Dekha (2001)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Goutam Ghose

Writer:

Sunil Gangopadhyay (story)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Dekha (Sight) is a chronicle of a blind poet who has seen the world, and got a glimpse of love and passion by his 'vision'; after becoming 'blind' he collect images from his memory, and meets a born blind youth who sings mystic verses and his own simple compositions.

Cast

Soumitra Chatterjee	...	Sashi Bhusan Sanyal
Debashree Roy	...	Sarama
Haradhan Bannerjee	...	Sarama's father
Anjan Dutt	...	Sarama's husband
Indrani Haldar	...	Reema
Rupa Gangooly	...	Shashibhusan's wife
Kamal Kanjilal	...	Gagan Chandra Goon (as Komol Kanjilal)
Biplab Chatterjee	...	Property dealer

Country:

India

Language:

Bengali

Color:

Color

The chronicle of a modern day Milton

I've seen this movie 'Dekha' (Vision) for quite a few times I must admit it is wonderful presentation of cinematography by Gautam Ghose. I must thank Gautam babu for the significant movies he has been presenting us for these years.

The story revolves around a blind poet Sashi Sekhar Sanyal (played wonderfully by Saumitra Chatterjee) by who gets glimpses of the modern world through his vision. In his youth he was a Marxist revolutionary, a talented poet but equally indisciplined, at the same time. He had a wife and a daughter, but they left him for the States which made him a frustrated drunkard and a perverted man. After he got blind, he ceased writing poetry and his days used to pass in his living room, smoking and listening to music. He was every moment nostalgic, and felt happy collecting his lost colourful days. One of his poems written in Bengali goes likes this, 'You are a dot of light swinging in darkness, surrounded by tranquil nostalgia..' Sarama a divorcée, the daughter of one of his teachers, lived downstairs with her son and looked after him. Another important character of the film was Reema, a young journalist and a fan of the poet Sashi Sekhar. She used to visit him often and turned out to be someone close to Sashi Sekhar. There has been a presentation of another character Gagan, a blind orphan youth who lived his days emerged in nature and singing. The film ends with the change in Sashi Sekhar's views- he became positive, learned loving life, started to look forward drawing his eyes from the past and once more began writing. He wrote.. 'Someone came and said, 'Your room's left damp Let me freshen it for you..' This poem is no doubt dedicated to Reema, for according to the film she was one of those who encouraged and supported him to return to his past life. A scene I liked very much was Sashi Sekhar and others listening Reema singing on the piano (which belonged to Sashi Sekhar's dead mother.. He was tied in affectionate bonds with her) and Sashi Sekhar recollecting memories of his childhood. ( A bit like the sequence of the 'Piano' by DH Lawrence) The song sung, 'Tomar sur sunaye je ghum bhangao, se ghum amar ramanio..' was equally significant. It was one of Rabindranath and ideal with the circumstances. The music, plot and the direction of the film is remarkable. It records the vision of a poet and it presents simple daily-life happenings in a deeper wider meaning. It is an over-all display of Gautambabu's depth and talent.