Kathantara
Encyclopedia
Kathantara is a 2005 (released in 2007) Indi
an Oriya film directed by Himansu Khatua, a story of tribulations of 1999 Orissa cyclone. Much before the Tsunami
became a household name all over the world, the coastal belts of Orissa
were hit by what has come to be known as the Super Cyclone that killed more than 10,000 people and rendered still more homeless. But public memory is short lived and it is a commendable effort on the part of the director Himansu Khatua to rake up the issue in his second feature film, perhaps the only India
n film that recalls those fateful days that changed the lives of so many people within a span of just a few days and its aftermath.
, is an attempt to throw light on the trials and tribulations of 1999 Orissa cyclone survivors with particular emphasis on Kalpana ( Anu Chowdhury
), a young widow. Kalpana’s destiny is followed from different perspective and a tale of human predicament is built around her.The films narrative unfolds with the anniversary function of 1999 Super Cyclone that devastated coastal Orissa
. This was one of the severest cyclones of the last century. It had caused absolute havoc, leaving thousands dead and many more thousands homeless and destitute. The worst affected was the Bengali
refugee
settlement. Aids and relief came pouring in. So also came NGOs, media persons, politicians, and vested-interest groups. With so much external influence the local value system got affected, corruption and amoral practices became rampant.Dipankar, a TV Journalist from Bangladesh
, is engaged in documenting the cyclone anniversary and the status of the post-cyclone survivors. With the help of an NGO group he covers the programme, and hears a great deal about Kalpana - the much publicised cyclone widow. Dipankar takes a keen interest on her and wants to do a special feature.
The genesis of Kalpana’s ordeal is rooted in history. Like others in that locality her father a forced migrant from East Bengal
during the partition
, struggled all his life to establish his identity, even though he was a citizen of his adopted homeland.
Kalpana born and brought up in coastal Orissa
, India
, was leading a harmonious life with her fisherman husband. As they were dreaming to add more colours into their life, the infamous super cyclone of October 1999 strikes. It leaves all her family member dead. Kalpana miraculously survives. And with the support of her childhood friend Akshaya she limps back to a life now full of emptiness. The links with her past being snapped off, Kalpana feels alienated in her own native place. A sense of dispossession engulfs her.Kalpana tired with her own struggle and very much bitter at the meaningless publicity made out of her, firmly refuses Dipankar for an interview. Disappointed, he returns to his own country without the story he wanted to do on Kalpana.Kalpana lives an isolated life with an uncertain future. She does small job with the support of local NGO and fights to safeguard her dignity from the lusts of society. Kalpana’s life is limited to ceaseless follow up with the Govt. officials for the death compensation package.
Dipankara makes a repeat visit without his camera unit and he just wants to meet Kalpana. He is fascinated with her innocence, beauty and determination. He shares with her lot of things about himself, about his people and the life out there in Dhaka
. He also learns about Kalpana and wants to put an end to her suffering.It becomes difficult on Kalpana’s part to reconcile in settling down with a person she hardly knows. Yet again, she is fed up with this place with bleak prospect. The frustration of the never ending follow-up for compensation money, the anguish of being treated as women of loose virtue by village youths, and the illicit advances by Rupa’s husband makes Kalpana insecured. Rupa, also believes how difficult it is for a single woman, especially a young and good looking widow to cope up with her present situation. She insists upon Kalpana to settle down with Dipankar in Bangladesh
- the land of her forefathers.
A brief stay in Kolkata
prior to crossing the border becomes a revealing moment in Kalpana’s life. She realises she will be a misfit in the far off urban setting of Dhaka
and would suffer further alienation. The memories of her homeland, of her childhood, of all that she had and all that she lost will haunt her for the rest of her life. She longs to return back to her village.She also reconciles to the fact that Dipankar, in spite of all his concern and support, is just another ambitious Journalist whose priority is his career. He sees everything from the point of view of news and story. Right now she is a hot subject for Dipankar, he can get lot of publicity if he marries her.
