Voices of Silence: A Feminist Study of Selected Odia Art Cinemas

Unlike the presentation of women in Odia commercial cinema, art cinema has a changed perspective. Art cinema tries to break the stereotypes of presentation of women. It neither idealizes women, nor shows them as passive victim of patriarchy. It presents women in a realistic manner. Through art cinema, I am going to look at woman as an autonomous individual, an independent entity in Odia society. Instead of being swept away by male dominance they show a control of life, even they work to break the gender bias. To foreground their presence, women need not always follow the radical way, sometimes silence speaks a lot. In this paper I will explicate two award winning Odia art cinemas; Puja Pain Phulatie (A Rose for Puja) and Kathantara (Another Story), where women protest male hegemony silently that seems more radical and effective.

Paper

Mulling over the portrayal of women in Odia society, one very significant aspect that I thought about was how Odia art cinema responds to women. Let me make it very clear about the distinction between Odia art cinema and Odia commercial cinema. In order to trap audience, commercial cinema tends to become exaggerative, hypothetical, highly imaginative, sensual and hyperbolic where as art cinema always tries to focus on society, ethnicity and culture in a realistic manner. Fantasizing women goes on in commercial cinema where; in some of them like Naribi Pindhipare Rakta Sindura, Nari Nuhen tu Narayani, Udandi Sita, they have been shown as a radical feminist and a ground breaking revolutionary against patriarchy; and in some other like Bou, Panjuri Bhitare Sari, Suna Bhauja, they have been reduced to a mere pun in the hand of patriarchy. This dual notion of women, in commercial cinema, creates a puzzle in the mind of spectators to rightly judge the nature of women. Beyond this enigma, prejudice and stereotype art cinema gives simplistic description of women, as it is observed in an everyday Odia society.

Coming to my selected Odia art cinemas; Puja Pain Phulatie (A Rose for Puja) and Kathantara (Another Story); as an observer, I find women being portrayed there in an autonomous way without being biased by patriarchy. Puja Pain Phulatie is the story of an orphan Puja, (Adyasha Mahapatra), a twelve years old girl, who, brought up by his old grand father-a worker in brickyard, silently protests every oddity she faces in her way of life. Her little hope to be educated spoils when she is expelled from school for her irregularity. She is not frustrated in the news, rather determines to help her grand father in the brickyard. In the mean time she is adopted by the brickyard owner, a very kind and generous man, to stay and study at his home. Here start the real trials and tribulations of her life. Instead of giving scope for study Puja is engaged in all household chores by the lady of the house, resulting her abstain from school. A strong bond develops between Puja and Mickey, (Akankhya Kabi) aged five, - brickyard owners only daughter who is spoilt due to lack of guidance. Within a short time Puja transforms Mickey into an all round champion. When their friendship reaches at peak, Mickey spends a lot of time with Puja creating certain jealousy in Mickey’s mother. She throws Puja out of her home. Puja is adopted by a doctor couple, then and resumes her study but misses Mickey all the time. Years later these two tender hearts meet: Mickey with eye injury and Puja to nurse her without revealing her identity as she is instructed that any kind of weeping may aggravate the condition. Mickey’s condition aggravates and Puja prays almighty for Mickey at the cost of her life. Hell breaks down when Puja suffers from blood cancer and dies. Mickey sees the light of the world through Puja’s eyes. An emotional story comes to an end.

The vicissitude of Puja’s life reflects her constant silent revolt against society. Her expulsion from school made her determined. Instead of complaining to the head master she helps her grand father in the brickyard. During her stay at Mickey’s house, she does not care for the torture she is inflicted from Mickey’s mother rather she created a friendly atmosphere in the house. Due her intelligence the bankrupt house owner becomes a rich builder in a few days. Despite several warnings from Mickey’s mother not to spend time with Mickey; she is resolute to teach Mickey, tries to bring her the right way and she succeeds. She in fact becomes a friend, philosopher and guide of the little girl who loves and cares her a lot. She reaches the peak of virtue, not only by nursing blind Mickey in disguise, but also by contributing her eyes to Mickey after her death. Puja is a model for girls, the society and for the women; who dedicated her life in helping others and even after it.

Kathantara (Another Story), tells the emotional saga of a 1999 super cyclone widow, Kalpana (Anu Chaudhury),  is an attempt to throw light on her trials and tribulations. On the eve of anniversary function of 1999 super cyclone, where the story opens, aids and relief came pouring in from the government. The area was flooded by NGOs, media persons and politicians. Dipankar (Bedprasad Das), a TV Journalist from Bangladesh, is engaged in documenting the cyclone anniversary and the status of the post-cyclone survivors. With the help of an NGO group he covers the programme, and hears a great deal about Kalpana – the much publicised cyclone widow. Dipankar takes a keen interest on her and wants to do a special feature.

