Representation
of Kolkata in Selected Film Songs
Dr Ankur Konar
Assistant Professor of English
Sir Rashbehari Ghosh Mahavidyalaya
West Bengal, India
Abstract: By examining a selection of songs from
different eras, this study will elucidate the multifaceted portrayal of
Kolkata, revealing the interplay between music, film, and urban identity.
Evidently the songs offer a series of
urban pictures and the additional impact of Kolkata on the characters’
psychological topography that sometimes goes in the conscious spatial codes of
the city’s cultural matrix. What is mostly striking to note is the songs’
capacity to generate ramifying inclusive meaning related to the cultural
geography of the city. Kolkata is a city that
embodies a unique blend of tradition and modernity. Its representation in film
songs, to reiterate, serves as a lens through which one can examine the
evolving perceptions of urban life in India. This paper seeks to analyze the
thematic elements and cultural significances embedded in these songs, focusing
on how they contribute to the construction of Kolkata's identity within the
cinematic framework.
Keywords:
Kolkata, film song, cinema and city
Kolkata,
the cultural capital of India, has long been a subject of fascination for
filmmakers and musicians alike. The city’s rich tapestry of history, culture,
and socio-political dynamics is often encapsulated in the film songs that
emerge from its cinematic landscape. This paper aims to analyze the
representation of Kolkata in various film songs, exploring how these musical narratives
reflect the city’s identity, its socio-economic realities, and the emotional
landscapes of its inhabitants. By examining a selection of songs from different
eras, this study will elucidate the multifaceted portrayal of Kolkata,
revealing the interplay between music, film, and urban identity. Evidently the
songs offer a series of urban pictures
and the additional impact of Kolkata on the characters’ psychological
topography that sometimes goes in the conscious spatial codes of the city’s
cultural matrix. What is mostly striking to note is the songs’ capacity to
generate ramifying inclusive meaning related to the cultural geography of the
city. Kolkata is a city that embodies a unique
blend of tradition and modernity. Its representation in film songs, to
reiterate, serves as a lens through which one can examine the evolving
perceptions of urban life in India. This paper seeks to analyze the thematic
elements and cultural significances embedded in these songs, focusing on how
they contribute to the construction of Kolkata's identity within the cinematic
framework.
Kolkata's
representation in film songs cannot be divorced from its historical and
cultural context. The city, formerly known as Calcutta, was the capital of
British India until 1911 and has since evolved into a vibrant metropolis
characterized by its colonial architecture, intellectual heritage, and diverse
population. The songs that depict Kolkata often draw upon this historical
backdrop, using it as a canvas to explore themes of nostalgia, longing, and
social critique. The song “Yeh Kolkata Hai,”
performed by the legendary playback singer Mohammed Rafi in the film Howrah Bridge (1958), serves as a
significant cultural artifact that encapsulates the essence of Kolkata during
the mid-20th century. This analysis aims to explore the thematic elements,
musical composition, and socio-cultural implications of the song, thereby
situating it within the broader context of Indian cinema and its representation
of urban identity. The urban space of
Kolkata, known for its rich cultural heritage and historical significance, has
often been depicted in Indian cinema as a vibrant tapestry of life, struggle,
and resilience. The song “Yeh Kolkata Hai,” composed by the eminent music
director O. P. Nayyar, stands out as a quintessential representation of the
city’s spirit. The lyrics of the song reflect a deep sense of pride and
affection for the city. The song serves as an evocation to Kolkata, celebrating
its diverse culture, bustling streets, and the indomitable spirit of its
inhabitants. The repeated refrain, “Yeh Kolkata Hai,” acts as a powerful
assertion of identity, inviting listeners to engage with the city’s
multifaceted character. The lyrics evoke imagery of the city’s landmarks,
social dynamics, and the everyday lives of its people, thus situating the song
within a broader narrative of urban existence. Moreover, the song’s themes resonate with the socio-political context of
the time. The late 1950s marked a period of significant change in India, with
Kolkata emerging as a hub of cultural and intellectual activity. The song
encapsulates the aspirations and challenges faced by the city's populace,
reflecting a collective consciousness that is both celebratory and
introspective. The use of upbeat tempos
and catchy melodies enhances the song's celebratory tone, while Rafi's vocal
delivery infuses it with emotional depth. In
the context of Howrah Bridge, “Yeh
Kolkata Hai” serves as a pivotal moment that encapsulates the film's narrative
and thematic concerns. The song is strategically placed to showcase the city as
a character in its own right, influencing the lives of the protagonists. The
visual representation of Kolkata, coupled with the song's energetic
performance, creates a dynamic interplay between music and imagery, further
enriching the cinematic experience. The
film itself, directed by Shakti Samanta, explores themes of love, sacrifice,
and social justice, with Kolkata as the backdrop against which these narratives
unfold. The song thus functions as a narrative device that not only enhances
character-development but also situates the personal stories within the larger
socio-cultural framework of the city. As
a work of art, it transcends its immediate context, inviting listeners to
engage with the complexities of city life and the enduring spirit of Kolkata.
