Source: TOI
For 36 long years that Satyajit Ray made films, Dulal Dutta had been his constant companion. From Pather Panchali to Agantuk, Dutta edited all his films. After Ray's death, Dutta worked in Uttaran and Target that were directed by the master filmmaker's son, Sandip.
The 86-year-old passed away on Tuesday night following prolonged illness. "The Tollygunge film industry has lost a good technician," said film editor Shuvro Ray.
"The rhythm of editing, cut-point were something I learnt from his work. From the editor's perspective, two films that immediately come to my mind are Jana Aranya and Ashani Sanket. Especially, Jana Aranya. The jump-cut impressed me a lot. The editing is still so contemporary. There was a lot to learn from him. I had the opportunity to interact with him once when I was working on a film as an editor. I have tried to follow him at times," he added.
It's said that much of the credit for the famous Apu-Durga sequence in Pather Panchali where the siblings sprint across a field towards a running train in the backdrop of swaying kaash stalks should actually go to Dutta. Ray had shot a lesser number of frames than was required for the sequence and Dutta came to his rescue.
"He edited the frames brilliantly to create an illusion of motion. It turned out to be one of the high points of the film and has come to symbolize Indian cinema ever since," said film expert Sanjoy Mukhopadhyay. He edited Pather Panchali' working round the clock for two weeks to get the film ready for its premiere in
New York.
Cinematographer Soumendu Ray who was himself associated with about a dozen Ray films recalled Dutta as a quiet, humble man who was deeply immersed in his work. "I have known him since the Pather Panchali' days. Later, we worked together in several Ray films. He was an honest professional and could be ruthless to ensure that the film retained its pace. While editing Ashani Sanket', he insisted on chopping off a couple of scenes which I wanted retained. Eventually, he prevailed upon Manikda (Ray) to allow him to do it. Even though it left me disheartened, I realized that he was right. He knew his job," said Ray.
Apart from the Ray films, Dutta also worked with other directors like Tarun Mazumdar and others. He was quintessentially a Ray man. Dutta considered Aparajito his best work in the Ray oeuvre. His story didn't begin with Ray, but it did end with him.
It was in 1942 when Dutta ran off to Mumbai. The first few nights were spent below the ticket counter at Dadar railway station. As fate would have it, he met a make-up man called K L Maitra, who was then working in a Noor-Jehan and Shyam starrer, Nadaan. Dutta started off as a make-up assistant, at times doubling up as a clap-boy. But his interest was in the editing lab and he would often hang around the place. Finally, he was allowed inside.
Some years later, he returned to Kolkata and started working as an editing assistant. While working for a film called Barjatri where the art director was Bansi Chandragupta, Dutta got the offer to work in Pather Panchali. That was in 1951. The rest, as is said, is history.
Experts like Mukhopadhyay believe Dutta's brilliance lay in maintaining the film's narrative and making sure that the sequences went by in a smooth flow.
"He could get under the director's skin and know exactly what was expected of him. Dutta rarely tried anything different, but there was never a jarring note in the films edited by him. We have lost a master technician," said Mukhopadhyay.
The 86-year-old passed away on Tuesday night following prolonged illness. "The Tollygunge film industry has lost a good technician," said film editor Shuvro Ray.
"The rhythm of editing, cut-point were something I learnt from his work. From the editor's perspective, two films that immediately come to my mind are Jana Aranya and Ashani Sanket. Especially, Jana Aranya. The jump-cut impressed me a lot. The editing is still so contemporary. There was a lot to learn from him. I had the opportunity to interact with him once when I was working on a film as an editor. I have tried to follow him at times," he added.
It's said that much of the credit for the famous Apu-Durga sequence in Pather Panchali where the siblings sprint across a field towards a running train in the backdrop of swaying kaash stalks should actually go to Dutta. Ray had shot a lesser number of frames than was required for the sequence and Dutta came to his rescue.
"He edited the frames brilliantly to create an illusion of motion. It turned out to be one of the high points of the film and has come to symbolize Indian cinema ever since," said film expert Sanjoy Mukhopadhyay. He edited Pather Panchali' working round the clock for two weeks to get the film ready for its premiere in
New York.
Cinematographer Soumendu Ray who was himself associated with about a dozen Ray films recalled Dutta as a quiet, humble man who was deeply immersed in his work. "I have known him since the Pather Panchali' days. Later, we worked together in several Ray films. He was an honest professional and could be ruthless to ensure that the film retained its pace. While editing Ashani Sanket', he insisted on chopping off a couple of scenes which I wanted retained. Eventually, he prevailed upon Manikda (Ray) to allow him to do it. Even though it left me disheartened, I realized that he was right. He knew his job," said Ray.
Apart from the Ray films, Dutta also worked with other directors like Tarun Mazumdar and others. He was quintessentially a Ray man. Dutta considered Aparajito his best work in the Ray oeuvre. His story didn't begin with Ray, but it did end with him.
It was in 1942 when Dutta ran off to Mumbai. The first few nights were spent below the ticket counter at Dadar railway station. As fate would have it, he met a make-up man called K L Maitra, who was then working in a Noor-Jehan and Shyam starrer, Nadaan. Dutta started off as a make-up assistant, at times doubling up as a clap-boy. But his interest was in the editing lab and he would often hang around the place. Finally, he was allowed inside.
Some years later, he returned to Kolkata and started working as an editing assistant. While working for a film called Barjatri where the art director was Bansi Chandragupta, Dutta got the offer to work in Pather Panchali. That was in 1951. The rest, as is said, is history.
Experts like Mukhopadhyay believe Dutta's brilliance lay in maintaining the film's narrative and making sure that the sequences went by in a smooth flow.
"He could get under the director's skin and know exactly what was expected of him. Dutta rarely tried anything different, but there was never a jarring note in the films edited by him. We have lost a master technician," said Mukhopadhyay.
