In the film, “Meghe Dhaaka Taara”, there are multiple layers of information within the ongoing narrative. There is a discourse at several levels in the film. One of the instances where the metanarrative is evident is when Shankar goes to Shillong to meet Neeta. She continuously says that she ‘wants to go home’ which is a metaphor for the soul, a mystical concept, wanting to return back. Also, the filmaker’s desire to go back to his homeland, East Bengal (now Bangladesh) after the partition of Bengal is evident in this line that Neeta says repeatedly. Neeta is the collective symbol for his motherland to which he wants to return. The music prior to this scene, “ Come my daughter, Uma”, are a reference to one of the forms of Parvati who goes through a great deal of suffering, just as Neeta does as she selflessly goes about her duties, exploited to the fullest, while her other siblings move on to fulfill their destinies. She continues to feel that her troubles will vanish, however, she continues to delve deeper into them, while her siblings move on. It is ironic how she carries the burden of fending for her family, compromising on her hopes and aspirations and later becomes a burden herself in her sickness through which, no one is willing to help her. The father blatantly asks her to vacate the room for the newborn baby of his other daughter. The dramatic characters in the film compliment each other in a way that in the end, one gets a feeling that being selfish is not entirely incorrect as no character can be blamed in the end. The motivations in the film have been well place for the development of the story.
The movie opens with a majestic frame of an enormous tree and the central character walking along the road. Also, the scene in which, Neeta’s father reads out the letter concerning her brother’s accident expresses the notion of the middle class loosing its genteelness as industrialization has lead to dehumanization. Machines have devoured their way of life just as the brother was almost devoured by the machines at his factory.
The recitation of the tables by the school children at critical points in the movies expresses the need for financial security, which is one of the themes of the film. Their recitation has been aptly used as background score as it sounds like they are counting money.
The Rabindra sangeet in the film too has been carefully placed.” Jai maata vilamatajata/ Maangan ko de”, is a reference to Neeta, praising her for being the giver and fulfilling all the demands and desires of her family while compromising on her own hopes and aspirations. Also, the music running parallel through the film, allow the viewers to reflect on their own thoughts along with foreseeing Neeta’s plight.
The drama in the film is evident due to the music for instance Neeta’s climbing up the stairs seems dramatic due to the frantic and dramatic rhythm of the music used in the background score. The use of sounds of boiling water aptly indicates the tension building up. The music manipulates the emotions of the characters as well as the viewers in a way that on can truly engage with the characters. The struggling brother who is unable to fend for his family, the Father’s illness and the mother’s selfish nature initiate the development of the story.
The characters undergo a certain transformation in the course of the film, such as the character of Sanat, who after his marriage transforms into a bureaucratic clerk, evident in his style of dressing in expensive clothes and Chinese shoes. However once he realizes that he has married a mere reflection of the ideal wife, he transforms back into his old self as he goes back to wearing simple khadi kurtas. This transformation at a subconscious level takes place in us as well as we experience this film.
The movie opens with a majestic frame of an enormous tree and the central character walking along the road. Also, the scene in which, Neeta’s father reads out the letter concerning her brother’s accident expresses the notion of the middle class loosing its genteelness as industrialization has lead to dehumanization. Machines have devoured their way of life just as the brother was almost devoured by the machines at his factory.
The recitation of the tables by the school children at critical points in the movies expresses the need for financial security, which is one of the themes of the film. Their recitation has been aptly used as background score as it sounds like they are counting money.
The Rabindra sangeet in the film too has been carefully placed.” Jai maata vilamatajata/ Maangan ko de”, is a reference to Neeta, praising her for being the giver and fulfilling all the demands and desires of her family while compromising on her own hopes and aspirations. Also, the music running parallel through the film, allow the viewers to reflect on their own thoughts along with foreseeing Neeta’s plight.
The drama in the film is evident due to the music for instance Neeta’s climbing up the stairs seems dramatic due to the frantic and dramatic rhythm of the music used in the background score. The use of sounds of boiling water aptly indicates the tension building up. The music manipulates the emotions of the characters as well as the viewers in a way that on can truly engage with the characters. The struggling brother who is unable to fend for his family, the Father’s illness and the mother’s selfish nature initiate the development of the story.
The characters undergo a certain transformation in the course of the film, such as the character of Sanat, who after his marriage transforms into a bureaucratic clerk, evident in his style of dressing in expensive clothes and Chinese shoes. However once he realizes that he has married a mere reflection of the ideal wife, he transforms back into his old self as he goes back to wearing simple khadi kurtas. This transformation at a subconscious level takes place in us as well as we experience this film.