Documentary film ‘Shadows of Ambiguity’ traces Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay’s genius

KOLKATA: Presented by Sahitya Akademi and directed by the eminent Indian auteur Ashoke Viswanathan, the documentary on the renowned Bengali litterateur Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, ‘Shadows of Ambiguity’ is scheduled to be screened on Monday at Nandan III.

The documentary is being screened by Forum for Film Studies and Allied Arts at 6 pm. The filmmaker Ashoke Viswanathan told Millennium Post: “It is an explanatory documentary which not only seeks to encapsulate the litterateur’s life and writings but also tries to explore the philosophy of the man. It searches for the answer to what makes him tick, the issues and themes that shaped his career all the while.”

He highlighted that one major strand in the writings of Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay is spirituality.

“Mukhopadhyay is truly a post-modern writer as he is aware of the language being used the way it has changed, and he is aware of the literature of different lands and climates. One of his favourite authors, when he was growing up, was Albert Camus, whose novels ‘The Fall’ and ‘The Outsider’ greatly moved him. In Shirshendu’s novel ‘Ghunpoka’ there is a strong influence of existentialism” he said.

“There is a surreal streak in what he writes. If you look at his novel ‘Jaal’ there are surreal elements of fantasy, ghosts and folklore; all these elements are evident in his writings. ‘Goyner Baksho’ is a very cinematic piece of writing but uses the time and memory of people who have left us. Ghosts are bound in his writing. He is stylistically and structurally a very post-modern writer who likes to break the form and narrative, and create expressionistic and surrealistic modes of writing,” the director felt.

“His characterisation and psychological studies have led to some outstanding works like ‘Parthibo’ which has five beginnings. Also, ‘Manabjamin’ for which he won the Sahitya Akademi award. Many of his recent works have shown a quixotic and idiosyncratic side of his nature. Although he is at times extremely pragmatic and logical, he has a flair for the extraordinary. His exploration of human relationships, and his understanding of the psychology of his protagonists, and of women in particular, is exemplary,” Viswanathan said.

“I have tried to look at various episodes of his life and preoccupations, themes. I recreated portions from his novel ‘Parthibo’. I have used his texts like ‘Dooratwa’ which was made into a film by Buddhadeb Dasgupta,” he concluded.