Ironically, the scene in her village is different-now. The improper eviction process for the immigrants from Bangladesh
is in full swing. People are being served deportation
notices to leave the country within 30 days. There is a large scale resentment
, unrest and protest-rally by the affected people to assert their rights and belongingness to the adopted homeland.Kalpana unaware of the happenings returns to her home and to her own people. Despite all the adversities, stigma and grim prospect she could breathe freely in the land which forever belongs to her. But as soon as she lands up in her village she is also served with the deportation notice.Kalpana now determined to stay back, takes a surprise bold step to reclaim her rights to live in the land of her birth.When she comes back to the village Kalpana realizes, quite conveniently, that Akshaya, the simple village guy who had saved her is the actual love of her life and implores him to ‘save’ her by marrying her. This is a major letdown in her characterization and is quite a regressive moment; as a result it fails to alleviate her in the eyes of the viewers at the end.
Kathantara seemingly looks like a very simple film but it does pack in a lot of issues and is multi-layered and rich in subtexts. One just wished that its treatment also reflected the same richness, but unfortunately it does not. The camera work of Sameer Mahajan does manage to capture the landscape of Orissa in all its expansive beauty. One is particularly impressed by a sequence where in one long take the character of Rupa enters her house from outside at dusk; the camera which is placed at the door, pans left along with her as she enters her room, interacts with her husband who is lying on a bed in long shot, and he gets up and walks out of the house while the camera holds on to her in the foreground. The outdoor and indoor matching of lights in the sequence is quite an impressive stroke and the mise-en-scene is quite noteworthy. But otherwise, overall, the mise-en-scenes are too simplistic and the scenes too informative. Specially the scenes inside the Kolkata hotel room; they are too rudimentary and bland, shot mostly in top angle mid-long shots. In fact the entire film has a propensity for long takes and long and mid-long shots and is peculiarly averse to close-ups. The ride from Howrah station to the hotel in a taxi (which does not have a meter!) fails to capture the essence of the big city; it is left to the lead characters to speak about its enormity and monotony instead. At places the film is too loaded with dialogues, which are solely meant to convey information, quite often superfluous; and what makes matters worse is that they are stilted, specially the Bengali lines spoken by Dipankar. Also, the actor playing Dipankar tries hard to deliver but falls far short of expectation. With his full-sleeved dull coloured shirts tucked inside dark pleated pants, he looks like a stuffed bureaucrat and lacks the flamboyance or mannerisms of a television journalist. In fact, he affects the entire look of the film. The only saving grace are the two actresses even if Anu Choudhury in the role of Kalpana looks too urbane and her starched cotton printed sarees do not help matters in lending her character the required rural look that was so necessary for the film. But her face has an elegance and sublime quality and her fine performance compensates for these shortcomings and one wishes there were at least some close-ups of her beautiful face.
Indi
Indi may refer to:*Mag-indi language*Division of Indi, an electoral division in the Australian House of Representatives*Indi, Karnataka, a town in the state of India...
an Oriya film directed by Himansu Khatua, a story of tribulations of 1999 Orissa cyclone. Much before the Tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
became a household name all over the world, the coastal belts of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
were hit by what has come to be known as the Super Cyclone that killed more than 10,000 people and rendered still more homeless. But public memory is short lived and it is a commendable effort on the part of the director Himansu Khatua to rake up the issue in his second feature film, perhaps the only India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n film that recalls those fateful days that changed the lives of so many people within a span of just a few days and its aftermath.
Synopsis
Kathantara, a feature film is in OriyaOriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
, is an attempt to throw light on the trials and tribulations of 1999 Orissa cyclone survivors with particular emphasis on Kalpana ( Anu Chowdhury
Anu Chowdhury
Anu Choudhury born Choudhury Anasuya Dash on August 30, 1979 is a leading Oriya language and Bengali actress in Bhubaneswar based Oriya Cinema at Ollywood and calcutta based Bengali Cinema at Tollywood respectively.She has starred in more than 50 films...
), a young widow. Kalpana’s destiny is followed from different perspective and a tale of human predicament is built around her.The films narrative unfolds with the anniversary function of 1999 Super Cyclone that devastated coastal Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
. This was one of the severest cyclones of the last century. It had caused absolute havoc, leaving thousands dead and many more thousands homeless and destitute. The worst affected was the Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
settlement. Aids and relief came pouring in. So also came NGOs, media persons, politicians, and vested-interest groups. With so much external influence the local value system got affected, corruption and amoral practices became rampant.Dipankar, a TV Journalist from Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, is engaged in documenting the cyclone anniversary and the status of the post-cyclone survivors. With the help of an NGO group he covers the programme, and hears a great deal about Kalpana - the much publicised cyclone widow. Dipankar takes a keen interest on her and wants to do a special feature.