The
cultural geography of Kolkata as a space offers more representational than
referential urban dynamics. By focusing on the local cultural parameters, the
songs that have been used in different Bengali cinemas script the hegemonic
mirrors of the city poetics and virtually become textual sites to be read and
reread. The song “Notun Meye Kolkatai”
in Raj Chakraborty’s Bojhe Na Shey Bojhe
Na (2012) indicates the uncomfortable position of an outsider woman in
Kolkata.1 One may also refer to the popular Bengali song “Ami
Kolkatar Rosogolla” in Ram Mukherji’s Rakte
Lekha (1992) that posits woman in the city as an object for entertainment.
This song of 1990s has even been remixed and reused in the 21st century in
Kamaleswar Mukhopadhyay’s Cockpit
(2017). Going through the film songs on Kolkata, this article, by taking
recourse to Deborah L. Parsons’ argument in Streetwalking
the Metropolis: Women, the City and Modernity (2000), will try to establish
the fact that the songs, through the vivid depiction of the spatial encounters
that regularly take place in urban life, goes into the hardcore root of the
city and its cultural reflections. Kolkata is a melting pot of cultures, and
this syncretism is often reflected in its film songs. This fusion not only
celebrates Kolkata’s cultural richness but also underscores the city’s role as
a hub of artistic innovation. The tell-tale sign in the three words “Notun Meye
Kolkatai” captures a sense of strangeness overloaded vis-à-vis a woman’s access
to the extra-domestic world. The lonely outsider woman that puts the readers at
what Brinda Bose calls “the crossroad of cities and sexualities” (44). Other
urban critics have also focused on the problematic issue of gender identity in
city space:
This
relation between being seen and going unseen is critical not only to women’s
freedoms in the city, but also to their safety… One of the starkest forms in
which gender difference and gender inequality appear in the city is in the
geography of violence against women… many women’s perceptions and use of urban
space are restricted by logics of sexual dominance and fear… The gendering of
space becomes especially evident in this geography of danger, as women’s fear
of male violence is manifested as a fear of space. (Tonkiss 95)
By not giving any specific name to the woman who is new
to the city, the lyricist or the director attempts to make a general story of
the outsider women who come to the city for better chance and opportunities.2
The scene in the song related to a holud taxi which itself is an iconic
reference to Kolkata, bears testimony to the fact that how a new woman to the
city feels uncomfortable vis-a-vis the unknown guys in taxi.3 She
becomes outfit (‘bemanan’) to the
spirit of the city and consequently she casts herself out of the taxi. At this
point it would be relevant to mention Ipshita Chanda’s observation from her
book Selfing the City: Single Women
Migrants and Their Lives in Kolkata (2017):
The women who come to the city from outside have to
search for and construct their private space in an unknown and alien
environment, emphatically gesturing towards the constructed nature of the
private/public divide. Women in the city construct this differently, as they
are ‘protected’ within the family space. But women who come from outside have
to forge both the ‘home’ and the ‘world’ in an alien environment which is often
different from what they are used to in their place of origin. (50-1) The utterance
“shohorer achena chelera meyeder churi kore bikri kore dey” serves as a
rallying point on the theme of urban fearness where power in inscribed and
enforced. It is quite obvious that women, “on entering the public sphere” were
not able to “shed the sexualized and familiarized skin that bound them to the
private.” (Leister 70-1) By putting the so-called smart women of the city
vis-a-vis the projected unsmart and timid women from the outside terrain of
this city, there is a noticeable strategic attempt to form a binary – public
versus private, modern jeans pant versus traditional salwar, the fluency in
English versus the communication in Bengali.4 Vis-à-vis the myriad
contradictions in this particular city space, it is now quite understandable to
interpret the paradox: Rudyard Kipling cried down Calcutta as a ‘city of
dreadful night’ whereas Dominique Lapierre praised it as a ‘city of joy’.
