Chokher Bali (2003 film)

Last updated

Chokher Bali
Chokher Bali (2003 film).jpg
Directed by Rituparno Ghosh
Based on Chokher Bali
by Rabindranath Tagore
Produced by Shrikant Mohta
Mahendra Soni
Starring Aishwarya Rai
Raima Sen
Prosenjit Chatterjee
Tota Roy Chowdhury
Lily Chakravarty
Cinematography Avik Mukhopadhyay
Edited by Arghyakamal Mitra
Music by Debojyoti Mishra
Production
company
Release date
  • 2 October 2003 (2003-10-02)(India)
Running time
143 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageBengali
Budget₹25 million [1]

Chokher Bali (lit. sand in the eye, fig. constant irritant) is a 2003 Indian Bengali language drama film based on the 1903 novel Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore. It was directed by Rituparno Ghosh in 2003 and stars Aishwarya Rai as Binodini and Raima Sen as Ashalata. Ashalata and Binodini refer to each other as Chokher Bali. The other major characters are played by Prosenjit Chatterjee as Mahendra, Lily Chakravarty as Rajlakshmi, the mother of Mahendra, Tota Roy Chowdhury as Behari, Mahendra's best friend, and Swastika Mukherjee in a cameo role. The film was later dubbed into Hindi and was released internationally in that language.

Contents

Upon release, Chokher Bali met with critical review and positive box office reception. [2] [3] [4]

Chokher Bali won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali, National film award for best costume design, and National film award for best art direction. It was nominated for the Golden Leopard (Best Film) award at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2003. [5] The film screened at the 34th International Film Festival of India on 19 October. [6] It was the Official Selection at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2003 and was showcased in over 25 international festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, [7]

Plot

Set in the early 20th century, Binodini is a young Bengali Hindu girl who is left to her own devices when her sickly husband dies on the day after their marriage. She returns to her village and lives there for a couple of months until she sees one of her aunts, another Bengali Hindu widow named Rajalakshmi passing by. Binodini hails Rajalakshmi and she agrees that it would be best if Binodini came to live with her and her family at their North Kolkata residence. Rajalakshmi's son, Mahendra, an aspiring medical practitioner studying in the Calcutta Medical College, was one of the first suitors to see Binodini's photo when she was proposed as a prospective bride for him, yet he refused her on account of his being "unready for marriage." When Binodini arrives with her aunt, Mahendra and his new bride Ashalata (whom Binodini befriends & call each other by the nickname [a] of Chokher Bali, literally meaning 'grain of sand in the eye', figuratively meaning 'eyesore' in Bengali) are constantly sneaking off to be alone together. Mahendra's infatuation with Ashalata makes him introduce cooking non-vegetarian food into the household, to which the conservative Vaishnavite Rajalakshmi protests by leaving the house & going away to Kashi [b] to live out the rest of her life. However, this infatuation does not last long, and the thoroughly Westernised Mahendra soon begins to see that the English-speaking, witty Binodini is more of his type than his traditionalist, naive housewife Ashalata. Mahendra also feels insecure when Ashalata expresses appreciation for Mahendra's childhood best friend Behari's physical features & Behari, in turn expresses appreciation for Binodini's beauty. To spite Behari, Mahendra starts an extra-marital affair with Binodini, and this is soon revealed to Ashalata who, unaware of her pregnancy, leaves Mahendra out of grief to live with Rajalakshmi. On coming to know about the affair, Rajalakshmi expels Binodini out of the house. At that night, she seeks out for Behari. Binodini pleads Behari to marry her, but the traditionalist Behari, true to his values, rejects her advances (since at that time he harboured feelings for Ashalata, for whom he was initiatially chosen as a groom before Mahendra got infatuated with her photo). With no other option left, Binodini leaves Kolkata for her village. Mahendra comes there to mend their relationship which she refuses. Instead, she makes him promise to take her to Behari, who had gone to Kashi on being informed about Rajalakshmi's failing health. At Kashi, Mahendra gets to know about Rajalakshmi's death, he apologizes to Ashalata & takes her back to Kolkata. Binodini meets Behari who, after some incidents, agrees to marry her. But on the day of their marriage, Binodini vanishes, leaving a letter for Behari & another for Ashalata, apologising for interrupting in her marital bliss.

Soundtrack

The film's background score is by Debojyoti Mishra and, notably, it contains no playback singing. Sreela Majumdar dubbed for Aishwarya Rai and Sudipta Chakraborty dubbed for Raima Sen.

Cast

Notes

  1. ↑ In the olden days in Bengal, women and girls who were best friends would often set a common nickname for themselves and address each other by that name.
  2. ↑ Many old Hindus, following the ideal of vanaprastha would withdraw themselves away from their families to live out the last days of their life in a secluded manner, in a tirtha performing religious activities. For Bengali Hindus, the most common destinations for this purpose were Varanasi & Vrindavana.

