Rows and Rows of Fences: Ritwik Ghatak on Cinema

by Ritwik Ghatak

Since his untimely death, Ghatak has become a cult figure for followers of serious Indian cinema, the 'enfant terrible' of the avant-garde. In this volume, his writings on cinema include some important pieces previously available only in the original Bengali, as well as the collection of pieces in English previously published by Ritwik Memorial Trust as 'Cinema and I'. Gathered here are musings, reviews, essays, and interviews. Together they offer a fascinating insight into the mind of a unique filmmaker, the significance of whose contribution to the heritage of cinema in India is beyond dispute.

Genres: Film

172 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2000

About the author

Ritwik Ghatak (Bengali: ঋত্বিক কুমার ঘটক) was a Bengali Filmmaker and script writer. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily remembered for its meticulous depiction of social reality. Although their roles were often adversarial, they were ardent admirers of each other's work and, in doing so, the three directors charted the independent trajectory of parallel cinema, as a counterpoint to the mainstream fare of Hindi cinema in India.

Ghatak received many awards in his career, including National Film Award's Rajat Kamal Award for Best Story in 1974 for his Jukti Takko Aar Gappo and Best Director's Award from Bangladesh Cine Journalist's Association for Titash Ekti Nadir Naam. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for Arts in 1970.

Ghatak was not only a film director, he was a theorist, too. His views and commentaries on films have been parts of scholarly studies and researches. As a filmmaker his main concentration was on men and life and specially the day-to-day struggle of ordinary men. He could never accept the partition of India of 1947 which divided Bengal into two countries. In almost all his film he dealt with this theme.

Filmmaking was not only art for him. In his opinion it was only a means to the end of serving people: It was only a means of expressing his anger at the sorrows and sufferings of his people.

Reviews

[Aditya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book about Indian cinema. Ghatak, director of Meghe Dhaaka Taara is insightful as hell. I'd read this just as i'd gotten done with my post grad from the ftii in film screenplay writing and I remember this was a very enlightening book about Indian cinema then.

[bijoyini]

Eagerly awaiting this book from www.indiaclub.com