सिनेमा का संतुलन साधने वाला शिल्पी

तपन सिन्हा का फिल्मी संसार सामाजिक सरोकार से जुड़े ड्रामे से लेकर हल्की-फुल्की कामेडी, साहित्यिक रूपांतरण से लेकर बच्चों की फिल्मों तक,घरेलू रिश्तों की आत्मीय कहानियों से लेकर साहसिक रोमांच तक फैला हुआ था। व्यावसायिक और कला सिनेमा में अद्भुत संगम करने वाले तपनसिन्हा की जन्मतिथि (2 अक्टूबर) पर संदीप भूतोड़िया का आलेख...

 

भारतीय सिनेमा, खासकर बांग्ला फिल्मों का इतिहास अक्सर तीन महान हस्तियों- सत्यजीत राय, मृणाल सेन और ऋत्विक घटक के इर्द-गिर्द देखाजाता है, लेकिन तपन सिन्हा ने भी लगभग 50 वर्षों (1924–2009) के अपने करियर में एक समृद्ध और विविध सिनेमाई यात्रा रची,  जो अपनीमौलिकता और बहुविधता में अद्वितीय थी। उनका फिल्मी संसार विषय और शैली, दोनों ही स्तरों पर व्यापक था। विविधता उनकी सबसे बड़ी पहचानबनी। सत्यजीत राय की तरह उन्होंने कोई शैली नहीं गढ़ी, न ही मृणाल सेन की तरह राजनीतिक सिनेमा में बंधे। वे व्यावहारिक रहे, हर विषय केअनुरूप संरचना गढ़ने को तैयार। उनका मानना था कि सिनेमा को सबसे बड़े दर्शकवर्ग से संवाद करना चाहिए, मगर अपनी ईमानदारी से समझौता किएबिना। उनकी फिल्मों ने समानांतर और व्यावसायिक सिनेमा के बीच मध्यमार्ग प्रस्तुत किया, जिससे वे सामाजिक रूप से जिम्मेदार और आम दर्शकों केलिए सुलभ बनीं।

 

साहित्यिक आधार पर गूंजा सिनेमा

तपन सिन्हा की शुरुआती फिल्मों ने ही उनके साहित्यिक रुझान को उजागर कर दिया था। रवींद्रनाथ टैगोर की कहानियों पर बनी ‘काबुलीवाला’(1957) और ‘क्षुधित पाषाण’ (1960) उनकी स्थायी कृतियों में गिनी जाती हैं। ‘काबुलीवाला’ बंगाल की सीमाओं से बहुत आगे गूंजी और 1961 मेंबलराज साहनी के साथ हिंदी में भी बनाई गई। तपन बार-बार टैगोर की रचनाओं की ओर लौटते रहे, साथ ही समकालीन बांग्ला साहित्यकारों कीकृतियों को भी रूपांतरित करते। यही साहित्यिक आधार उनकी फिल्मों को विषय की गहराई और चरित्र की परतदार संवेदनशीलता देता था।

 

सामाजिक सरोकार और दूरदृष्टि

तपन सिन्हा के सामाजिक सरोकारों को सबसे तीव्रता से दिखाने वाली दो फिल्में हैं, ‘अपनजन’ (1968) और ‘आतंक’ (1986)। ‘अपनजन’ नेअलगाव की पीड़ा, छात्रों में बढ़ते अपराधीकरण और शहरीकरण की तरफ बढ़ रहे बंगाल में पीढ़ियों के बीच की खाई जैसे विषयों को छुआ।आधुनिक जीवन के दबाव में टूटते पारिवारिक रिश्तों पर इसकी पैनी नजर थी, सिन्हा ने इन मुद्दों को जीवंत कथाओं और विश्वसनीय पात्रों के जरिएप्रस्तुत किया। वहीं ‘आतंक’ उनकी सबसे साहसी फिल्म कही जा सकती है, जो उस दौर में आई जब शहरी बंगाल हिंसा और मोहभंग से जूझ रहा था।20 वर्ष के अंतराल में आई इन फिल्मों से साफ होता है कि तपन सिन्हा अपने समय की चिंताओं, शहरी अलगाव, भ्रष्टाचार, मूल्यों के ह्रास को बखूबीपहचानते थे और उन्हें ऐसे रूप में पर्दे पर लाते थे, जिससे व्यापक दर्शक जुड़ सकें।