The genesis of Kalpana’s ordeal is rooted in history. Like others in Bengali refugee colony, her father seeks his identity all through life, even though he was a citizen of his adopted homeland. Kalpana born and brought up in India was leading a harmonious life with her fisherman husband. As they were dreaming to add more colours into their life, the infamous super cyclone of October 1999 strikes. It leaves all her family member dead. Kalpana miraculously survives. And with the support of her childhood friend Akshaya (Rashes Mohanty) she limps back to a life now full of emptiness. The links with her past being snapped off, Kalpana feels alienated in her own native place. A sense of dispossession engulfs her.

Kalpana tired with her own struggle and very much bitter at the meaningless publicity made out of her, firmly refuses Dipankar for an interview. Disappointed, he returns to his own country without the story he wanted to do on Kalpana. Kalpana lives an isolated life with an uncertain future. She does small job with the support of local NGO and fights to safeguard her dignity from the lusts of society. Kalpana’s life is limited to ceaseless follow up with the Govt. officials for the death compensation package. Sharing with Kalpana’s lonely struggle is her compassionate sister-in-law (wife of husband’s elder brother), Rupa (Bhaswati Basu). She is yet another cyclone survivor but she is more balanced and pragmatic. After losing her husband and children in the cyclone, Rupa dares to remarry a good-for-nothing fellow whose sole interest is her money that she has received as death compensation of her family members. She, in spite of herself struggling with an unhappy marriage insists Kalpana should find someone suitable and settle down. At the same time Dipankara makes a repeat visit without his camera unit and he just wants to meet Kalpana. He is fascinated with her innocence, beauty and determination. He shares with her lot of things about himself, about his people and the life out there in Dhaka. He also learns about Kalpana and wants to put an end to her suffering.

It becomes difficult on Kalpana’s part to reconcile in settling down with a person she hardly knows. Yet again, she is fed up with this place with bleak prospect. The frustration of the never ending follow-up for compensation money, the anguish of being treated as women of loose virtue by village youths, and the illicit advances by Rupa’s husband makes Kalpana insecure. Rupa, also believes how difficult it is for a single woman, especially a young and good looking widow to cope up with her present situation. She insists upon Kalpana to settle down with Dipankar in Bangladesh – the land of her forefathers.

A brief stay in Kolkata prior to crossing the border becomes a revealing moment in Kalpana’s life. She realises she will be a misfit in the far off urban setting of Dhaka and would suffer further alienation. The memories of her homeland, of her childhood, of all that she had and all that she lost will haunt her for the rest of her life. She longs to return back to her village.

She also reconciles to the fact that Dipankar, in spite of all his concern and support, is just another ambitious Journalist whose priority is his career. He sees everything from the point of view of news and story. Right now she is a hot subject for Dipankar; he can get lot of publicity if he marries her! But he can never really comprehend her trauma-filled mindscape. It’s then that she decides not to let herself be ‘displaced’ by choice. She walks out from the prospect of marrying Dipankar and settling down in a claustrophobic alien city. But before she departs, she records her life-story and leaves it for Dipankar to complete his special feature.

Ironically, the scene in her village is different-now. The improper eviction process for the immigrants from Bangladesh is in full swing. People are being served deportation notices to leave the country within 30 days. There is a large scale resentment, unrest and protest-rally by the affected people to assert their rights and belongingness to the adopted homeland.
Kalpana unaware of the happenings returns to her home and to her own people. Despite all the adversities, stigma and grim prospect she could breathe freely in the land which forever belongs to her. But as soon as she lands up in her village she is also served with the deportation notice. Kalpana now determined to stay back, takes a surprise bold step to reclaim her rights to live in the land of her birth. And that is the beginning of another story.

The life of Kalpana, a trajectory indeed, faces many hurdles made by patriarchy. She is bold enough to live her life lonely. She denies any kind of grace from street smarts who extended their unasked hands of help. She has been rehabilitated in an isolated home in the no man land of the village. Despite dangers anticipated from lecherous men folks she is determined to lead her rest of life alone. Her silence, innocence and mildness become the shield to protect her from the evil maleness. She may have been swept away by Dipankar’s allurement for a time being, but her conscience evokes her to back out because she does not want anybody’s mercy. Kalpana’s determination, stubbornness and mind set, makes her unique indeed, but her life is a constant revolt against patriarchy.

To conclude, I reiterate that silence speaks louder than noise. In the above two art cinemas, where woman is the protagonist, we find her constantly revolting against the dogmas of society for her own right through peace, love and congeniality. We find many Pujas and Kalpanas in our society whose ‘silence’ magic wand deflects the phantom of patriarchy. Here I remember Chaucer’s Prioress, who wears beads from which is suspended a gold brooch engraved with the words “amor vincit omnia" (Love Conquers All), I think women with the panacea of love can cure ailments of patriarchy and an alternative feminism can be thought through.