THE Film Society of Los Angeles recently screened Bimal Roy’s Sujata as a tribute to the legendary film director’s 50th death anniversary. Next month, the Indian American Film Society will also have a special screening of Sujata to mark 50 years of his death. Although Bimal Roy passed away on Jan 8, 1966, his films have as much appeal to cinemagoers today as they did when they were made in the 1950s and 1960s.

Bimal Roy, who was my uncle, was born near Dacca to a zamindar family on July 12, 1909. After the death of his father, the estate manager evicted Roy and his family from their ancestral home. Young and penniless, Roy was forced to relocate to Calcutta with his widowed mother and younger siblings. During his younger days in Dacca, he was very involved in theatre. I heard from my father that he often had to play the role of a heroine because in those days women were not allowed to perform in plays. His passion, however, was photography, which he taught himself. He was also quite adept at playing the violin. From a very young age, he had these creative talents, which later helped him in his métier as a film-maker in India.

After moving to Calcutta in the 1930s, Roy worked in a photographer’s studio for a pittance. Roy’s foray into the film world started when he assisted the renowned cameraman, Nitin Bose, in Promothesh Barua’s highly acclaimed Devdas. Roy’s great sense of lighting and brilliant camera work garnered him profound appreciation and respect from numerous film critics. In 1944, Roy made his debut as a director with his landmark film Udayer Pathey, which became a blockbuster. Udayer Pathey not only ran continuously for a year but the film’s dialogue was also sold as booklets at every street-corner tobacconist. In many ways Udayer Pathey echoed Roy’s moral and political sensibilities, which were demonstrated in his later films.

The Second World War and the Partition wreaked havoc on the film industry in Calcutta. Consequently Roy was forced to relocate with his family to Bombay, which became his new home. In 1953, he launched his own company, Bimal Roy Productions, with a stellar team consisting of Kamal Bose (cinematographer), Salil Chowdhury (music director), Nabendu Ghosh (screenwriter), Hrishikesh Mukherjee (editor), and Asit Sen (assistant director), to name a few. In the early 1960s, Basu Bhattacharya and Gulzar also joined his team. He had a special talent to gather brilliant people and utilise their talents in the right away to create masterpieces.

In 1953, he made his path-breaking film Do Bigha Zamin. Even now, 63 years later, it continues to be regarded as one of the 10 best Indian films of all times. His reputation as a film-maker of international standing was firmly established as Do Bigha Zamin received critical acclaim from film critics all over the world. It also won the prestigious “the Prix Internationale” in Cannes in 1954 and the coveted “Prize for Social Progress” at the Karlovy Vary film festival. According to film critics, it was Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves which inspired Roy to introduce neo-realism for the first time in Indian cinema with his Do Bigha Zamin. He went on to make several masterpieces such as Parineeta (1953), Naukari (1954), Biraj Bahu (1954), Devdas (1954), Madhumati (1958), Yahudi (1958), Sujata (1959), Parakh (1960), and Bandini (1963).

Although his films contained the populist elements of dance and music, they all had a powerful message against the oppression and exploitation of the weak by the rich.

In personal life, Roy was an extremely humble person to whom money and fame were not important. According to his son, Joy Roy, he was fascinated by the life and teachings of Buddha and Swami Vivekananda. Roy’s abiding interest in both Buddha and Vivekananda culminated into making two brilliant documentaries on them. His documentary, Gotama the Buddha (1956), received “Prix Mention Exceptionalle” at the 1957 Cannes film festival while film critics at home accorded highest appreciation for Life and Message of Swami Vivekananda (1964).

He was known in the Indian film world for generously helping film directors with camera and light compositions without ever expecting anything in return.

Roy was a reticent man by nature and this is probably why his biographers often described him as the “silent man”. He was a private person who lived a simple life away from the media spotlight.

He was a quintessential Bengali and was certainly proud to be so. Although Roy had to leave Bengal due to circumstances, Bengal always remained with him. His strong connection with Bengal is demonstrated by the fact that most of his films were based on stories written by prominent Bengali writers. Despite the fact that he was based in Bombay, the locale of his films was often Bengal. He loved listening to Tagore’s songs and reading the works of Tagore, Sarat Chandra, Bankim Chandra and other prominent writers. Like many Bengalis, he was a connoisseur of food but he was a teetotaller. He even forbade some of the Bollywood film stars who were fond of drinking from bringing alcohol into his house. Smoking was his only addiction, which later became his nemesis. Roy dressed simply but elegantly. On formal occasions, he would be seen in his traditional Bengali attire: dhoti, kurta and a Jawahar coat or a Kashmiri shawl, while at home he always wore a white lungi and fotua (vest).

Whenever Roy visited Calcutta on business, he stayed with us. I always looked forward to his visits with alacrity because he often brought fancy toys or imported chocolates for me. During his trips to Calcutta, he would be extremely busy with shooting or reconnaissance. When he returned home, he would sit quietly on the sofa, smoking his favourite brand of Chesterfield cigarettes non-stop while plunged in deep thought. Being a naughty kid, I had no compunction about pestering him with all kinds of questions. Although he was tired, he would always answer my questions patiently and gently.

He genuinely adored children, giving them his undivided attention and unconditional love. Roy was completely devoted to his family, both immediate and extended and was always there for them. His notion of family, however, was not limited to blood relations. People, who were in his production unit, were also part of his extended family; they all lovingly called him Bimal-da.

Roy was a perfectionist when it came to making films. He often spent hours and even days to get the perfect shot. He also expected the same kind of uncompromising quality from his actors. Kamini Kaushal recounted her experience working with Roy: “Before we started filming Biraj Bahu, Bimalda asked me how many times I had read the novel. ‘Twice,’ I said. He told me to read it 20 times. I read it over and over again. What a revelation that was!”

In 1966, he died of lung cancer, leaving behind a rich legacy of cinematic masterpieces, which is now a part of national heritage. Although Roy won several prestigious Filmfare, national as well as international awards, such accolades do not capture the greatness of this man whose life embodied compassion, responsibility, and respect. It’s no wonder then that Roy’s family and associates still cherish their memories of this extraordinary individual who once graced their lives.

The Statesman/India

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2016