Critical reception

Aishwarya received critical acclaim for her performance as Binodini. [8] [9] [10] [11] In Anandabazar Patrika , Chandril Bhattacharya praised the film for its direction, screenplay, background score, sound design, cinematography, production design as well as the dubbing by Sudipta Chakraborty. Ekanshu Khera of Planet Bollywood gave the film an 8/10. He found the cinematography to be beautiful and was pleased that the singing was not lip-synched. However, he said that the "dubbing leaves much to be desired" and would have preferred a different director dub it in Hindi. He also noted that the film appeals "to a niche audience due to its periodic settings and ideologies." [12] Margaret Pomeranz of ABC Australia gave it 3 out of 5 stars, saying that "the insight it gives into Indian culture and customs, is interesting and that tends to overcome the slight impatience with the overload of emotions." David Stratton, also of ABC, gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, commenting on how the film version was edited 40 minutes shorter but that it was beautifully acted and fascinating. [13]

Box office

The film was declared a hit at the box office.[ clarification needed ] [14]

Other titles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rituparno Ghosh</span> Indian film director, actor, writer, and lyricist

Rituparno Ghosh was an Indian film director, actor, writer and lyricist. After pursuing a degree in economics, he started his career as a creative artist at an advertising agency. He received recognition for his second feature film Unishe April which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. Having won 19 National Awards, along with his contemporaries Aparna Sen and Goutam Ghose, Rituparno heralded contemporary Bengali cinema to greater heights. Ghosh died on 30 May 2013 in Kolkata after a heart attack. Ghosh was also one of the openly homosexual personalities in Indian cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raima Sen</span> Indian actress

Raima Sen is an Indian actress who is known for her work in Hindi and Bengali films.

<i>Antarmahal</i> 2005 Indian film

Antarmahal is a 2005 Indian Bengali film, directed by Rituparno Ghosh and produced by Amitabh Bachchan Corporation. The film is based on a Bengali short story named Pratima by Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay. Set in the late 19th century, the plot revolves around two women who are married to a vainglorious Bengali landlord who exploits them to obtain social status. It stars Jackie Shroff, Roopa Ganguly, Soha Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Mrinal Mukherjee, Sumanta Mukherjee and Biswajit Chakraborty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prosenjit Chatterjee</span> Indian film actor and producer

Prosenjit Chatterjee is an Indian actor and producer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading actors of modern Bengali cinema. He predominantly works in Bengali cinema. He is the son of veteran Bollywood actor Biswajit Chatterjee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sreela Majumdar</span> Indian actress (1958/1959 – 2024)

Sreela Majumdar was an Indian actress in the Bengali language film industry. She did voice dubbing for Aishwarya Rai in the film Chokher Bali (2003).

Debashree Roy also known as Debasree Roy, is an Indian actress, dancer, choreographer, politician and animal rights activist. As an actress, she is known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema. She has been cited as the reigning queen of Bengali commercial cinema. She acted in more than a hundred films and won over forty awards, including a National Award, three BFJA Awards, five Kalakar Awards and an Anandalok Award. As a dancer, she is known for her stage adaptations of the various forms of Indian folk dances as well as her innovative dance forms imbued with elements from Indian classical, tribal and folk dance. She runs Natraj dance troupe. She is the founder of Debasree Roy Foundation, a non-profit organisation that works for the cause of stray animals. Roy was a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Raidighi constituency since 2011 till 2021.

<i>Bariwali</i> 2000 West Bengal film

Bariwali (LandLady) is a West Bengal film released in 2000 directed by Rituparno Ghosh. The film features Kirron Kher, Roopa Ganguly, and Chiranjeet Chakraborty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aishwarya Rai Bachchan</span> Indian actress (born 1973)

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. Rai won the Miss World 1994 pageant and later established herself as one of the most-popular and influential celebrities in India. She has received numerous accolades for her acting, including two Filmfare Awards. In 2004, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2009, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri and in 2012, the Government of France awarded her with the Order of Arts and Letters. In the media and by her fans, she has often been called "the most beautiful woman in the world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shree Venkatesh Films</span> Indian media and entertainment company

SVF Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian film production and distribution company, founded by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni in 1995. Apart from producing and distributing Bengali films in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Assam and Tripura, SVF also distributes Bollywood and Hollywood films in East India. The other divisions of the company include Exhibition, TV Content Production, Digital Cinema, Music, New Media and IPR syndication. SVF was in Anandabazar Patrika's powerlist for 2008 and 2010.

Anandalok Puraskar or Anandalok Awards ceremony is an award ceremony for Bengali film in India. The Anandalok, only film magazine in Bengali language, published from Ananda Publishers and Ananda Bazar Patrika presents this award (Puraskar). The magazine was started on 25 January 1975 and the awards ceremony was started in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of West Bengal</span>

Cinema of West Bengal, also known as Tollywood or Bengali cinema, is the segment of Indian cinema, dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Bengali language widely spoken in the state of West Bengal. It is based in the Tollygunge region of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The origins of the nickname Tollywood, a portmanteau of the words Tollygunge and Hollywood, dates back to 1932. It was a historically important film industry, at one time the centre of Indian film production. The Bengali film industry is known for producing many of Indian cinema's most critically acclaimed global Parallel Cinema and art films, with several of its filmmakers gaining prominence at the Indian National Film Awards as well as international acclaim.