Rabindra Kumar Das Gupta in “Old Calcutta as Presented in Literature” comments
on how the Calcuttans became habituated in equipoise: “The people of Calcutta
can alone tell how to balance these contrasting aspects caught in the
literature that grew around the city.” (cited in Chaudhuri 127) Vis-à-vis the
abovementioned interplay of utopiac and dystopiac visualization, the identical
streets in Kolkata are being considered to be the biggest stage under the sun –
the streets being the great leveller as the so-called binary of center-margin
falls down. In a very similar manner the song “Kolkatar Rosogolla” profusely
uses the binaries like morality / immorality, pick pocket / police, old / young
and dry sweets (motichur or goja) / wet sweets (rasogolla); the
spatial binary models like Ballygunge / Tollygaunge, Shyambazar / Bagbazar,
Begbagan / Hatibagan, Bhawanipore / Khidderpore and Park Street / College
Street create a poetics of spatialization through everydayness of struggle. In
addition to Debasree’s road-performance in “Ami Kolkatar Rosogolla”,
Subhasree’s dance performance in a night club in the song titled “Let’s Dance
Kolkata” from the movie Dekh Kemon Lage (2017)
too is engrossed with the slender representation of women. Vis-à-vis these
deterioration in the status of women, it becomes quite obvious that “Women’s
lives” constitute an “objective location” (Harding 123). The random use of
cheesy words and expression in the lyrics of the song draws the readers on
Judith Butler’s Bodies that Matter
(1993) and The Psychic Life of Power (1997)
where we got the notion of bodies as discursive, produced through language.
Thus the representation of Kolkata in film songs is a rich and complex
phenomenon that encapsulates the city’s gendered dimensions. At its core, “Ami
Miss Kolkata” featured in the Bengali film Basanta
Bilap (1973) by Dinen Gupta articulates a deep sense of nostalgia for the
city. The emotional weight of the lyrics resonates with those who navigate the
complexities of urban life, making the song a powerful vehicle for social
commentary on women subjectivity. In this sense, "Ami Miss Kolkata"
transcends mere nostalgia; it becomes a call to recognize and address the
socio-economic realities that shape the modern women’s lives in Kolkata.
Through an analytical lens, it becomes evident that these musical narratives
are not merely artistic expressions; they are reflective of the lived
experiences of Kolkata’s inhabitants. By engaging with themes of nostalgia,
urban identity, and cultural syncretism, film songs serve as a powerful medium
for understanding the multifaceted nature of Kolkata. As such, they contribute
significantly to the ongoing discourse surrounding urban representation in
Indian cinema.
