A look at Rabindranath Tagore's contribution to the Indian film industry | Birth Anniversary Special
Rabindranath Tagore is not only known as a poet, writer, painter or philosopher, but he is also recognised for his important contribution to the cinematic world.
Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7 May 1861 in Jorasanko Thakurbari, Kolkata. His 164th birth anniversary is being celebrated today, on Wednesday. 'The Bard of Bengal' had a deep connection with cinema and also directed a film in the year 1932. Tagore's direct connection with cinema was limited, but his works and ideas provided a different perspective and depth to Indian films. Let's know about Tagore's contribution to the Indian film industry.
When the Nobel Prize winner made the first film
Cinema started in India in the year 1913 and the first silent film was 'Raja Harishchandra', which was directed by Dadasaheb Phalke. Rabindranath Tagore was a thoughtful person who wrote many plays and novels. It was the year 1932 when Tagore Saheb made a silent film under his own direction, named 'Natir Puja'. The story of this film was based on a play written by Tagore himself. The shooting of the film was completed in four days, in which Tagore Sahib also acted. In this film, Nitin Bose handled the work of cinematographer and it was edited by Subodh Mitra. However, this film was commercially unsuccessful.
Satyajit Ray and Rabindranath Tagore had a special relationship
Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray have a different relationship, because Ray made several films based on the Nobel Prize winner's stories. In the year 1961, the Oscar Award-winning filmmaker made a film named 'Teen Kanya'. The story of this film was based on three stories written by Tagore Sahib, 'The Postmaster', 'Monihara' and 'Samapati'. Apart from this, Ray also made films like 'Charulata', 'Ghar-Baire' based on Tagore's stories. At the same time, he also made a documentary film based on Rabindranath Tagore in the year 1961.
Popular films based on Rabindranath Tagore's stories
Several Indian films have been made based on Tagore's stories, dramas and novels. Most of the women's issues are seen in his stories. Many films have been made keeping his stories at the centre, which include films like 'Kabuliwala', 'Naukadubi', 'Lekin', 'Chokher Bali', 'Char Adhyay', etc. Apart from this, a film 'Do Bigha Zameen' was made in Hindi cinema in the year 1953, which was directed by Bimal Roy. The story of this film was based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poem 'Dui Bigha Zomi'.
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