Showing posts with label Stories By Rabindranath Tagore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stories By Rabindranath Tagore. Show all posts
Anurag Basu’s Stories By Rabindranath Tagore, to be available in English, Tamil
7:54 AM
Sumeet Vyas and Radhika Apte in the series
MID-DAY (May 8, 2019)
On Rabindranath Tagore’s 158th birth anniversary yesterday, the series, Stories By Rabindranath Tagore, was made accessible to a larger audience by making it available in English and Tamil, apart from its original Hindi version. Directed by Anurag Basu, the series features Radhika Apte, Sumeet Vyas and Amrita Puri, and has music by Arijit Singh, Shaan and Shalmali Kholgade.
The 26-episode series streams as premium content on a channel. Vyas said in a statement: “Tagore is a national treasure, and getting an opportunity to be part of such a series makes me proud. Most of us have heard about Tagore, but how many of us actually know his work? I think this series will work wonders in bringing people closer to one of the greatest cultural and philosophical minds of our country. The series traverses the expansive frame of Tagore’s writing; brings to life some of his most iconic characters”.
Akul Tripathi, content and programming head of the platform, said it is wonderful to be able to present the stories in English and Tamil and “have them discovered by new viewers”. The 2015 series is set in Bengal 1920, and based on the literary work of the celebrated writer.
There is more to Rabindranath Tagore than just the National Anthem-Anurag Basu
8:40 AM
Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; July 13, 2015)
He is the man with probably
the largest repertoire in the history of literature -be it
stories, novels, plays, poems and songs. Kaviguru Rabindranath Tagore
lived more than 100 years ago in a conservative pre-Independence India,
but wrote stories that resonate even now. Tapping into this reservoir of
literary delights, filmmaker Anurag Basu will take his viewers to
Tagore's Bengal of the 20s and 30s, with his latest outing on the small
screen titled Stories By Rabindranath Tagore. It airs on Monday and
Tuesday at 10 pm on The EPIC Channel, a segmented Hindi entertainment
channel in the space of Indian history and mythology, told in a
contemporary format. It is an era when dhoti-clad men talked about John
Donne and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the same breath, and women
were still progressive beneath their ghoonghats.
Known for his visual storytelling, Anurag has chosen to translate the stories by the Nobel Laureate in his own unique way, thereby realising his 10-year-old dream. He has handpicked different stories like Chokher Bali, Charulata, Kabuliwala, Detective, Samapti, Chutti, etc, and created a unique background score for them. The show will devote two or three episodes to each novel, while short stories will be narrated in a single episode. However, each novel or story will be linked to the next in an intrinsic way. The narration will be blended with Tagore's songs (either sung or in the background), translated and composed by well-known lyricists and composers of our time. Here Anurag talks about his fascination for Tagore and the significance of his stories in this day and age. Excerpts:
Tell us about your fascination for Tagore and his influences in your work?
I wanted to depict Tagore stories, but never got the chance. I thought that I will never get a chance to fulfill my dream until the channel came with this offer. I visualised and depicted these stories through the show.
Do you think the younger audience will connect to iconic characters like Binodini and Charulata?
I realised that my kids have no literary exposure. And it's my responsibility to introduce them to this rich repertoire. I want to bring these stories close to every Indian, I want Hindi speakers to get to know these stories and that Tagore did a lot more than just write our National Anthem. They might not relate to all the stories, but will find some of them relevant. Tagore stories are an emotional journey and leave you happy. These stories are still relevant in Bengal even 74 years after his death. His thoughts and ideas are still contemporary, and I want the rest of India to get exposed to it.
Will you be staying true to the text?
Since I am making it, there will certainly be some of my own elements. But I have tried my best not to tamper with the stories and depict them as it is. The Bengali culture and the language are very rich. Adapting it in Hindi, while retaining the nuances, is a big challenge.
Our audiences are used to a certain kind of shows and serials on TV. Do you think it'll be able to break through the clutter?
I am a product of television. It has frozen now. They are showing the same kind of shows and repackaging them. We are not trying new things. It's a challenge for me and I am waiting for the response. I am hoping that Tagore will change TV.
Since the first story is Choker Bali, did you fear comparisons?
Rituda (Rituparno Ghosh) had adapted Choker Bali in his style, which was brilliant. But I am sticking to the text as I want my protagonists to have those layers that is in the story.
Did you have any problems in having your heroines 'understand' the char acters as they rather complex?
I didn't have to as there are some really good actors. In fact, it is through Tagore that I discovered new talent.
Your style of projecting a woman is a far cry from what we usually see on TV. They are headstrong and progressive. Given the kind of family drama dominating the TV scene, where does your show fit in?
