P C (Pramathesh Chandra) Barua, the ace director-actor is best remembered for India’s first super hit classic, Devdas (1935), which he directed for the New Theatres, Kolkata. The film, based on Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s Bengali novel with the same name, first published in 1917, was simultaneously made in two versions – Bengali and Hindi, both of which were directed by Barua.In the Bengali version Barua himself starred as Devdas with Jamuna (whom he later married) as Parvati and Chandrabati Devi as Chandramukhi. In the Hindi version the star singer K.L. Saigal played the pivotal protagonist with Jamuna, who in this version also acted as Parvati, and Rajkumari as Chandramukhi.
The film was hailed as an unprecedented success both commercially and critically, turning Barua and Saigal as cult figures and Devdas as an enduring tragic romantic hero and a reference point for the future. A dozen films on this tragic novel of unrequited love, including Bimal Roy’s in 1955 and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s in 2002 have been made till today.The story of the film in a nut shell is that a rich man’s son, Devdas is not allowed to marry his poor neighbour’s daughter, Parvati. She is then married off to a rich widower and sent away. Devdas moves to Kolkata, where he gets acquainted with Chandramukhi, a courtesan, who influenced by him gives up her profession and turns to spirituality. The frustrated and dejected Devdas, who has become an alcoholic, dies before Parvati’s marital
In the Hindi version Saigal soulfully sang two Kidar Sharma- penned songs, “Baalam aaye baso more man mein” (O beloved, come and dwell in my heart), a romantic number and the pathos-saturated elegy, “Dukh ke ab din beetat naahin” (The days of sorrow now do not pass), which caused an immense cathartic impact on the audiences. The tunes for both of these songs were created by Saigal himself though the credit for them as well as other songs in the film was given to music director Timir Baran
Born on October 24, 1903 as a prince of Gauripur (Assam) Barua graduated in science from the Presidency College, Kolkata and was thereafter elected a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly as also of the University Senate. He then visited Europe to learn film making, particularly in London and Paris, from where besides the requisite knowledge, he also brought some useful film equipment.On his return, he first joined Dhiren Ganguly’s British Dominion Films in 1928 and a year later started his own Barua Pictures in Kolkata, producing a few silent movies, including Apradhi (1931), in which he himself played the hero and which was directed by Debaki Kumar Bose.
He, however, sold off his film company and joined the New Theatres in 1932 where he worked till 1939 directing and even acting in a few films, notable among them, besides Devdas being Manzil (1936), Mukti (1937) and Adhikar (1938).Based on Sarat Chandra’s novel, Grihadah, Manzil was about two male friends, the poor but educated Mahim (Barua) and the rich and conservative Suresh (Prithviraj Kapoor), both of whom love the same woman, Achala (Jamuna). The liberated Achala marries Mahim but Suresh abducts her. Having failed to win his wife’s love Mahim courts death and the film ends inexplicitly with a scene in which Achala is shown walking alone on a dark road.
The title of Mukti, which was made in Bengali and Hindi, was suggested by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, who also permitted inclusion in the Bengali version of two of his songs with his original tunes. The story is about a middle class artist, Prasanta (Barua), who marries a rich girl, Chitra (Kanan Devi). The marriage, however, fails owing to their economic and cultural incompatibility. Prasanta fakes suicide and moves to the jungles of Assam. A trader recognizes him and on the pretext of taking Chitra to her husband kidnaps her. In rescuing her Prasanta gets killed and thereby releases her from their marital bonds signifying, ironically, her achievement of absolute freedom (Mukti).In Adhikar (starring himself and Jamuna) again he presented beautifully the marked difference between affluence and poverty on the one hand and tradition and modernity on the other.
Zindagi (1940), Barua’s last directed film for the New Theatres was another beautiful light comedy in which he brought together again Saigal and Jamuna, the celebrated pair of Devdas. The story is about the chance meeting of a penniless unemployed graduate, Rattan (Saigal) and a married lady (Jamuna), who has run away from her husband’s home because of a failed marriage.By their smart and witty ways they earn some money and buy a house and live in it together but being attached to each other only platonically. The lady suddenly inherits great wealth which she uses for laudable social purposes. Then the two of them part company on an agreeable note.
At one stage, the hero was left with only a single two-Anna coin. Saigal sang a hilarious song about it written by Arzoo Lucknavi and set to music by Pankaj Mullick, with the words, “Jeevan aasha yeh hai mer. Naam hai jis ka ek duwanni, saara khazaana yeh hai” (This two-Anna coin is my life’s only hope.It is all the treasure I possess). The other beautiful songs were the ghazal, “Deewana hoon, deewana hoon, raahat se main begaana hoon” (Crazy I am and alien to comfort), a lullaby, “So ja Rajkumari, so ja” (Princess, go to sleep) and a romantic number, “In do matwaale nainon mein, main kya jaanoon kya jaadoo hai” (I know not what magic these two fascinating eyes hold).
As a free- lance director Barua made Jawab (1942), which was his last important movie. Besides himself it starred Kanan Devi and Jamuna, who represented the traditional and the modern attitudes, respectively. This film also celebrated its success for, among other things, its memorable songs written by Buddhi Chandra Agarwal “Madhur” and sung by Kanan Devi to the music scored by Kamal Dasgupta.
These included the philosophical number, “Duniya, yeh duniya Toofan Mail” (This world is a fast train), “Ai chaand chhup na jaana jab tak main geet gaaoon” (Don’t hide away O Moon, while I sing), and “Kuchh yaad rahe to sun kar jaa, tu haan kar jaa ya na kar jaa” (To remember later listen to me now and say yes or no before you leave). Barua’s choice of contemporary themes, use of the language actually spoken by people of his time in their day to day life and his emphasis on naturalc acting marked a healthy departure from the then prevalent costume dramas and fantasies with the theatrical kind of histrionics and dialogue delivery. He also won laurels for an intelligent employment of the camera for close ups of characters to provide an insight into the working of their minds.
In his personal life the brilliant aristocrat, Barua, was flamboyant, lived in style, was an accomplished big-game hunter, and a billiards champion who often rode his favourite tusker, Jung Bahadur in the jungles of Assam and drove speedily on the streets of Kolkata his specially designed sports car with his pet leopard seated by his side. Unfortunately. Like Devdas, the doomed hero of his most famous movie, he too developed an excessive and obsessive fondness for liquor, which resulted in his death on November 29, 1951 at a comparatively young age of 48 years. He, however, left behind a scintillating contribution to India’s rich film heritage. – PTI Feature
