BHUVAN SHOME (1969)

We have seen him as one of the most whimsical funny old man ‘Bhavanishankar’ in Hrishida’s timeless classic comedy ‘Golmaal’or ‘Naram Garam’. Utpal Dutt was one of the absolutely brilliant and rare breed of actor. I don’t remember any other actor who became so graceful at one time and so funny at the other as he grew old in his characters. He was one of the original Indian comedian who didn’t require funny dialogues or situations to make you laugh. Humor is the integral part of his natural body language.

The film is Winner of President’s Gold Medal and made by India’s art house director- Mrinal Sen. It’s a limited budget small film with the length of one and half hours. The plot is more seems like reading one of R K Narayan’s Malgudi tales.

Bhuvan Shome is typical Bengali Babu who is very principle loving, strict, angry old man serving as a Railway Officer. Due to his arrogant typical characteristics he always regarded in staff as the dangerous man whose sight everyone likes to avoid. He didn’t pay heed to his own single son and left him from several years. Now at the ripe age he cultivated a new suitable hobby of hunting birds. He landed up in one of the local Gujarati town for hunting and met a smart local Gujarati village girl with whom he shared a strange relationship as she helped him in his hunting task. How his encounter with the girl transformed him from a whimsical, arrogant old officer into a lovable life loving gentleman is a thing to watch for all Indian cinema lovers.

I don’t want to ruin the characteristic charm of Utpal Dutt while praising him much but let me say that I surely include his act here in one of my favorite Indian movie characters list. Watch his mood in the last scene when he committed a single good act of his life and you can’t resist smile on your face. The film also has fine act by young and charming Suhasini Mulay.( Remember the modern age mother of Akshay Khanna in ‘Dil Chahta Hai’) You just love his natural act here.

The only thing you have to bear is few tiring long shots which sometimes bore you. But if you tolerate it, I guarantee you will surely enjoy a quality cinema.

Highly Recommended for all Utpal Dutt fans.

Ratings- 8/10