I have grown up amid headstrong women and the two women - my wife and my mother - around me, are extremely progressive. What's the point if you can't speak your mind? I am a lazy director, and hence, I take references from my real life. I have known strong women all my life. I can't understand regressive characters.
How did you manage to condense one story in two episodes?
Each story will follow the other in a seamless way, before one story ends the other will begin from the narration of the previous story itself. When a scene you've written is taken out and doesn't affect the storyline, then it's not required in the first place. Given the shows today, I think we can remove episodes for an entire week and the storyline will be where it was.
Kolkata and music are always an intrinsic part of all your projects.Comment.
As I said earlier, I am a lazy film director. This is the culture I understand, know of and relate to. I can't justify a Punjabi or a South Indian culture.
How has TV changed since the time you turned director?
TV is more challenging than films. You can do different things. It can keep you on your toes, if one is brave enough to do more. Having said that, TV hasn't changed at all. It's the same with a majority of the shows being similar. The shows I was associated with, were ahead of their time and enjoyed a niche audience. Current television serials are mostly regressive and do not break the mould.
Known for his visual storytelling, Anurag has chosen to translate the stories by the Nobel Laureate in his own unique way, thereby realising his 10-year-old dream. He has handpicked different stories like Chokher Bali, Charulata, Kabuliwala, Detective, Samapti, Chutti, etc, and created a unique background score for them. The show will devote two or three episodes to each novel, while short stories will be narrated in a single episode. However, each novel or story will be linked to the next in an intrinsic way. The narration will be blended with Tagore's songs (either sung or in the background), translated and composed by well-known lyricists and composers of our time. Here Anurag talks about his fascination for Tagore and the significance of his stories in this day and age. Excerpts:
Tell us about your fascination for Tagore and his influences in your work?
I wanted to depict Tagore stories, but never got the chance. I thought that I will never get a chance to fulfill my dream until the channel came with this offer. I visualised and depicted these stories through the show.
Do you think the younger audience will connect to iconic characters like Binodini and Charulata?
I realised that my kids have no literary exposure. And it's my responsibility to introduce them to this rich repertoire. I want to bring these stories close to every Indian, I want Hindi speakers to get to know these stories and that Tagore did a lot more than just write our National Anthem. They might not relate to all the stories, but will find some of them relevant. Tagore stories are an emotional journey and leave you happy. These stories are still relevant in Bengal even 74 years after his death. His thoughts and ideas are still contemporary, and I want the rest of India to get exposed to it.
Will you be staying true to the text?
Since I am making it, there will certainly be some of my own elements. But I have tried my best not to tamper with the stories and depict them as it is. The Bengali culture and the language are very rich. Adapting it in Hindi, while retaining the nuances, is a big challenge.
Our audiences are used to a certain kind of shows and serials on TV. Do you think it'll be able to break through the clutter?
I am a product of television. It has frozen now. They are showing the same kind of shows and repackaging them. We are not trying new things. It's a challenge for me and I am waiting for the response. I am hoping that Tagore will change TV.
Since the first story is Choker Bali, did you fear comparisons?
Rituda (Rituparno Ghosh) had adapted Choker Bali in his style, which was brilliant. But I am sticking to the text as I want my protagonists to have those layers that is in the story.
Did you have any problems in having your heroines 'understand' the char acters as they rather complex?
I didn't have to as there are some really good actors. In fact, it is through Tagore that I discovered new talent.
Your style of projecting a woman is a far cry from what we usually see on TV. They are headstrong and progressive. Given the kind of family drama dominating the TV scene, where does your show fit in?
I have grown up amid headstrong women and the two women - my wife and my mother - around me, are extremely progressive. What's the point if you can't speak your mind? I am a lazy director, and hence, I take references from my real life. I have known strong women all my life. I can't understand regressive characters.
How did you manage to condense one story in two episodes?
Each story will follow the other in a seamless way, before one story ends the other will begin from the narration of the previous story itself. When a scene you've written is taken out and doesn't affect the storyline, then it's not required in the first place. Given the shows today, I think we can remove episodes for an entire week and the storyline will be where it was.
Kolkata and music are always an intrinsic part of all your projects.Comment.
As I said earlier, I am a lazy film director. This is the culture I understand, know of and relate to. I can't justify a Punjabi or a South Indian culture.
How has TV changed since the time you turned director?
TV is more challenging than films. You can do different things. It can keep you on your toes, if one is brave enough to do more. Having said that, TV hasn't changed at all. It's the same with a majority of the shows being similar. The shows I was associated with, were ahead of their time and enjoyed a niche audience. Current television serials are mostly regressive and do not break the mould.
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