Antareen (1993) : A study of its precise Music along with the narrative
Dr. Sukanya Sarkar, Rabindra Bharati University
Abstract
Antareen(The Confined) is a National Award winning Bengali Feature Film directed by Mrinal Sen. It is an in-depth study of two characters who used to live a lonely life due to their own unavoidable circumstances. The film’s music is minimal in nature. In this film Mrinal Sen explored the loneliness of individuals in today’s society. Shashi Anand composed a simple musical track for the film. Anand’s cinematography needs special mention. The musical track of Anand portrayed an essence of mystery. It is often said by the critics that Antareen is a very underrated film of Mrinal Sen. Sen consciously explored the dark spaces of our soul and showed the essential humanitarian perspective. Sen’s politically focused films drew much more attention to the contemporary viewers. The film Antareen is a loose adaptation of Sadat Hasan Manto’s Badashahat Ka Khatimah. Basically it is a story about the telephonic conversation between the two lonely persons.
Keywords:- Mrinal Sen, Manto , Shashi Anand, Major Scale, Minor Scale, Kshudita Pashan, Trumpet, Violin, Tabla Tarang,
Introduction
Mrinal Sen was one of the few leading directors who brought about a New Wave of Indian Cinema. The film “Antareen” (The Confined), directed by Sen in 1993, is partially based on a writing of celebrated and rebellious Urdu writer and poet Sadat Hussain Manto of Pakistan. The name of the story is “Badsahat Ka Khatma” (End of Kingship). The screenplay is written by Sen himself. This film received National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali. The film was produced by National Film Development Corporation (NFDC).[i]
The film revolves around the isolated life of two strangers who develop a unique connection by talking over the phone. The story is on a somewhat uncommon subject. Sen incorporated the basic theme of “Kshudito Pashan” (Rabindranath Tagore) in the screenplay of “Antareen”. Kshudita Pashan was one of Sen’s favorite as mentioned by author Dipankar Mukhopadhyay. He had a lifelong obsession for ruins and deserted mansions which is reflected in his previous films.[ii] In this film we notice two buildings namely, a very old and crumbling mansion and a modern flat. These are the two main places where the film was shot apart from a railway compartment on the move and a platform which is the last scene of the film. The film has two central characters, whose names remain unknown throughout the film.
The music of the film is precisely applied in such a way that it made the movie memorable. A musical theme has been introduced in the commencement by the music director Shashi Anand. The direction is wonderfully complimented by Shashi Anand’s wonderful cinematography along with minimal music. Little information is available about Shashi Anand, cinematographer and music director of this film.[iii] But after watching the movie, I have come to the conclusion that he never overreached himself.[iv] In this film he directed music according to the need of the narrative. The musical tracks enhanced the beauty of the film. The music of the title track is appropriate for the story and gives a premonition of the mysterious essence to the central theme. The limited music, silence, natural sound of storm, rain, the ring tone of telephone set the mood and the essence of the film. The silence and the dialogues are very natural and conveyed by the characters in an artistic way. The namelessness of the two central characters creates the mystery in the film. The director added some sound effects also which can be considered as ambient sound or incidental sound i.e. the sound of opening a main door in a dilapidated mansion, the sound of crying of a cat which is supposed to be an ominous sign. To many critics, it may seem as a mere superstition.
I find a faint similarity between Antareen’s author guest who eagerly waits for the telephone call and Manto’s central character, Manmohan, the young boy who waits for a call from an unknown girl.[v]
In the introduction, it should be mentioned that the film has been chosen for analytical study for its simple music and multi-layered narrative. The presentation of the entire film is very sophisticated along with its minimalistic musical theme. The cinematic adaptation of Manto’s story along with the imaginative inputs of Sen from “Kshudita Pashan” made the movie a masterpiece. The film is primarily memorable for its assimilation of two literary works. As writer Tagore and Manto were so different from each other in their creations that only a genius director like Sen could only fill the gap and successfully make a film in an unconventional non-linear structure of storytelling. Dipankar Mukhopadhyay discussed the above mentioned fact in his book “Mrinal Sen: Sixty years in search of Cinema”.[vi]
Sen presented the entire film in a very simple manner but actually it is very complex underneath. The film has a literary beauty in its storytelling style, music, dialogue and cinematography. The telephone in this film is used as a symbol where conversation between the two persons in spite of being totally unknown to each other is possible. Here Sen portrayed beautifully how a telephone can be a wonderful medium of connectivity even in the era of 1990s.
