Bioscope Man [Apr 30, 2008] Hazra, Indrajit

by Indrajit Hazra

As Calcutta's star begins to fade, with the capital of His Majesty's India shifting to Delhi, Abani Chatterjee's is on the rise. He is well on his way to becoming the country's first silent-screen star. But just as he is about to find fame and adulation, absurd personal disaster— a recurrent phenomenon in the Chatterjee household— strikes, and Abani becomes a pariah in the world of the bioscope. In a city recently stripped of power and prestige, and in a family house that is in disrepair, Abani spins himself into a cocoon of solitude and denial, a talent he has inherited from both his parents. In 1920, German director Fritz Lang comes calling, to make his 'India film' on the great eighteenth-century Orientalist Sir William Jones. When Abani is offered a role, he convinces Lang to make a bioscope on Pandit Ramlochan Sharma, Jones's Sanskrit tutor, instead. Naturally, Abani plays the lead. The result is The Pandit and the Englishman, a film that mirrors the vocabulary of Abani's life, hinting at the dangers of pretence and turning away, the virtues of lying and self-deception, the deranging allure of fame and impossible affections. Afterwards, Abani Chatterjee writes a long letter, in which he tells his story. Witty, at times dark, and always entertaining, The Bioscope Man is that story.

Genres: Fiction

308 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2008

Reviews

[Sujani Koya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glorious

[Arun · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fictional biography of how a young, aspiring actor who lived during British India - that is, during the advent of cinema into India. While Hazra's expertise at writing cannot be challenged, the end-product it is that is fit to receive criticisms.
The plot set in the 1st half of 20th century fails to reflect the mindset of common people in that era and the hardships they went through, except in a very few instances. And the smallest of clues were produced in not-so-glowing, indirect format. For example in a place he criticizes "Gandhi and other such comedians for boycotting foreign goods." I still don't understand why this was set in British India, for it holds no significance of any kind; it neither did weaken the plot nor did strengthen it. The setting just stares at the ongoing story like a casual observer. This same type of story would have been set to effect in contemporary times too!
An enjoyable read, his depictions being undoubtedly exhilarating and poignant. Not many would like to narrate the story of a failure. In most novels, protagonist is someone who achieves something. Hazra, by narrating the tale of an unfortunate failure, breaks the trend.
Altogether, a good book.

[Sriram Nagarajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written book. A rare combination of books that are humorous and at the same time moving. A well narrated tale of the experiences of an actor in the erstwhile British india.. shows the glimpses of how a city n society evolve with changing times.. Some parts such as how the bioscope changed fortunes of many seem a bit repetitive, could have been avoided. Overall great book