Perceptions

The main hero of the film is Shashibhushan, a famous Bengali poet, who lost his eyesight many years ago. He listens to music, recites poetry, recalls his memories and chats with his friends. An important part of his lonely life consists of the friendship with single mother Sarama and her son, to whom the poet gave shelter.This poetic, manylayered film is a real Bengali production. It contains a lot of Tagores’ poetry, beautiful North Indian classical music (each character has his or her musical theme), intellectual discussions and progressive views on women, marriage and relationships.Goutam Ghose, a wellknown author from the middle generation in Indian so-called parallel cinema, is credited not only for script and direction, but for camera and music as well. Ghose: ‘This film is an attempt to capture the sunlight and shadows of our own lives. It is the history of the development of the Bengali sensibility. During the course of civilisation, we have achieved tremendous technological development but didn’t we lose a lot too? Have we really progressed or have we got stuck somewhere? I have deliberately tried not to tell a story but to create moments and intensify them.’ The film won an award as the best Bengali movie of the year 2001.