 

व्यंग्य का शिखर

तपन सिन्हा को सिर्फ गंभीर फिल्मकार कहना भूल होगी। उनकी रेंज में हल्की-फुल्की कामेडी और व्यंग्य भी शामिल थे। ‘गोल्पो होलेओ शौत्ती’(1966) और ‘बंछारामेर बागान’ (1980) इसके शानदार उदाहरण हैं। ‘गोल्पो होलेओ शौत्ती’ का हिंदी रूपांतरण हृषिकेश मुखर्जी ने ‘बावर्ची’ के रूपमें किया। यह हास्य के बीच छिपे मध्यमवर्गीय पाखंड और स्वार्थ पर व्यंग्य भी है, लेकिन पूरी फिल्म का स्वर हल्का और सहज बना रहता है। वहींमनोज मित्र के नाटक पर आधारित‘बंछारामेर बागान’ संपत्ति, लालच और शोषण पर कहीं अधिक तीखा व्यंग्य है। यह भारतीय सिनेमा में सामाजिकव्यंग्य का शिखर मानी जाने वाली फिल्मों में से है और तपन सिन्हा की शैली पर पकड़ का प्रमाण भी।

 

रोमांच और घरेलू संवेदनाएं

‘झींदर बंदी’ (1961) शरदेंदु बंद्योपाध्याय के उपन्यास पर आधारित बांग्ला सिनेमा की क्लासिक फिल्म है। इसकी भव्यता और मंचन ने साबित कियाकि तपन सिन्हा बिना अतिरेक में गिरे व्यावसायिक सिनेमा के बराबर का रोमांच रच सकते थे। तपन सिन्हा का एक और महत्वपूर्ण पहलू था- उनकीभाषायी सीमाएं पार करने की इच्छा। जब बांग्ला सिनेमा अपने घेरे में सीमित था, तब तपन सिन्हा ने अशोक कुमार, वैजयंतीमाला और दिलीप कुमारके साथ फिल्में कीं। इससे क्षेत्रीय-राष्ट्रीय सिनेमा के बीच संवाद का रास्ता खुला। ‘जिंदगी जिंदगी’ (1972) और ‘सफेद हाथी’ (1978) जैसी कृतियोंने दिखाया कि उनकी संवेदनशीलता भाषा और संस्कृति की दीवारों से परे थी। वे उन शुरुआती बांग्ला फिल्मकारों में रहे, जिन्होंने सचमुचअखिल-भारतीय पहचान बनाई और बाद के निर्देशकों के लिए रास्ता तैयार किया।

 

समझा बच्चों का मन

बच्चों के प्रति सिन्हा की गहरी सहानुभूति उनकी ‘काबुलीवाला’ से लेकर ‘सफेद हाथी’ और ‘आज का राबिनहुड’ (1987) तक कई फिल्मों में दिखतीहै। तपन सिन्हा की फिल्मों में बच्चों को संपूर्ण व्यक्तित्व वाले इंसान की तरह प्रस्तुत किया गया, जिनकी अपनी इच्छाएं, डर और नैतिक समझ होतीहै। उनकी बाल फिल्में मनोरंजक होने के साथ-साथ युवा दर्शकों के प्रति सम्मानजनक भी थीं। इसी संवेदनशीलता ने उन्हें बाल सिनेमा के सबसे उम्दानिर्देशकों में जगह दिलाई।

 

