“The Man Who Spoke In Pictures” is my tribute to Shri. Bimal Roy on the eve of his 100th Birth Centenary.
Read it at leisure…
Udayar Pathe, Bimal Roy’s first film, revolutionized Indian Cinema. Hailed as a pioneer by Satyajit Ray, he was perhaps the first to bring shades of gray to the black-and-white screen. Roy’s spare storytelling and nuanced understanding of the human condition are reflected in classics like Devdas, Sujata and Madhumati. His ability to illuminate ordinary characters like Shambhu in Do Bigha Zameen and Kalyani in Bandini, is attested to by their being a part of popular memory to this day.
The Man Who Spoke In Pictures is not just a eulogy to this great director but also an insight into Roy, the man, the director and his art. The auteur’s little-known Bengali phase is chronicled by Mahasweta Devi and Amit Chaudhari, as well as Tapan Sinha, Amit Bose and other greats of cinema who trace his journey from cinematographer to director. His Bombay years are recorded through a collection of analyses and anecdotes from leading literary and cinematic luminaries, including Nayantara Sahgal, Naseeruddin Shah and Khalid Mohammad. The final section examines Roy from the outsider’s perspective, with articles by Lord Meghnad Desai, Rachel Dwyer and Paula H. Mayhew. A must-have for any serious film buff, this centenary tribute is a fitting homage to the man who changed the way we saw films.
The book is extremely well-received and reviewed.
It contains write-ups on Bimal Roy from over 30 personalities of the film and music world.
The book can be ordered from filpkart.com and Penguin Books