Subarnarekha (Dir.: Ritwik Ghatak)
Ritwik Ghatak’s Subarnarekha is a tale of a refugee family in the aftermath of the partition of Bengal. Subarnarekha tracks the lives of a man, his child sister and a young boy whom the man provided shelter after the boy loses his mother in a melee.
The film begins in a refugee camp of the then Calcutta, where a number of refugees have gathered in the hope of building their homes anew. We witness how the pangs of poverty and homelessness metamorphoses an individual’s attitude towards life and his decisions throughout his life. Subarnarekha is a tale of hopelessness at most times. Ritwik Ghatak portrays the plight of the three characters, their hardships and its ensuing effects on their thoughts, actions and the very paths they tread in their lives. The mood is often one of darkness and despair as Ritwik chooses not to offer any artificial sugary balm for the viewer in his tale of stark, heartrending reality.
As is Ritwik Ghatak’s trademark, Subarnarekha is a film of tremendous strength, that bombards the mind and stings the senses, leaving behind a gash in its wake.
This movie shows..how the partition of india…was done..without any thought..the disaster..it will bring..to the one fifth of the world population…this a politics..pushed on by the british…and accepted by the politicians..brought calamity the subcontinent..it effect is still going on india, pakistan and bangladesh
A real gem of a movie from the legendary Ghatak
Yes, indeed!