<i>Abohomaan</i> 2010 film by Rituparno Ghosh

Abohomaan is a 2010 Bengali-language film by Rituparno Ghosh, which explores the nuances of relationships through a married film director who falls in love with an actress who is the same age as his son. The film stars Deepankar De, Mamata Shankar, Ananya Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta, Riya Sen and is produced by Mahesh Ramanathan, Reliance Big Pictures. Rituparno Ghosh, Arghyakamal Mitra, Mahesh Ramanathan and Ananya Chatterjee won National Film Awards in 2010 for Best Director, Best Editor Best Bengali Film and Best Actress respectively. The film was screened in the Marché du Film section of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Noukadubi</i> (2011 film) 2011 Indian film

Noukadubi is a Bengali film directed by Rituparno Ghosh, released in January 2011. The movie is a period film set in the 1920s, based on the 1906 novel by Rabindranath Tagore, although the credits claim that the film is 'inspired' by the Tagore novel because Rituparno Ghosh has taken the skeleton of the original story and woven it with his own inputs – cerebral and emotional.

<i>Memories in March</i> 2010 Indian film

Memories in March is a 2010 Indian drama film directed by Sanjoy Nag. The film stars Deepti Naval, Rituparno Ghosh, and Raima Sen. The film is an effective exploration of a situation wherein a bereaved mother comes to terms with her late son's sexual identity. The film was released on 1 Apr 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aishwarya Rai Bachchan filmography</span>

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian actress who has appeared in 48 films in five languages, predominantly in Hindi and Tamil. She made her acting debut in 1997 with dual role in Mani Ratnam's Tamil political drama film Iruvar, and her Bollywood debut that same year in the romantic comedy Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya opposite Bobby Deol. Rai followed it with a leading role in Jeans (1998), a high-profile Tamil film that was submitted as India's official entry to the Academy Awards. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her breakthrough role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic drama Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and starred as a singer in the musical drama Taal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prosenjit Chatterjee filmography</span> Indian film actor, producer and television presenter

Prosenjit Chatterjee is an Indian actor, producer and television presenter, who works predominantly in Bengali and Hindi language films. He debuted as a child actor in the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-directorial Chotto Jigyasa, for which he has won the Bengal Film Journalists' Association – Most Outstanding Work of the Year Award. After a string of films where he acted as a child actor, he made his debut as a lead actor in Duti Pata, which was a critically and commercially unsuccessful.

<i>Chokher Bali</i> (TV series) 2015 Indian TV series or programme

Chokher Bali is a Bengali language television serial which aired on the Indian general entertainment channel Zee Bangla.

<i>Mayurakshi</i> 2017 Bengali film directed by Atanu Ghosh

Mayurakshi is a 2017 Bengali film directed by Atanu Ghosh and produced by Firdausal Hassan & Probal Halder for Friends Communication. The music was composed by Debojyoti Mishra. The film won the award for Best Bengali feature film at the 65th National Film Awards.

<i>Chokher Bali</i> (novel) Novel by Rabindranath Tagore

Chokher Bali is a 1903 Bengali novel by Rabindranath Tagore that revolves around the central character Binodini and her relationships with three individuals. It explores the extramarital affair between Binodini, a young widow, and Mahendra, an old suitor of hers, the complicated friendship with Asha, Mahendra's wife, and her mutually conflicting feelings with Behari, Mahendra's childhood best friend. The novel also highlights issues of female literacy, child marriage, patriarchy within the family, and the fate of widows during that era.

Chokher Bali is a Bengali drama film directed by Satu Sen based on the same name novel of Rabindranath Tagore. This film was released on 30 July 1938 under the banner of Associated Producers. This is the first film adaptation of Chokher Bali.

References

  1. ↑ Ghosh, Tanmoy (2003). "Chokher Bali". Filmfare . Archived from the original on 4 December 2003. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "Alluring Ash". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 13 November 2003. Archived from the original on 28 November 2003.
  3. ↑ "| Bollywood News | Celebrity News". Bollywood Hungama . 2 April 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Bengali films zoom in on profits". Rediff.com. 10 January 2004. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "International Film Festival Locarno". Archived from the original on 27 February 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2007.
  6. ↑ "Why Ash loves Binodini". Rediff. 20 October 2003. Retrieved 20 October 2003.
  7. ↑ "The Toronto Film Festival". Time . Archived from the original on 17 May 2007.
  8. ↑ "Ash will be remembered in Chokher Bali". Rediff. 5 May 2003. Retrieved 5 May 2003.
  9. ↑ "Aishwarya's screen presence and passion play". Rediff.com . Retrieved 7 October 2003.
  10. ↑ "Chokher Bali will widen my horizon". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2003.
  11. ↑ "A director's film". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 30 November 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2003.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ↑ "Chokher Bali - movie review by Ekanshu Khera - Planet Bollywood". Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  13. ↑ "At the Movies: Chokher Bali: A Passion Play". www.abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  14. ↑ "'Chokher Bali' is a hit | Chokher Bali (2003) | Latest Movie News". Bollywood Hungama . 11 October 2003. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.