Blame it on bogus Bollywood numbers or give a million thanks to sesquicentenary celebrations of Tagore. But this time, it's bye-bye Bollywood, welcome Bangla, again on loudspeakers. This is probably the most welcome change of Puja 2011.
Maybe it's one of the better years in Bengali film industry, popularly known as Tollywood, too, after the golden days of the 1960s and '70s. Along with Tagore, Tollywood has a good role to play in shaping the culture of Bengal. In the recent past, it's hardly seen to find four-five big-budget Tollywood release in the run-up to the Puja. But 2011 is different. The mood set by Autograph last year has just been taken over by a series of films that drew film-buffs back to theatres. Multiplexes in Kolkata, once only beaming Bollywood flicks, have now started screening more than one Bengali film this festive season. This is a sea change in terms of viewership vis-a-vis business. Songs from Bengali films like Ichhe or Baishe Shravan are now being played across the city in the past few days — something unimaginable even five years ago.
Bollywood films were quite a few in numbers this year though runaway hits could be confined to only a few or at least those have not arrived on loudspeakers in localities dotted with Durga Puja pandals. Songs from Bodyguard, a superhit Salman Khan movie released on Eid like last year's Dabangg, were only heard being played on FM channels! After four days of the Puja since Sunday, one can easily find that Bengali songs — mostly Rabindrasangeet — are on the loudspeakers that used to blare "Munni Badnam Hui" last year. I don't know whether we, Bengalis, are still obsessed with Tagore or not, but a little push from our chief minister for the bard's 150th year birth anniversary has seen many a "parar dada" paying obeisance to Rabindranath this Puja. We know our chief minister's obsession (or, OCD) with Tagore songs at traffic signals and railway stations. The best part is people are largely inspired by her thoughts with those of Tagore's being lost into the oblivion!
Maybe it's one of the better years in Bengali film industry, popularly known as Tollywood, too, after the golden days of the 1960s and '70s. Along with Tagore, Tollywood has a good role to play in shaping the culture of Bengal. In the recent past, it's hardly seen to find four-five big-budget Tollywood release in the run-up to the Puja. But 2011 is different. The mood set by Autograph last year has just been taken over by a series of films that drew film-buffs back to theatres. Multiplexes in Kolkata, once only beaming Bollywood flicks, have now started screening more than one Bengali film this festive season. This is a sea change in terms of viewership vis-a-vis business. Songs from Bengali films like Ichhe or Baishe Shravan are now being played across the city in the past few days — something unimaginable even five years ago.
Bollywood films were quite a few in numbers this year though runaway hits could be confined to only a few or at least those have not arrived on loudspeakers in localities dotted with Durga Puja pandals. Songs from Bodyguard, a superhit Salman Khan movie released on Eid like last year's Dabangg, were only heard being played on FM channels! After four days of the Puja since Sunday, one can easily find that Bengali songs — mostly Rabindrasangeet — are on the loudspeakers that used to blare "Munni Badnam Hui" last year. I don't know whether we, Bengalis, are still obsessed with Tagore or not, but a little push from our chief minister for the bard's 150th year birth anniversary has seen many a "parar dada" paying obeisance to Rabindranath this Puja. We know our chief minister's obsession (or, OCD) with Tagore songs at traffic signals and railway stations. The best part is people are largely inspired by her thoughts with those of Tagore's being lost into the oblivion!