उनकी विरासत सिर्फ उनकी फिल्मों में ही नहीं, बल्कि उस आदर्श में भी है, जो उन्होंने रचा। एक ऐसे फिल्मकार का आदर्श, जो कला व दर्शक दोनों केप्रति समान रूप से प्रतिबद्ध था। उनकी फिल्में आज भी अपने शिल्प और मानवीय दृष्टि के लिए देखी जाती हैं। तपन सिन्हा के काम का सिंहावलोकनऐसे फिल्मकार से मिलना है, जिसने आसान लेबलों को हमेशा ठुकराया।

 

देर से मिला सितारे को सम्मान

तपन सिन्हा ने 40 से अधिक फिल्में बनाईं और राष्ट्रीय-अंतरराष्ट्रीय स्तर पर असंख्य पुरस्कार प्राप्त किए।  उन्हें अलग-अलग श्रेणियों में कई बार राष्ट्रीयफिल्म पुरस्कार मिला और उनकी फिल्में दुनियाभर के फिल्म महोत्सवों में प्रदर्शित हुईं। 2006 में उन्हें भारतीय सिनेमा के सर्वोच्च सम्मान दादासाहेबफाल्के पुरस्कार से नवाजा गया। यह सम्मान देर से मिला, लेकिन पूरी तरह उपयुक्त था।

Tapan Sinha: A Master Craftsman of the Middle Road

 

The history of Indian cinema, and particularly of Bengali cinema, is often framed through the towering presence of three names — Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak. Their contributions shaped not only the aesthetics of film in Bengal but also its international reputation. Yet, to stop there is to miss a parallel cinematic journey of extraordinary depth and range: that of Tapan Sinha (1924–2009). Across nearly half a century of film-making, Sinha carved out a path that was distinct and versatile. His career straddled a remarkable spectrum of genres, from socially engaged dramas to comedies, from literary adaptations to children’s films, from intimate domestic narratives to swashbuckling adventure.

That versatility is perhaps Sinha’s most defining trait. Unlike Ray, who cultivated a recognisable personal style, or Sen, who was closely identified with political cinema, Sinha often resisted categorisation. He was pragmatic, willing to bend form to suit content, guided by the conviction that cinema should engage the widest possible audience without diluting its integrity. This ‘middle road’ – between parallel cinema’s ascetic seriousness and commercial cinema’s populist spectacle – allowed him to craft films that were both socially responsible and widely accessible. 

 

A Literary Sensibility: Tagore and Beyond

Sinha’s early films immediately established his affinity for literature. His adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s stories such as Kabuliwala (1957) and Kshudhita Pashan (1960), which remain among his most enduring works, demonstrated his ability to translate prose into cinematic emotion. Kabuliwala distilled Tagore’s tale of separation and longing into a visual language that was universal; it struck chords far beyond Bengal, even being remade in Hindi in 1961 with Balraj Sahni. 

 

Sinha’s engagement with Tagore was not isolated. He returned to the writer’s works throughout his career, but he also adapted contemporary Bengali authors. This literary grounding lent his films a seriousness of theme and a textured sense of character that transcended formula. His cinema embraced both the intimate and the societal, the individual and the collective.

 

Social Critique and Prescience

Perhaps no other area of Sinha’s oeuvre reveals his social conscience more starkly than two films separated by twenty years: Aponjon (1968) and Atanka (1986).

Aponjon dealt with themes of alienation, the political lumpenisation of students, and the generational divide in an urbanising Bengal. It critiqued the erosion of familial bonds under the pressures of modern life, yet avoided heavy-handed didacticism. Instead, Sinha embedded his concerns within compelling stories and believable characters, ensuring that viewers engaged emotionally with the issues at hand. 

 

Atanka, released at a time when urban Bengal was grappling with rising violence and disillusionment, is perhaps his boldest statement. The film portrays a schoolteacher’s attempt to uphold moral integrity in the face of crime and intimidation, serving as both a parable of courage and a commentary on the pervasive breakdown of trust. Its taut narrative structure, coupled with a haunting performance by Soumitra Chatterjee, made it one of Sinha’s most critically acclaimed works.