The genesis of Kalpana’s ordeal is rooted in history. Like others in that locality her father a forced migrant from East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
during the partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, struggled all his life to establish his identity, even though he was a citizen of his adopted homeland.
Kalpana born and brought up in coastal Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, was leading a harmonious life with her fisherman husband. As they were dreaming to add more colours into their life, the infamous super cyclone of October 1999 strikes. It leaves all her family member dead. Kalpana miraculously survives. And with the support of her childhood friend Akshaya she limps back to a life now full of emptiness. The links with her past being snapped off, Kalpana feels alienated in her own native place. A sense of dispossession engulfs her.Kalpana tired with her own struggle and very much bitter at the meaningless publicity made out of her, firmly refuses Dipankar for an interview. Disappointed, he returns to his own country without the story he wanted to do on Kalpana.Kalpana lives an isolated life with an uncertain future. She does small job with the support of local NGO and fights to safeguard her dignity from the lusts of society. Kalpana’s life is limited to ceaseless follow up with the Govt. officials for the death compensation package.
Dipankara makes a repeat visit without his camera unit and he just wants to meet Kalpana. He is fascinated with her innocence, beauty and determination. He shares with her lot of things about himself, about his people and the life out there in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
. He also learns about Kalpana and wants to put an end to her suffering.It becomes difficult on Kalpana’s part to reconcile in settling down with a person she hardly knows. Yet again, she is fed up with this place with bleak prospect. The frustration of the never ending follow-up for compensation money, the anguish of being treated as women of loose virtue by village youths, and the illicit advances by Rupa’s husband makes Kalpana insecured. Rupa, also believes how difficult it is for a single woman, especially a young and good looking widow to cope up with her present situation. She insists upon Kalpana to settle down with Dipankar in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
- the land of her forefathers.
A brief stay in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
prior to crossing the border becomes a revealing moment in Kalpana’s life. She realises she will be a misfit in the far off urban setting of Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
and would suffer further alienation. The memories of her homeland, of her childhood, of all that she had and all that she lost will haunt her for the rest of her life. She longs to return back to her village.She also reconciles to the fact that Dipankar, in spite of all his concern and support, is just another ambitious Journalist whose priority is his career. He sees everything from the point of view of news and story. Right now she is a hot subject for Dipankar, he can get lot of publicity if he marries her.
Ironically, the scene in her village is different-now. The improper eviction process for the immigrants from Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
is in full swing. People are being served deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
notices to leave the country within 30 days. There is a large scale resentment
Resentment
Resentment is the experience of a negative emotion felt as a result of a real or imagined wrong done. Etymologically, the word originates from French "ressentir", re-, intensive prefix, and sentir "to feel"; from the Latin "sentire"...
, unrest and protest-rally by the affected people to assert their rights and belongingness to the adopted homeland.Kalpana unaware of the happenings returns to her home and to her own people. Despite all the adversities, stigma and grim prospect she could breathe freely in the land which forever belongs to her. But as soon as she lands up in her village she is also served with the deportation notice.Kalpana now determined to stay back, takes a surprise bold step to reclaim her rights to live in the land of her birth.When she comes back to the village Kalpana realizes, quite conveniently, that Akshaya, the simple village guy who had saved her is the actual love of her life and implores him to ‘save’ her by marrying her. This is a major letdown in her characterization and is quite a regressive moment; as a result it fails to alleviate her in the eyes of the viewers at the end.
Cast
- Anu ChowdhuryAnu ChowdhuryAnu Choudhury born Choudhury Anasuya Dash on August 30, 1979 is a leading Oriya language and Bengali actress in Bhubaneswar based Oriya Cinema at Ollywood and calcutta based Bengali Cinema at Tollywood respectively.She has starred in more than 50 films...