Narrative of the Film:-
The story of the film “Antareen” revolves around an old mansion nearby the crowded city of Calcutta. Sen’s articulation of Tagore’s “Kshudita Pashan” in this film was from a totally different angle adds a beauty to the story-telling. His brilliant interpretation of “Kshudita Pashan” and the way he linked Tagore’s story with contemporary reality is exemplary. The life of an Iranian slave-girl almost three centuries ago and the tragedy of a Bengali middle class woman in the twentieth century become same. Sen convincingly tells the viewers that poverty, exploitation of women also exist in our living history. The essence of the literary adaptation is successfully executed by the actress Dimple Kapadia’s mesmerizing screen-presence. Mukhopadhyay has discussed Kapadia’s memorable performance in his book.[vii] In my humble opinion she had felt the Iranian girl’s pain and pathos from the core of the heart.
From the very beginning Mrinal Sen was at his best with imaginative creation. The main male character Anjan Dutta, an author gets an invitation letter from his friend Dilip who invites him to his ancestral mansion as Dilip would be on a holiday for some time. The friend was of the opinion that his author friend might get enough material to write some thrilling stories like Rabindranath Tagore’s “Kshudita Pashan”. The viewers get the first glimpse of the dilapidated mansion when the author guest reaches in taxi and Banamali, the caretaker played by Satya Bandyopadhyay, receives him. During the short conversation with the guest (author) he tries to narrate the great heritage of the ancestors and informs about the courageous Queen (Rani Ma) of the mansion who dared to challenge the British colonial power in the court. Banamali was conversant with the age-old custom of the palace. An example of this is subtly shown by the director when dutiful Banamali asks the writer guest to remove his shoes before entering the room where the revered Queen’s statue was kept. Banamali, conscious about his responsibilities, makes arrangements for every requirement of the guest before leaving for his home for a few days. Thus the writer experienced a complete emptiness in the mansion for the first time and the situation reminds him of his friend’s comparison with “Kshudita Pashan”. Perhaps this was the beginning of a new turn in his imagination where he found his own similarity with the tax collector of “Kshudita Pashan”.
Mrinal Sen presented both the anonymous characters in a very poetic way. In the very first shot the author is reading the invitation letter from his friend Dilip, the director had subtly shown an abstract painting of Tagore in author’s residence. It gives the viewers an idea of the author’s love for Tagore’s art and literature. The author gets an impression from the letter that there are a lot of anecdotes and the mansion is a witness of many untold stories of social life of that period. In the film, the female character stays in a flat alone with a lot of comforts. But there was a dark story beneath.
The author lives a very simple life in the mansion. The visuals of the mansion through cinematography is beautifully exhibited the decadence of lavish life-style of yesteryears and many untold stories of exploitation by the feudal lords. The cinematography portrayed the entire theme with minimum music.
The central theme of the story begins with a sudden phone call from a lady at midnight . The author responded but there was no voice from the other side. This may seem a little uncanny but the author was delighted by the thought that something was in store for him. He had not to wait for long. The next morning again the telephone rings and a lady from the other side enquired whether it was raining in their vicinity. In this way the conversation continued almost every day which has a mesmerizing effect on both. Within a short period a unique bond grows between them through the telephone. It may be both were alone in their life and thus they started enjoying the dialogue and on some occasions the dialogue appears to be abstract. When the telephonic conversation begins the author , in his subconscious mind, was of the opinion that he was like the Protagonist of Tagore’s “Kshudita Pashan” as the two characters have some strange resemblance. During their talk the anonymous lady assumes that with whom she is talking over the telephone must be an author and requests him to write her story. She sacrifices her life to give company to the rich man who was an anonymous figure throughout the film. The director very successfully made the film without his voice and appearance.
