Aug 11, 2006 03:26 PM
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(Updated Aug 12, 2006 08:37 PM)
Bonnie and Clyde. Tom and Jerry. Laurel and Hardy. Goopi and Bagha. I just have to write this review on my all time favourite movie. For the uninformed it was one of the earliest Indian movie which had two sequels to its credit. Mouthshut will not be complete without this review posted in its movie section. Bengalis like me have grown up reading, listening and watching Goopi and Bagha.
This celluloid masterpiece is directed by Satyajit Ray.It is still one of the highest selling Bengali DVD. Parents who warmly associate their growing up years with Goopi Bagha just have to buy the DVD for their children.
The story is simple but has a profound message. The original story is written by Upendrakishor Roychoudhuri, the grandfather of Satyajit Ray. But the screenplay and the cinematic treatment given by Ray took the story beyond its simplicity. Everytime you watch the movie you discover a new layer, a different facet which was not their last time. The story is about these two guys who are not allowed to follow their dreams by their parents and neighbours. Goopi, the softer one wants to be a singer, while Bagha, the tough guy wants to be a drummer. Both of them are thrown out from their villages by people driven mad hearing their melodious voice and scintillating drum beats. They meet on their way to a music competition. One night, while practicing their skills in the jungle their music made the resident bhoots (ghosts) ecstatic. The King of the Ghosts was so happy that he granted them three boons. Boon one will make all people spellbound when Goopi and Bagha jam together. Boon two was in the form of a satchet which will allow them to wish for any eatables inside it. Boon three is in the form of magic slippers which will take them to any place they wish to in a second. Armed with these boons they win the music competition and also became the Shundi King’s favourite courtiers. However war clouds were hovering over the kingdom and they had to go to the neighbouring kingdom to diffuse the situation. They dispose the evil wizard and the power hungry minister in style and set free the neighbouring king from their evil clutches. All well that ends well when Goopi and Bagha marries the two neighbouring princesses.
The movie is a celebration of creativity in all spheres of movie making. The cinematography, specially the ghost dance, the music, the editing, the costumes, the dialogues and finally the acting is all too good to be true. Music of the movie was given by Ray himself like most of his movies. The songs were sung by Anup Ghoshal and still brings a lot of memories when it is played on air. Each of the song rendered carry the story forward and are integral parts of the movie. All the actors are permanently etched in the Bengali psyche with the charcters they played in this movie. I still remember the out of the world expressions of Robi Ghosh, the actor who played Bagha. Borfi, the wizard was played by late Barindranath Chattopadhyay. Who can forget his delightful evil twinkling eyes?
Movies come and movies goes, but some movies are forever young. Goopi and Bagha embodies my inner child, my childhood genie who is currently bottled up inside my subconscious. In our present world of terrorist attacks, carpet bombing and ineffective UN resolutions maybe people should watch movies like GGBB to realise the futility of violence and the warmth of humanity. Do try to watch this movie if you get a chance with subtitles, I gurantee you wont be disappointed.
