Shapmochan is another Uttam Suchitra classic. Uttam Kumar plays Mahendra who is of a musicians family has a very good voice and other musical skills bit cannot practice music because of curse from a guru to one of his ancestors for insulting the guru. Being very poor Mahendra goes to Calcutta and stays with their Family friend Umesh Chandra whose daughter Madhuri takes care of Mahendra. The chemistry between Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar is perfect and all the interactions between the two, with Suchitra Sen helping Uttam Kumar to learn the etiquette of the rich and wealthy in the city which gradually developed into a romance. Pahadi Sanyal as brother Devendra played very well the role of Mahendra's blind brother and Kamal Mitra as Umesh Chandra did his role admirably. The movie has some beautiful songs by Hemanta Mukherjee and couple of classical songs. The entire movie is all Suchitra Sen with her excellent portrayal of Madhuri and the determination to eliminate the curse and inspiring Uttam Kumar to pursue his musical career. It is an excellent movie with Uttam Suchitra pair with a strong story line and good acting by some of the stalwarts of the Bengali films.
2 Reviews
'Cursed' Piece of Cinema!
sumankumarganguly-454-2648752 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
It's a well-known fact that all Bangalees are prejudiced towards any Bengali movie shot in 'black-&-white' (even if its made in the 90's!); and don't hesitate in declaring it a classic (even if it was a box- office disaster)! And if it happens to star Uttam-Suchitra, then it generates such delirium of nostalgia; that one's bound to wonder how come the films didn't bag a few Oscars by then!
I must confess, that unlike most Bongs I have never been a 'fan' of old B/W films of the so-called 'golden-era'. They seem to fall short in terms of mass entertainment when compared to their peers in Bollywood. But I have always made it a point to hold them in high esteem especially in terms of acting and direction; especially those starring the legendary Uttam-Suchitra pair. But the truth is: just like they have delivered some timeless classics like 'Sobar Upore' (1955), 'Harano Sur' (1957) and 'Saptapadi' (1961); they have also been part of some utterly 'unwatchable' flicks, one of which is Sudhir Mukherjee's 'Shap Mochon'!
One doesn't expect elements of mass entertainment like item-numbers, action-sequences, picturesque locations or glamorous production values in films back then. But what I certainly expected was a good script and fine performances. Instead this film turned out to be a complete torture!
Honestly, the opening sequence (depicting the 'curse') was quite good and the film promised to be a gripping emotional drama. But instead of building on this premise, the film shifts focus to the struggles of village lad Mahendra (Uttam) trying to adapt to the lifestyle in Kolkata. Instead of a solid-storyline, the film thrives on several subplots culminating into some terrible twists at the end. The film has some idiotic loopholes. Madhuri (Suchitra) recognises Mahendra's talent of singing after hearing him play a violin! (Do all violin players happen to be great singers?) The death-sequence of Debendra (Pahari Sanyal) was absolutely ridiculous. He sacrificed singing in order to be a role-model for his younger brother; but on hearing him sing on radio he came running and started singing on his tanpura in order to save Mahendra from the curse. (Was the curse applicable on just 1 brother and the other would be safe in case one of them died?) Much of my interest was surrounding the 'curse'; but that turned out to be the most baffling of them all! No one knows when it strikes. Mahendra became a renowned singer (for which he must have sung dozens of songs); but nothing happens. Yet, on hearing his brother's death he get's struck by some overnight ailment that makes him bed-ridden. It could be due to mental shock; but what's that got to do with the curse or music? But what's really childish was the mode of cracking the curse. Madhuri arrives (after a fair-share of melodrama) and smashes the cursed tanpura; ... and BINGO! The curse is destroyed! (Wonder why this simple technique didn't strike any one before?)
Even in terms of performances, this film creates no impression. Uttam is decent; but Suchitra appears totally confused as to whether she's sympathetic towards the poor or scornful. Bikash Roy though manages to show his class in a limited appearance. Music by Hemanta Mukherjee is the only reason why one can perhaps 'survive' through this film. 5 of the 6 songs are captivating; with 'Sono Bondhu Sono' taking the cake.
I waited patiently for the first 100-odd minutes; but after that it became really intolerable! (I had a serious head-ache when it finally got over) Incidentally, the film had run for 75-days and had become a super hit. So to think of this as probably one of the 'better' films made during those times, it's nightmarish to imagine the overall state of Bengali cinema back then!
I must confess, that unlike most Bongs I have never been a 'fan' of old B/W films of the so-called 'golden-era'. They seem to fall short in terms of mass entertainment when compared to their peers in Bollywood. But I have always made it a point to hold them in high esteem especially in terms of acting and direction; especially those starring the legendary Uttam-Suchitra pair. But the truth is: just like they have delivered some timeless classics like 'Sobar Upore' (1955), 'Harano Sur' (1957) and 'Saptapadi' (1961); they have also been part of some utterly 'unwatchable' flicks, one of which is Sudhir Mukherjee's 'Shap Mochon'!
One doesn't expect elements of mass entertainment like item-numbers, action-sequences, picturesque locations or glamorous production values in films back then. But what I certainly expected was a good script and fine performances. Instead this film turned out to be a complete torture!
Honestly, the opening sequence (depicting the 'curse') was quite good and the film promised to be a gripping emotional drama. But instead of building on this premise, the film shifts focus to the struggles of village lad Mahendra (Uttam) trying to adapt to the lifestyle in Kolkata. Instead of a solid-storyline, the film thrives on several subplots culminating into some terrible twists at the end. The film has some idiotic loopholes. Madhuri (Suchitra) recognises Mahendra's talent of singing after hearing him play a violin! (Do all violin players happen to be great singers?) The death-sequence of Debendra (Pahari Sanyal) was absolutely ridiculous. He sacrificed singing in order to be a role-model for his younger brother; but on hearing him sing on radio he came running and started singing on his tanpura in order to save Mahendra from the curse. (Was the curse applicable on just 1 brother and the other would be safe in case one of them died?) Much of my interest was surrounding the 'curse'; but that turned out to be the most baffling of them all! No one knows when it strikes. Mahendra became a renowned singer (for which he must have sung dozens of songs); but nothing happens. Yet, on hearing his brother's death he get's struck by some overnight ailment that makes him bed-ridden. It could be due to mental shock; but what's that got to do with the curse or music? But what's really childish was the mode of cracking the curse. Madhuri arrives (after a fair-share of melodrama) and smashes the cursed tanpura; ... and BINGO! The curse is destroyed! (Wonder why this simple technique didn't strike any one before?)
Even in terms of performances, this film creates no impression. Uttam is decent; but Suchitra appears totally confused as to whether she's sympathetic towards the poor or scornful. Bikash Roy though manages to show his class in a limited appearance. Music by Hemanta Mukherjee is the only reason why one can perhaps 'survive' through this film. 5 of the 6 songs are captivating; with 'Sono Bondhu Sono' taking the cake.
I waited patiently for the first 100-odd minutes; but after that it became really intolerable! (I had a serious head-ache when it finally got over) Incidentally, the film had run for 75-days and had become a super hit. So to think of this as probably one of the 'better' films made during those times, it's nightmarish to imagine the overall state of Bengali cinema back then!
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