Cinema
A River Called Titas
Titash Ekti Nadir Naam
Ritwik Ghatak · 1973
Synopsis
On the Titash, the fisherman Kishore, passing through a neighbouring village, marries a young girl, Rajar Jhi, on impulse. On the night of the return, bandits abduct her from the boat; she throws herself into the water and fishermen from another village take her in. Ashamed, knowing of her husband only the name of his village, she raises their son there, while Kishore, struck by the loss, loses his reason. Ten years later, she sets out with the child to look for him and finds help in Basanti, a young widow who loved Kishore as a child.
Context
Invited to Dhaka with Satyajit Ray by the government of Bangladesh in February 1972, Ghatak was returning to East Bengal after thirty years; he adapted Adwaita Mallabarman's novel about the Malo fishermen. A co-production of Bangladesh and India, produced by Habibur Rahman Khan, photographed by Baby Islam, with music by Ustad Bahadur Khan, the film shows him in the role of the boatman Tilakchand. It was released on 27 July 1973 and was his penultimate film.
Who it is for
A black and white film of almost two and a half hours, with many ellipses; several stories follow one another with no single plot.
Prizes and reception
Regarded by some critics as Ghatak's masterpiece, it was restored and released by the Criterion Collection.