as (Kalpana)-Kalpana, a cyclone widow,a leading actress in Oriya films, portrays the mental agony of both a cyclone survivor and a BangladeshBangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i settler who has been served a notice to leave the country of her birth. She worked hard on her look, walk, body language, dialogue delivery… everything. She’s brilliant in every scene. - Bhaswati Basu as (Rupa)
- Rasesh Mohanty as (Akshaya)
- Bedaprasad Das as (Deepankar)
- Choudhury Bikash Das as (Bikash)
- Mihir Swain as (Late husband of Kalpana)
- Mamuni Mishra
- George Tiadi
- Surya Mohanty
- Ananta Mohapatra
- Houdhury Jayaprakash Das
- Bidyutprava Devi
- Chakradhara Jena
Credits
- Director - Himansu Khatua
- Story - Himansu Khatua
- Producer -Iti Samanta
- Composer -Swarup Nayak
- Cinematographer -Sameer Mahajan
- Editor - Ravi Patnaik
- Art -Amiya Maharana
Awards
- Orissa State Film AwardsOrissa State Film AwardsThe Orissa State Film Awards have been conferred by the Department of Culture, Government of Orissa, India.The awards were initied in the year 1968. The awards are decided by independent juries formed by the Department of Culture, Govt. of Orissa...
- Best feature film of the year 2006
- Best Director & Best Story- Himanshu Khatua
- Best Music Director-Swaroop Nayak
- Best Photography-Sameer Mahajan
- Best Audiography- Manas Chaudhry & Gitimugdha Sahani
- Best Supporting Actress- Bhaswati Basu
- Best Supporting Actor - Hadu
- National Film AwardNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in OriyaThe Best Feature Film in Oriya is a National Film Award . Oriya is a national language of India. Previous award winners are as follows:...
- Best feature film in Oriya
Critical reception
Thus, Kathantara is brilliantly shot and passionately directed. The real star of a film is it’s content, the script. Kathantara is a perfect example of that. It is a perfect example of team work. In today’s context, when we are familiar watching fast-paced films with sleek camera work and stylized editing, the film not only fulfills the above measures, but its narrative is also pretty superb. Debaprasad Dash as a TV journalist from Bangladesh, Chaudhary Bikash Dash as an abusive husband, Rasesh Mohanty as the silent lover and Hadu, in a very small role of a street-smart villager excel in their respective roles. Mihir Swain, Chaudhary Jay Prakash Dash, Mamuni Mishra did justice with their characters. But the surprise packet is Bhaswati Basu as Rupa. She’s simply superb. Masterly editing by Ravi Shankar Pattnaik and breathtaking cimematography by Sameer Mahajan makes Kathantara a must watch film. The film is rich in background score. Audiography by Manas Choudhry and Gitimugdha Sahani is pretty good and art direction by Amiya Maharana is realistic. Overall Kathantara, the first venture of Kadambinee Media, is a brilliant film.Kathantara seemingly looks like a very simple film but it does pack in a lot of issues and is multi-layered and rich in subtexts. One just wished that its treatment also reflected the same richness, but unfortunately it does not. The camera work of Sameer Mahajan does manage to capture the landscape of Orissa in all its expansive beauty. One is particularly impressed by a sequence where in one long take the character of Rupa enters her house from outside at dusk; the camera which is placed at the door, pans left along with her as she enters her room, interacts with her husband who is lying on a bed in long shot, and he gets up and walks out of the house while the camera holds on to her in the foreground. The outdoor and indoor matching of lights in the sequence is quite an impressive stroke and the mise-en-scene is quite noteworthy. But otherwise, overall, the mise-en-scenes are too simplistic and the scenes too informative. Specially the scenes inside the Kolkata hotel room; they are too rudimentary and bland, shot mostly in top angle mid-long shots. In fact the entire film has a propensity for long takes and long and mid-long shots and is peculiarly averse to close-ups. The ride from Howrah station to the hotel in a taxi (which does not have a meter!) fails to capture the essence of the big city; it is left to the lead characters to speak about its enormity and monotony instead. At places the film is too loaded with dialogues, which are solely meant to convey information, quite often superfluous; and what makes matters worse is that they are stilted, specially the Bengali lines spoken by Dipankar. Also, the actor playing Dipankar tries hard to deliver but falls far short of expectation. With his full-sleeved dull coloured shirts tucked inside dark pleated pants, he looks like a stuffed bureaucrat and lacks the flamboyance or mannerisms of a television journalist. In fact, he affects the entire look of the film. The only saving grace are the two actresses even if Anu Choudhury in the role of Kalpana looks too urbane and her starched cotton printed sarees do not help matters in lending her character the required rural look that was so necessary for the film. But her face has an elegance and sublime quality and her fine performance compensates for these shortcomings and one wishes there were at least some close-ups of her beautiful face.
External links
- Review of 'Kathantara in www.izeans.com
- Review of 'Kathantara in www.upperstall.com
- http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=148&page=31