misery/What will you gain by
going to battle). OFRAMED
MEMORIES
Sketches showcased
at the exhibition“Satyajit
Ray’s classic
Goopi Gyne
Bagha Byne
ran for 100
consecutive
weeks, a
record that
remains
unbroken.”22 July 2019 OUTLOOK 61