Many
film songs evoke nostalgia, reflecting the emotional ties that individuals have
with their city. The song “Ami Satti Bolchi” from Sujoy Ghosh’s film Kahaani (2012) exemplifies this theme,
as it captures the protagonist's journey through the city, laden with memories
and personal history. The use of local dialects and references to iconic
landmarks creates a sense of authenticity, allowing listeners to connect with
the city on a personal level. The song serves as
a significant cultural artifact that encapsulates the essence of Kolkata, both
as a geographical space and as a cultural identity. Kolkata is depicted in “Ami
Satti Bolchi” through vivid imagery that captures the bustling urban life
characteristic of the city. The song’s lyrics evoke a sense of immediacy and
dynamism, reflecting the everyday experiences of its residents. The references
to crowded streets, local markets, and iconic landmarks serve to ground the
narrative in a specific geographical context. This representation aligns with
the broader portrayal of Kolkata as a city that thrives on chaos and vibrancy,
where life unfolds in a myriad of forms. The song’s rhythm and tempo further
enhance this depiction, mirroring the frenetic pace of urban life in Kolkata.
The cultural identity of Kolkata is intricately
woven into the fabric of “Ami Satti Bolchi.” The song incorporates elements of
Bengali culture, including references to local traditions, festivals, and the
rich literary heritage of the region. This cultural specificity not only
situates the song within a particular context but also highlights the pride and
resilience of the Bengali identity. The use of the Bengali language in the
lyrics serves as a powerful tool for cultural expression, reinforcing the
connection between language and identity. The song thus becomes a celebration
of Kolkata's cultural richness, inviting listeners to engage with the city’s
heritage while simultaneously reflecting on their own identities. “Ami Satti Bolchi” also explores the interplay between
personal and collective narratives, a theme that resonates deeply within the
context of Kolkata. The song’s protagonist articulates a personal journey that
is emblematic of the broader experiences of many residents. This duality of
personal and collective storytelling is significant in understanding the
emotional landscape of the city. The lyrics convey a sense of longing,
nostalgia, and hope, encapsulating the struggles and aspirations of individuals
within the urban milieu. This representation underscores the idea that personal
experiences are often intertwined with the collective memory of a city,
creating a shared narrative that transcends individual stories. The representation
of Kolkata in this song not only reflects the city's unique character but also
contributes to the ongoing dialogue about urban identity and cultural
expression in contemporary society.
Kolkata's rich cultural heritage is often depicted in
film songs, showcasing its diverse traditions, festivals, and artistic
pursuits.5 It is important to note the presence of the coterminous
element of urbanity and imageability in the recent Bengali film songs. The song
titled “Kolkata” in Arin Paul’s comedy
10:10 (2008) in a certain
sense summarizes the life style and everyday practice in the city. The song
“Ekta Bindas Para” in Raj Chakraborty’s Le
Chakka (2010) celebrates the notion of ‘para’ culture that we exclusively
find in this city. In fact the film is set in Darjipara and as the film
advances the audiences find the various issues that regularly encounter this
‘para’ – politics, love and obviously sports – cricket by the local team Eleven
Bullets The song titled “Utta Parar Chele Ami” in Anjan Chaudhuri’s Sangharsha (1995) is based on the
rivalry between the North and the South. Indrajit Hazra in Grand Delusions: A Short Biography of Calcutta (2013) writes:
The North also envies the modernity of the South … the
North Kolkattan hankers for the big, bright lights of the South … Throughout
the city’s history, the flow of traffic has been one-way: from the North to the
South. Over the years, families, businesses, public spaces have all taken
flight from the northern half … This geographical shift of people within the city
adds to the romanticized mythology of the North. (22)
Thus the effective nature of the above
discussed songs stands as a significant cultural artifact that encapsulates the
essence of Kolkata and its people. Through the lyrical content, musical
composition, and cinematic context, the songs offer a nuanced exploration of
urban identity and cultural pride. The
song “Shohorer Upadhi” in Sayantan Ghosal’s Alinagarer
Golokdhanda (2018) has a deep pictorial value because it deals with the
visualization of the city’s iconic structures, lanes, by-lanes etc. Though
history has always been told and narrated from a particular perspective, the
historiography of the city should be preserved to get a proper shape of the
torn history or the hidden history of the first capital of our country. The
articulated anxiety of the song invites us to read history in terms of present
tense - history is not buried or dead; the city at present is still continuing
to be part and parcel of history. One can further add the song “Kolkata to
Thakbe Kolkatatei” in Prosenjit Choudhuri’s Dak
Baksho (2015) where we find the
stereotypical vehicles of Kolkata – train, tram and holud taxi; such
visualizations are simply entangled with effects to the self-construction in
relation to the city. Kolkata, being projected as a ‘city of love’ in this
song, affects the protagonists of the film who are truly affected by the
everlasting spirit of the city. In a similar pattern Kolkata has been
projected as a city of relations in the title song of Pavel’s Kolkata Chalantika (2022). The visual impact through
Nandan and references to boi para
(College Street) and “Hok Kalorab” project the city as a site of inclusiveness
– from eight to eighty, none can deny the strong undeniable impact of the city.