These films reflect Sinha’s knack for identifying the anxieties of his time – urban alienation, corruption, loss of values – and dramatizing them in ways that spoke to a broad public. 

 

Comedies, Satire and the Light Touch

To reduce Sinha to a ‘serious’ film-maker, however, would be misleading. His range encompassed delightful comedies and satires such as Golpo Holeo Sotti (1966) and Banchharamer Bagan (1980).

 

Golpo Holeo Sotti, later remade in Hindi as Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Bawarchi, is a charming fable about a house help who transforms a dysfunctional household. Beneath its humour lies a gentle critique of middle-class hypocrisy and selfishness, but the tone remains light. This balance of social message with entertainment exemplifies Sinha’s gift for accessibility. Banchharamer Bagan, based on Manoj Mitra’s play, is sharper in tone – a biting satire about property, greed and exploitation. Yet, through wit and absurdity, it manages to provoke reflection without alienating audiences. It stands as one of the finest examples of social satire in Indian cinema, proving Sinha’s dexterity with tone and genre.

 

Adventures and Domestic Dramas

Few directors could oscillate so seamlessly between adventure and domestic intimacy. Jhinder Bondi (1961), adapted from Sharadindu Bandopadhyay’s novel, is a classic in Bengali cinema. With Uttam Kumar as the hero, and Soumitra Chatterjee as the memorable villain Mayurvahan, the film’s swordfights, palace intrigue and dramatic confrontations enthralled audiences. Its staging and choreography showed Sinha’s flair for spectacle, marking him out as a director who could rival the grandeur of commercial cinema without lapsing into excess.

On the other end of the spectrum lies Jatugriha (1964), an introspective domestic drama about the breakdown of a marriage. With Uttam Kumar and Arundhati Devi delivering nuanced performances, the film explores the fragility of human relationships with rare sensitivity. 

 

This ability to alternate between modes – between the grand and the intimate, the spectacular and the everyday – is what gives Sinha’s body of work its extraordinary breadth.

 

Hindi Cinema and Crossover Collaborations

Another remarkable aspect of Sinha’s career was his willingness to cross linguistic boundaries. At a time when Bengali cinema often functioned in its own cultural sphere, Sinha brought in stars from Hindi cinema to work in Bengali films: Ashok Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, and even Dilip Kumar appeared under his direction. This not only widened the appeal of his films but also created a fruitful dialogue between regional and national cinema.

 

His forays into Hindi cinema were equally significant. Films such as Zindagi Zindagi (1972, with Sunil Dutt and Waheeda Rehman) and Safed Haathi (1978, a National Award-winning children’s film) showed that his humane sensibility could transcend linguistic and cultural barriers. He was perhaps among the first Bengali film-makers to achieve genuine pan-Indian visibility, paving the way for later directors who would navigate multiple industries.

 

Children’s Films and the Nurturing Eye

Sinha had a deep empathy for children, evident in films like Kabuliwala and later in Safed Haathi and Aaj Ka Robin Hood (1987). Unlike mainstream cinema, which often reduced children to sentimental props, Sinha treated them as fully realised individuals with their own desires, fears and moral intuitions. His children’s films were entertaining but also respectful of young audiences, addressing them with seriousness and warmth.

 

This sensitivity contributed to his reputation as one of India’s finest directors for children, a reputation further cemented by the multiple awards his children’s films garnered.

 

Legacy and Recognition

Over his career, Sinha directed more than 40 films, garnering numerous national and international awards. He won the National Film Award multiple times across categories, and his films were showcased at festivals worldwide. In 2006, he received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest honour in cinema, a belated but fitting recognition of his contribution.

His legacy endures not only in his films but also in the model he provided: of a film-maker committed to both craft and audience, willing to adapt genres and styles, and unafraid to address uncomfortable truths. Bengali film-makers like Rituparno Ghosh acknowledged his influence, and his films continue to be revisited for their craft and humanity. To look back at Tapan Sinha’s career is to encounter a film-maker who resisted easy labels.