A River Called Titas (1973)

A 1973 Bangladeshi film it describes the life of the fishermen on the bank of the Titas River in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh.

Director:

Ritwik Ghatak

Writers:

Advaita Malla Burman (story) (as Advaita Mulya Barman), Ritwik Ghatak (script)

Stars:

Rosy Samad, Farid Ali, Fakrul Hasan Boiragi

Cast

Credited cast:
Farid Ali
Fakrul Hasan Boiragi	...	Nibaran
Narayan Chakraborty	...	Moral
Banani Choudhury	...	Moral ginni
Chetana Das
Ritwik Ghatak	...	Tilakchand
Abul Hayat	...	Thakur
Shafikul Islam	...	Ananta
Sirajul Islam	...	Magan Sardar
Abul Khair	...	Basanti's Father
Khalil	...	Sadar Miah
Prabir Mitra	...	Kishore
Golam Mustafa	...	Ramprasad / Kader Miah
Golam Rabbani
Sufia Rustam	...	Udaytara

Storyline

A fisherman, Kishore, marries Basanti when he visits a nearby village. After their wedding night (during which the couple is almost too shy to speak), she is kidnapped on the river. When she is found, she has amnesia; although Basanti does not remember her new husband's name or what he looks like, she remembers the name of his village. Ten years pass before she attempts to find him with their son, who sees his mother as a goddess. Some residents of Kishore's village refuse to share food with Basanti and her son because of the ever-present threat of starvation.

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Plot Keywords:

river | based on novel | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

India Bangladesh

Language:

Bengali

Release Date:

27 July 1973 (Bangladesh)

Also Known As:

A River Called Titas

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

159 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (35 mm version) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alongside Satyajit Ray's Kanchenjungha (1962) and Mrinal Sen's Calcutta 71 (1972), Titash Ekti Nadir Naam is one of the earliest films to resemble hyperlink cinema, featuring multiple characters in a collection of interconnected stories, predating Robert Altman's Nashville (1975).

User Reviews

A Little on the Technical aspects of Ghatak's 'Titas'.

I am just trying to justify my rating of the film (9 out of 10) which demands a perusal of its technical excellence.

This film is an adaptation of Adwita Malla Burman's Bengali literary classic under the same title. It is tale of those marginal people belonging to a poorer fishing community who live from hand to mouth. Exploring different sectors of life is one of the most amazing aspects of both the film and the novel.

The film sequences are maintained in parallel to the novel. The film has brilliant editing and that makes it very dynamic and fluent. Fade-ins and fade-outs for transition are used in many cases. The film seems to be gradually acquiring technical sophistry. Fixed frame is used in many cases and the camera movement is kept at a minimal level at the beginning of the film. Panning, tilt-ups and tilt-downs are countable. But this 'apparently' mediocre camera usage could not amputate Ghatak's craftsmanship. Some continuity cuts during the long duration shot of 'Dourer Naw' (Boat for Running Races) certainly deserve positive appraisal. The film has some stunning close ups. They really deserve applause. The close ups are symbolic and very well-articulated.

Negative aspects are minimum but they cannot be overlooked as they have an effect on the film. Sometimes the characters deliver speeches in a word or two in urban Bengali which betray the realism their acting. The film has got only two framing errors. It is the disadvantage of using fixed frame. Moreover the spectators are captured who came to watch the shooting for once (while Basanti was engaged in a fight with her mother) in the film. In another case, probably the prompter is captured or the person may be another spectator while Kader Mian was arguing with his daughter-in-law. The sequences sometimes seem to be incredulously positioned. Moreover, they seem to be hastily pushed towards their respective ends. But Ritwik's crave for stark realism is praiseworthy. Other than these, this film is technically perfect.

The film is a must watch for having a better exposure of the lives of marginal people of a third world country. Technical excellence is another reason to watch this film.