Sen portrayed the concrete jungle of Calcutta through the eyes of the lady who spends several sleepless nights alone owing to her multifarious problems. In an attempt to get some respite incidentally she dialed the author’s number. The author was fast asleep, but he ultimately received the call and a steady conversation started between them. The lady asked the author whether he has made an opinion of her. The author replied that he often fails to understand her. But he made a sketch of the lady after listening to her voice, questions and style of talking. The author conveyed that in his imagination he could visualize that she stays in a decent room in a flat, with a bed. The telephone and clock are kept by the side of the bed. As she tells an incorrect time, the author assumes she often forgets to wind the clock. In the night when everyone is in deep slumber she remains awake in her room alone throughout the night in the quite city. She does not have the opportunity to talk so she wants someone who will listen to her with patience and empathy. She feels suffocated and tired in her lonely life. But she does not know with whom she wants to talk. So she is in frantic search of some broad minded persons who is ready to spare sometime for patient listening. After this conversation the lady realized that the author could understand her loneliness. This telephonic acquaintance adds beauty to the film. Their expression gives us some idea that both of them wait eagerly for call. The conversation between the two and the patient listening of the author leaves no doubt that some sort of sympathy grew in author’s mind. The lady got some ray of hope as she got someone who can be trusted. She compared her condition with the slave lady of “Kshudita Pashan” and asked the author a very complicated question. She wanted to know that mother ever wanted to know the whereabouts of the Arabian daughter kidnapped by bandits for Emperor’s Harem as mentioned in “Kshudita Pashan”. The author very humorously answered that Tagore did not say that. After that, they went on to speak for quite some time. The author was in full flow and uttered some extracts from Tagore’s writing where he describes the plight of the hapless lady. The most touching part of the film was when the lady revealed that her mother still bothers to take information about her and regrets for the decision which she is compelled to take because of their poverty. When they came closer the lady discloses her story in different way. She lives like a mistress of a rich man who runs the expenses of her family. In fact she had to leave her own family under desperate situation. She is caught in a prison of her own where she stays at the mercy of a rich man who cares little for her.
In fact, she admits during their conversation that due to her unbearable loneliness she randomly calls strangers at night. The lonely lady had to sacrifice her life for the sake of her poor family. As a result she had to fall a prey to a very rich man who exploited her and deprived her of all sorts of free life and liberties. Almost at the film’s end, the director shows that she meets her family. She is happy to see her sacrifice was not in vain. She finds that her ailing father is almost at his death bed but her only consolation is that her family is now in a much-better position than before. Ironically this was possible because the rich man who betrayed the lady for his lust and pleasure at least took care of her family and bared the expenses and fulfilled her family members’ needs. Mention should be made that the identity of the rich man is shrouded in mystery.
The writer finds inspiration from the story of the lady. He shows his concern and sympathy for the lady and sincerely wants to meet her for once. But the lady refuses to meet the author, perhaps she does not want to reveal her identity. Probably her bitter experience made her sceptical about menfolk. When she meets her family to rebuild her relationship, she realises her family has forgotten her sacrifices. At last in a phone call the rich man told her to work as a call girl. The series of betrayals in life compelled her to stay alone and anonymous in life. She remains a wretched and lonely woman throughout the film. Dimple Kapadia showed her loneliness through her beautiful expression.
At the end, the director shows that incidentally they meet in a train where the lady reaches her destination and writer helps her to lift the luggage from the train. Their look at each other kept the viewers spellbound for the brilliant acting of Anjan Dutt and Dimple Kapadia. Undoubtedly, one can say that the lady recognizes the author after listening to his voice.
Music of Antareen
Title Track
The music of the film “Antareen” stands out for its minimalistic approach. The title music starts from two seconds with only two instruments playing the major scale. The title track starts with the Trumpet playing a tune or Asthaayi[1] using all notes of the Minor scale[2]. We can call it a Bhairavi scale[3]. It has a very clear, simple tune by Trumpet and followed by the same tune played on Violin. The rhythm has been kept interestingly by Guitars, bells and other electronic sound. A second line of the title track music follows in the same pattern and is opened by the Trumpet again. After that, it is followed by Violin and an electronic Percussion sound which is musically arranged with bells and guitar. The title track gives a different musical effect to the film. The title track gives a premonition of the mysterious essence to the central theme. It is a soothing, simple and attractive title track which lasts for one minute forty few seconds.
