Friday, June 24, 2011

Director Sudhir Mukherjee extracted the best performance from Chabi Biswas in the film Dadathakur.



Director Sudhir Mukherjee extracted the best performance from Chabi Biswas in the film Dadathakur.

Legendary actor Chabi Biswas was unparallel in the film Dadathakur. The film was directed by director Sudhir Mukherjee. It was based on the real life of stalwart personality Sharat Pandit. The film was released in 1962.

Chabi Biswas who played the role of Sharat Pandit, who was popularly known as Dadathakur, created his own press during the colonial period. He was known for his wisdom and thought provoking literature. In every piece of literature he tried to make the readers laugh.

Tarun Kumar, a known swadeshi during British Raj took shelter in the house of Chabi Biswas. His wife played by Chaya Debi did not prevent it. Chabi Biswas helped the neighbours. He tried to get Sulata Choudhury married to a neighbouring zamindar played by Biswajeet Chatterji. During a procession when the swadeshis tried to put the Indian flag in place, the British police fired at the Indians and Biswajeet got killed.

Chabi Biswas believed in his own capability and never accepted any gift from the Britishers. When he went to buy the tools relating to his Press machine, he was offered the machine without any monetary consideration but Chabi Biswas bought it by paying money. Once he took contract to print question papers of a nearby high school. He went to give the question papers by travelling in train for the next 8 miles. But during monsoon, the railway track got submerged in water, and Chabi Biswas walked down the railway track to reach the question paper to the high school.

He even sold his own written work in the streets of Kolkata like a hawker. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose saw him doing it, and being the mayor of Kolkata Corporation, he gave a hawking license to Chabi Biswas. It was a very difficult role to play as Dadathakur had been considered as one of the great intellectuals that graced Bengali soil during the freedom movement. But Chabi Biswas with his asthma, did a brilliant job and tried to depict the character of the maestro in his own way and got awarded also. Chabi Biswas was famous for his performance in egoistic roles. But whenever he displayed soft, witty, sensitive characters there too he portrayed his brilliance and excellence. The film should be preserved for its historical value.

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