By highlighting these issues, film songs serve as a medium to raise awareness
and provoke discussions about Kolkata’s social challenges. The songs serve as
odes to the city, encapsulating its essence through vivid imagery and emotional
resonance. The lyrics evoke a sense of belonging and pride, reflecting the
deep-rooted connection that the residents have with their city. Such
representations are not merely celebratory; they also engage with the
complexities of urban life, including issues of poverty, migration, and
cultural dislocation. Mention may also be made
of the songs in Srijit Mukherjee’s films like Autograph (2010), Baishe
Sraban (2011), Uma (2028), Shah Jahan Regency (2029), Dwitiyo Purush (2020) and Dawshom Awbotaar (2023). The
representation of Kolkata in Mukherkhjee’s film songs is a multifaceted
phenomenon that reflects the city’s cultural, historical, and socio-political
dimensions. Through its lyrics, musical composition, and visual representation,
the song provides a multifaceted portrayal of the city, reflecting its
vibrancy, complexities, and the emotional landscape of its inhabitants.
Thematically,
Keith Humphrey’s Walking Calcutta
(2009) may be cited as a qualitative guide book to the travellers in the city
where the metaphor of walking has been strategically used for personal
discovery of the city’s hidden delicacies;6 here the author, by
using maps, deals with the complex tangle of street lanes, by-lanes and alleys
of Kolkata and in doing so he refers to the cultural practice of everyday life
in the city.7 By projecting Kolkata as a ‘city of heritage’, ‘city
of passion’ and ‘city of love’, the song “Tumio Hente Dekho Kolkata” in Shibaprasad
Mukhopadhyaya and Nandita Das’ Prakton
(2016) addresses to the listeners with an invitation to take part in walking
which has been the best modus operandi to unearth and explore the spirit
of the city. Vis-à-vis the streets of the city it would be relevant to mention
Michel de Certeau’s oft-cited comment: “To walk is to lack a place. It is the
indefinite process of being absent and in search of a proper. The moving about
that the city multiplies and concentrates makes the city itself an immense social
experience of lacking a place” (103). By textualizing his walking through the
places like Dalhousie Square, Esplanade, Prasenjit Dasgupta in 10 Walks in Calcutta (2000) projects the
city as a ‘melting pot’ of cultural encounters.8 By walking through the
city space, the abovementioned song from Prakton captures the gradual
development of the city space through a projection of travel narrative. The
cultural ambit of the city-streets has randomly been explored in many personal
accounts on the city. The protagonist of Prakton
(played by Prosenjit Chatterjee) who plays the role of a tour guide in the film
helps to visitors of the city by situating them in exploring local street food,
chayer dokan (tea stall), horse
carriage etc. Thus the city becomes “a personal locus: it provides both
geographical and affective space” (Chanda 66). Such songs not only celebrate
Kolkata's physical attributes but also contribute to its tourism promotion. The
rhetoric of walking to understand the spirit of the city has also been
incorporated in the song “O Kolkata” from the movie Tridib Raman’s Uraan (2020). Essentially an invocation to the city, the song “O
Kolkata”, being replete with visualization of the iconic structures of the
city, captures the city-dwellers’ strong sense of possessiveness as reiterated
in the phrase ‘amar Kolkata’ (my Kolkata). The possessiveness regarding the
city’s cultural ambit has also been glorified in the song titled “Amar Shohor
Amar Kolkata” in Rajib Chowdhuri’s debut directorial Romantic Noy (2016). The portrayal of Kolkata in these films serves as a
commentary on the socio-political realities faced by its residents. Furthermore, the representation of Kolkata in film
songs often challenges stereotypes and offers a nuanced understanding of urban
life as we find in the song “Jashn-e-Ishqa” of the film Gunday (2014) by Javed Ali. The city is not merely a backdrop; it
is an integral part of the narrative that shapes the characters’ identities and
experiences: “Hum poore Calcutta ke … poora Calcutta humaara”. This complexity
is evident in songs that depict the city’s contradictions - its beauty
juxtaposed with its challenges, its cultural richness alongside its
socio-economic struggles.