Second Musical Track
The second musical track begins at around four minutes twenty-five seconds. Here the music director again added a minor scale similar to Bhairavi Thaat. The notes are played on Trumpet without any Percussion accompaniment. But the tune flows in a particular rhythm. An electronically added sound similar to the Santoor provides another layer and the same Asthaayi is played twice. The beautiful sound of Tabla Tarang[4] creates a suspense as the care-taker moves forward to open all the big rooms. The total sound body gives a pleasant and interesting atmosphere. It creates a feeling of suspense. This second musical track ends at around five minutes .
Third Musical Track
The third musical track commences at around ten minutes , is a sad tune. The musical piece shows the sad mood of the character. The musical phrases expressed through Violin again using the Minor scale along with excellent Piano chords[5] and notes at the background. It creates an atmosphere of deep thinking of the lonely lady. This is a simple, clear yet thought provoking small piece of music. The music suits the scene of the film. This lingers on the listeners’ mind not only for its simple arrangements, but for the melody it creates. The tune compelled the viewers to think about the situation. This musical track ends up at around twelve minutes .
Fourth Musical Track
The fourth musical track begins at around seventeen minutes . This musical piece consists of a few assorted[6] notes in the Piano breaking into a long run for few moments and after that the climax comes. The climax has a louder and larger sound body of rain water. It evokes the rather metaphorical turmoil in the mind of the Protagonist by showing the flying away of the manuscript and papers and the onset of the tidal wave on the ocean. It ends up at around seventeen minutes forty-one seconds. It is a multi-layered musical track.
Fifth Musical Track
The fifth musical track starts at around twenty-five minutes . The sound track starts with the creaking of the shoes on the floor of the dilapidated palace. The sound of the shoes or footsteps is interestingly used as the substitute of Percussion. The minor chord produced by the Trumpet was accompanied by the bass notes of Piano. This effect created a suspense. The mood of suspense is visible on the face of the Protagonist, author. The role is wonderfully enacted by Anjan Dutta. The accompanying Tabla Tarang not only keeps the beats but creates music on its own. This is followed by long trailing notes of the Violin. This long trailing note on Violin is producing the same suspense and ending with the sound of footsteps on the floor as the author moves around in the dilapidated mansion. The fifth musical track ends at around twenty-seven minutes .
Sixth Musical Track
The sixth musical track starts at around thirty-four minutes forty seconds where there is a turmoil going on in the mind of the lonely lady. Her tension is beautifully shown by the long run on Piano. This is followed by few notes on Violin against a mystery and suspense. The music also expressed the uncertainty and despair of the lady’s life. The few notes on Violin created a mystery and uncertainty. This uncertainty loomed large in both of the stranger’s life. They are getting closer day by day and they went on with their conversation in a natural way.
Once again a few assorted notes on the Piano also create a beautiful and yet simple and well-spaced out musical background, that this aesthetic touch makes the film very interesting. The long dialogue of the protagonist comes along with the music wonderfully. The sixth musical track ends up at around thirty-six minutes .
Seventh Musical Track
The seventh musical track commences at around one hour eighteen minutes twenty-nine seconds and it lasts for one minute few seconds. This musical track is a duet between the Trumpet and the Piano. The Piano providing the chords to those beautiful assorted tunes[7] played on the Trumpet of the same scale, of the same nature as the basic theme of the film. Indeed returning to the original theme music back again which was the background score of Cinematographic Panorama of the entire movie. The cinematographer panned his camera from one side to another. The author is in a rush to pack up his clothes and other belongings as he wants to return back before his friend, Dilip’s arrival. This was the scene against which the music is composed and executed. The entire scenario of the locality is presented by the director. The whole scene is being reflected musically with the commencing theme-music of the film. The music showed that things returning back where it all began. Overall it is a melodious and beautiful piece from the aspect of Western music for the viewers.
