The Quintessential Tragedy of Sweethearts-The Bengali Trope - Page 2

Originally posted by: aryapdane

Omg yes..

Firstly thank you for making this post. For the last five minutes, I was staring at my phone and scratching my head, wondering why the picture seems so familiar. Of course it is the Devdas poster!

Hey, Thank you. I am glad you liked it. I have always wanted to make thoughtful posts but every post turns into a battle zone, hence refrained from a long time. Thankfully, this time, I did not. The entire theme of the poster is so Devdas and the edit is so old SCHOOL!

What has always annoyed me is this love affair that Bollywood has with Devdas. Over the years, we have perhaps seen five different adaptations of this novel. And while this story deserves it's own place in the world of literature, I cannot help but wish that film makers would just branch out now. It's like Romeo and Juliet adaptations. We have enough of those already.

See, I can totally understand the love affair with retellings. I am a sucker for angst, unrequited love, and morbid love affairs myself. Laila Majnu's retelling by Imtiaz Ali has been by far my most favourite. A must watch if you haven't. What particularly bothers me is the treatment in the most distasteful way here and the aesthetics that are anything but remotely Bengali.

In Bengal, it is quite common to fall in love with someone you know from childhood. Because class system is not that strictly followed and LANGUAGE joins them as an identity. Well, coming back to the topic. If you retell a tale that is Classic, you have to have a nuanced well-researched version. That's my point.

Bollywood and Daily soaps have done a spectacular job in romanticising harassing, stalking, abuse be it mental or emotional or physical, threatening self harm to get people to love them and all sorts of other crap in the name of true love. Can we have an Ashapurna Devi novel adaptation or Tagore's Giribala instead? And of course all the stories you mentioned. Can we get shows and movies that glorify healing instead of pain and misery? That teach us to love ourselves before anyone else.

WORD! About whatever you said in the last paragraph. I am yet to come across SELF-RESPECT in women on ITV. I always feel our literature had STRONGER women back in the 20th and 19th centuries. Look at Amrita Pritam's works, Tagore. It's okay to have a painful story but GLORIFYING is what makes me irritated and how!

Also, a word about Giribala in Man Bhanjan, even she had a SELF-RESPECT after a point. I so wish, someone adapts that quintessential classic. At least a movie will do justice. What happens when the heat of passion fades.

Oh, some angst.

The show is a Caricature of every single thing in life not just Bengali Literature art and culture. The end.

Originally posted by: Sutapasima

I so agree with you .. Ekta Mata has portrayed a 16th century story .. ..and even that time Bengali girls were stronger than their male counterparts . then why would modern girls except things like the way they portray here ... ?? Poor concept ... bad research ... worst writing ever ...👎🏼

Other than her own wedding or anniversary Bengalis are very simply dressed ...even rich zamindars families dress up tastefully not like Basu ladies .. 👎🏼

I feel insulted calling this Show based on a Bengali family 🤢

So totally agree, Suta🤗

I assume you are a Bengali based out of Kolkata, pardon me if otherwise.

We can vouch, no one dresses in those garish sarees and polki sets.

Coming back to Bengali aesthetics:

1. Where are the TAANT sarees?
2. Where are the muted hand-painted sarees?
3. Where are the muted gold chokers?
4. Where is the beautiful Kajol?

All that BLING made my eyes go

Also,

The weird Dhol on Dhunchi Dance. The weird Jai Jai Durge Ma. Can't they play Mahishasur Mardini from Biren Krishna Bhadra?

Trust me, their TRP's would have skyrocketed because that is Bengali arts and aesthetics.

It looks very much like a PARODIED version of a Bengali STEREOTYPE that exists in the minds of everyone else.

This warped sense of aesthetics makes me shake my head in disbelief.

Originally posted by: munnihyderabad

I donno much abt Bengali literature and art but as per the poster by SP

The beginning of the end means anth ki shuruaath ... kiska anth ... we know !

Diwali pe lakshmi bomb jaisa hai Komolika / Sonolika

Munni🤣

Laksmi Bomb🤣🤣🤣

Originally posted by: Tammanaarora9

I totally agree with your point on bengali culture's turmoil onscreen

But believe me comparing kzk2 with devdas is an insult to devdas and its epicness.

