With the death of Tapan Sinha,only one master of his generation remains in the rarefied world that once was Bengali cinema. Sinha (1924-2009) didnt belong to the trinity that redefined Indian cinema: Satyajit Ray (1921-1992),Mrinal Sen (b 1923),Ritwik Ghatak (1925-1976). Perhaps he wasnt intellectual enough; he certainly didnt care about the art and craft of cinema,about cinematography per se,as they did. Instead,he was a storyteller. He doesnt therefore leave behind an enduring legacy that 50 years hence could still be cited as containing within itself the moments that changed Indian film-making for all time. But Sinha will endure for a while in the intangible domain of memory those that watched his films,and there were many,were touched. Those that may still watch his films will be touched. Sinha worked in Bengali,Hindi and Oriya,using topical issues and never repeating himself. His forte was the subtle exploitation of the narrative and of the skills of his cast to leave the desired emotional impress on the audience not to make them hysteric through melodrama,but to make them think retrospectively by reflecting on what they have felt. The visual medium,after all,taps the heart before the head. Sinhas Tagore adaptation of Kabuliwala (1956) Bimal Roy produced its Hindi version in 1961 entered the collective Bengali psyche owing as much to the man who had written the story,and Chhabi Biswas who played the lead,as Sinha himself; but it remains his signature film. Nevertheless,his distinct mark lies in Haate Bajare (1967),Aponjon (1968),Zindagi,Zindagi (1972),Sabuj Diper Raja (1979),Ek Doctor ki Maut (1991) and so on. The lesson from Tapan Sinhas oeuvre is how to stay within the frame of the mainstream and yet push the limits of that mainstream as far as they go a lesson that mainstream cinema,unfortunately,rarely heeds.