A detailed review of the film “Antareen” is written by Arun AK in the platform, film companion where the title of the article is “Mrinal Sen’s Underrated Gem Antareen Is On MUBI”[viii].
I found one review of Martin Teller on “Antareen” which is partially true but too harsh and biased on several angles. Primarily he tried to highlight the dark sides of the film leaving aside new angle which Sen tried to portray commendably.[ix]
Mrinal Sen’s message to the society is that even after three and a half century the exploitation of women is still very much prevalent in the modern society. In any society such a heinous practice should be condemned. But unfortunately the society turns a blind eye.
According to Dipankar Mukhopadhyay in his book, “Mrinal Sen: Sixty years in search of Cinema”, “Sen end the film with a Chekhovian[8] flourish. The two protagonists come face to face for a few seconds in a crowded train. Dimple immediately recognizes Anjan as he speaks, but she herself does not utter a word; so Anjan never knows that he has actually met his dream girl.”[x]
According to British film critic and scholar, Derek Malcolm “Sen has traced the social and political ferment of India with greater resilience and audacity than any other contemporary director.”[xi]
I would like to conclude the analysis with a quotation from Mukhopadhyay’s commendable work that “Antareen is the desperate story of two sensitive individuals’ desire to communicate with each other, but in the end both are condemned to loneliness, ‘infinite splendour and eternal confinement’. In its treatment and development, the film also bears the unmistakable stamp of Mrinal Sen’s own gharana.”[xii]
References:
[1] Sthayi or Asthaayi is an initial phrase or line of a fixed melodic composition in Hindustani music. It’s a way of systemizing the parts of a composition. The Sthayi means octave also.
[2] In music theory the term minor scale refers to three scale pattern – the natural minor scale, the harmonic minor scale and the melodic minor scale – rather than just one as with the major scale.
[3] Bhairavi is a Hindustani heptatonic raga of Bhairavi Thaat. In Western musical terms raga Bhairavi employs the notes of the Phrygian mode, one of the traditional European church modes.
[4] The Tabla tarang is a melodic percussion instrument consisting between ten and sixteen tunes dayan drums. In a table ‘pair’ instrument the dayan is the treble drum and the bayan is the bass drum. Tarang means ‘waves’.
[5] The chord associated with the A minor scale are A minor, B diminished, C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major. In other words, every note in the scale is associated with a chord. The chord structure for the minor scale is the same of all keys.
[6] Many kinds of purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity.
[7] 1: a pleasing succession of musical tone: melody, b: a dominant theme. 2: correct musical pitch or consonance – used chiefly in the phrases in tune and out of tune.
[8] Relating to or characteristic of the Russian playwright and short story writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov or his works – characteristics of Anton Chekhov or his writing, especially as they are evocative of a mood of introspection and frustration.
[i]. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antareen
[ii]. Dipankar Mukhopadhyay, 2009, Mrinal Sen – Sixty years in search of Cinema, The Flight to Nowhere, Harper Collins Publishers India, P. – 202.
[iii]. https://mubi.com/cast/shashi-anand
[iv]. https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2babbf04d2
[v]. https://hssiiserbhopalindia.wordpress.com/2020/09/25/online-shruti-natak-badshahat-ka-khatma/
[vi]. Dipankar Mukhopadhyay, 2009, Mrinal Sen – Sixty years in search of Cinema, The Flight to Nowhere, Harper Collins Publishers India, PP – 203-204.
[vii]. Ibid, P. 205.
[viii]. https://www.filmcompanion.in/readers-articles/mrinal-sen-underrated-gem-Antareen-is-on-mubi-dimple-kapadia/amp/
[ix]. https://martinteller.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/Antareen-the-confined/
[x]. Dipankar Mukhopadhyay, 2009, Mrinal Sen – Sixty years in search of Cinema, The Flight to Nowhere, Harper Collins Publishers India, Page – 204.
[xi]. Ibid, Back cover page.
[xii]. Ibid, P. 206.