As
discussed above, the film songs have played a significant role in representing
Kolkata, capturing its cultural, historical, and social aspects. Through their
lyrics, melodies, and visual representation, these songs have provided a
platform to showcase the city's rich heritage, struggles, and urban landscape.
By doing so, they have not only entertained audiences but also contributed to
the preservation and promotion of Kolkata's identity. Through an analytical lens, this study has explored how these songs
contribute to the construction of Kolkata’s identity, evoking themes of
nostalgia, urban identity, and socio-political dynamics. As cinema continues to
evolve, the portrayal of Kolkata remains a significant aspect of its narrative
landscape, offering insights into the complexities of urban life in
contemporary India.
Notes
1. Elizabeth Wilson’s Sphinx
in the City (1991) is a remarkable book on the subject of the relation
between a woman and a city. Mention may also made of Kamala Visweswaran’s Fictions of Feminist Ethnography (1994)
and S. Raju’s Gendered Geography: Space
and Place in South Asia (2011). Another significant book on this critical
area is Gendering Urban Space in the
Middle East, South Asia, and Africa (2008), edited by Martina Rieker
and Kamran Asdar Ali.
2. Hilary Standing’s Dependence
and Autonomy: Women’s Employment and the Family in Calcutta (1991) is an
interesting take on the issue of woman and Kolkata.
3. “Many women feel that Kolkata is certainly safer than any
other city in the country especially for women living away from home.” (Chanda
206)
4. “Somewhere along the way, Kolkata had caught us, and we
were fighting tooth and nail not to have to go back to the homes we had left
behind. Many of us have succeeded; many of us are on the verge of
breakthroughs; some of us have married city men; some have decided to club
together our lives with other ‘outsider’ women: but in all cases, we are women
who have come from outside, and are now in various stages of intimacy with,
various degrees of ‘selfing’ the city in which we have chosen to chart our
future.” (Chanda 6-7)
5. In many Bengali songs, Kolkata's historical significance
is often portrayed in film songs, reflecting its colonial past and the
subsequent struggle for independence. Such songs not only entertain
but also educate the audience about Kolkata's historical journey. Bengali film
songs have also been instrumental in shedding light on the social realities of
Kolkata. The urban landscape of Kolkata finds its representation in film songs,
showcasing its iconic landmarks, bustling streets, and distinct neighborhoods.
The song "Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan" from the Hindi film C.I.D. (1956) showcases the city's
transformation from Calcutta to Kolkata and highlights its role as a center of
political activism during the freedom movement.
6. Pranatosh Ghatak’s Kolkatar
Patha Ghat (1956) is a valuable contribute to the field of Kolkata’s roads,
lanes and by-lanes.
7. P.T. Nair A History
of Calcutta’s Streets (1987) have texualised the walking metaphor to unearth
the backdrop of the city.
8. Mention may also be made of Kshitindranath Tagore’s Kolikatai Chalafera: Sekale O Ekale and
Kushanava Choudhury’s The Epic City: The
World on the Streets of Calcutta (2017).
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