Introduction

There is a very interesting story behind the singlemost important event to have happend in the Bengali film industry for a long time. Actor Subhendu Chatterjee was toying with idea of making a film, Hobo Itihas , and had even approched Uttam Kumar with the lead role. But Chatterjee was not destined to make the film. Uttam Kumar died suddenly and with him went the already- few-and -far- between hits of Tollygunge. Hobo Itihas was predictably shelved.

Four years later, a script- writer with some six films behind him, Anjan Chowdhury, approached Chatterjee for the film rights of Hobo Itihas . Chatterjee accepted; he did not have much of an option- Tollygunge without Uttam Kumar was crumbling and there was not way he could hope to make his film the way he wanted to.

Chowdhury had different ideas. He let art take the rearmost seat and set about turning the film into sheer masala. The little loss that art suffered was to be later more than compensated by an entire industry's gain.

The end-product renamed Shatru, made in black -and-white at a cost of only Rs.7 lakhs and released in 1984, went on to earn crores during its Platinum Jubilee run .

The commercial success of Shatru is but only a part of its success. It remains the guiding star of Tollygunge's second leased of life and an inspirations for the string of hits that were to follow over the next few years. If ever an industry was brought back to life it was this: and if ever there was oneman who made this possible , it was Anjan Chowdhury. And his views on the commerce of what we of ten confuse wiwth the art of the film.

Fifteen years and numerous hits later, Chowdhury now speaks with a confidence which can come only with the sheer power of success.

Chowdhury believes that the success of his type of films lies in a good story, a taut script and , mos importantly dialogues. " My stories are exercises in sentiment fed by racy dialogues. That is the key to my success."

His faith in the story-script-dialogue syndrome is so total that he waves away any talk of the imporance of stars in a film.

There seems to be an almost quaint sense of conviction in his logic. You may or may not agree with him but it is not easy to fight the logic of success.

Chowdhury is perhaps the only scriptwriter-director in Bengal whose fan mail would do a star proud. In the suburbs, the traditional market of Bengali films,he is mobbed at every function he attends.