Devdas is a cult but kzk2 is a big dhabba in the name of a reboot.

Period. That's what my point is. Why make a parodied version of a cult CLASSIC!

Originally posted by: gemini54

First of all such a great topic for discussion.

Hey, thank you. I am glad that you liked the topic for discussion. I am tired of comparisons, so I thought of making this post that was bugging my mind for some time.

Storytelling is an art form and writers like Tagore were / are masters of the art. This storytelling is nothing but!

Charulata, Binodhini were characters beyond their times they had passion, conviction and most importantly identities.

Storytelling is an art. I totally agree and what a waste of this parodied adaptation of Devdas reference points. Even, Paro had an IDENTITY, a voice, a will!

Here in this show the characters are just caricatures who blow in the wind as the writer sees fit they have no clarity, consistency or credibility.

CURIOUSLY LAUGHABLE AND COMIC!

Now to the question of why Devdas is the only troupe used time and again in movies is because tragic love stories are timeless like a Romeo or Juliet but here this story is neither a classic reproduction or a copy!

I loved what you wrote and would completely agree with you.

Coming to the poster it is Black for Komo, white and red for the lovers with a Halo around them no points for creativity too.

Life is not just black or white it has hues of grays, pinks, browns and all between and that was what was depicted in the classics of a Binodhini or Charulata.

Thanks

Exactly my point! Well, off-topic but someone needs to fire the GRAPHIC designer for making such a HORRIBLE Digital edit. Horrible is an UNDERSTATEMENT because the CREATIVITY is precisely ARGHH with stupid pink hues and BOKEH lights.

Lovers being overshadowed by darkness is again a classic mood board but this is actually so BADLY done.

Just out of reference, sending across a poster of a great movie about second chances. Just have a look at the aesthetics. This movie was completely shot in black and white.

Thank you so much for making such an elaborate, vivid and interesting comment.🤗

Originally posted by: Aurtika

I am actually glad Ekta and the writers knowledge of Bengali literature is limited to Devdas.. Otherwise these writers would have spoiled the other epic sagas you mentioned..

This show has lost it's bengali touch since a long time. The director is heavily influenced by SLB films. I doubt he knows about Bengali literature much.

@BOLD🤪 TRUE

Well, to begin with, there was nothing Bengali about this show apart from Anurag's clean shave and Durga Puja Pandal. Rest is actually a parodied version. Well, at least the writers should have researched well before anything else.

Originally posted by: Soanz.19

Much needed post👏👏 I'm not a Bengali and i don't know much about their literature apart from Devdas and Parineeta. I do have a lot of Bengali friends and can understand a bit of Bengali as well being around them.

I haven't met a single Bengali who resembles anywhere close to the portrayal shown in this KZK. The Bengalis I know in real life are very intellectual, liberal minded, well educated and well dressed. This show portrays the culture totally opposite of what I have experienced to date and I absolutely cringe at this portrayal.

Thank you.🤗

First of all heartening to sense that you acknowledge the culture and aesthetics and how brutally this how ruins it.

There exists a prejudiced version in the minds of people who do not understand someone else's culture. This perception sometimes is a PARODIED version:

Like

1. A Jolly Good Sardar stereotype

2. An adulteress and cunning Bengali woman stereotype

and so on.

My stereotyping issues are deep-rooted, hence my angst.

Originally posted by: WaqtZaya

The show is a Caricature of every single thing in life not just Bengali Literature art and culture. The end.

APTLY SUMMARIZED, Meri Jaan🤗

Originally posted by: munnihyderabad

I donno much abt Bengali literature and art but as per the poster by SP

The beginning of the end means anth ki shuruaath ... kiska anth ... we know !

Diwali pe lakshmi bomb jaisa hai Komolika / Sonolika

I am uncertain of the hint, Beginning of the end. Is it for the AnuPre lovestory crediting to the memory loss track and being married to Komolika might lead to another baby Basu? Or the entire series as a whole?

Fingers crossed, Bajaj wapas aa jaaye ya phir Prerna strong headed single mother ke role mein aa jaaye.

@bold they tried hard with the respective Lakshmi bomb in show and the audience deteriorated. This show is actually heading for the end depending on trp saga. Except for EK's ego issue for running a serial until the century.