Veteran film critic and author Bhawana Somaaya was in the city for a book reading session at Hyatt Regency Kolkata. Presented by Caring Minds in association with t2, the evening saw actors Moon Moon Sen, Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Sudipta Chakraborty engage in a discussion that ranged from an actor-journalist relationship to the responsibility of a film critic and more.
Bhawana, who has authored multiple books on cinema apart from writing a few biographies, brings conversations with superstars of the ‘90s like Sridevi, Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh in her new book On Camera Off Camera that also features first-person accounts of filmmakers and actors.
The adda started off with Bhawana talking about the relationship between an actor and a journalist. “It was a very intimate and compassionate relationship between a film star and a journalist, built on trust, which is lacking at the moment. Whether it was Amitabh Bachchan or Rekha, they would share their stories with utmost trust. Shashi Kapoor always said to me, ‘I will only speak to a journalist who will understand the spirit of the conversation’.”
Moon Moon Sen agreed to it and recalled her days in Mumbai. Sudipta talked about dealing with sensationalism and social media after an old clipping was played out of context. Talking about the present actor’s unapproachable status and their dependence on PRs and managers, Bhawana said, “They say it facilitates show business but I think it has added a lot of stress and Caring Minds will understand it because that stress is translating in their workspace, their relationships with friends, family and society at large.”
Kumar Shobhan, GM Hyatt Regency Kolkata with Bhawana Somaaya (centre) and Minu Budhia. “In the minds of the masses, in breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, Tollywood movies have an equally important role to play. I sincerely thank all producers, directors, actors, scriptwriters and film critics like Padma Shri Bhawanaji who are deeply sensitised on the matter and pitching in. It was our pleasure to present her to the audience of Calcutta and thank her sincerely for visiting my institutes,” said Minu Budhia, psychotherapist, founder director Caring Minds
The discussion veered towards new-age artistes working without any baggage to which Parambrata added, “Yes, we have learnt the science and art of moving on and I still work with most of my exes. It’s a great thing not carrying any baggage but it also means that we as human beings have grown colder with times. That bit which is eroding with so-called progress is the thing which is stopping us from forming more human relationships like the relationship between a journalist and an actor.” He also posed questions to Bhawana that gave the session an interesting turn as the house started a discussion on the state of film criticism now, the responsibility of a critic, the deciding factors for a film’s success and more.
Echoing Sudipta’s perception Parambrata summed up, “The basic objective about the idea of film criticism is completely lost. You either backscratch someone or backstab someone. And that is happening because, I feel, the whole art and science of being a film critic is lost.” He also talked about the demarcated roles of a critic and an audience and the blurred lines between them and the role of social media.