Mar 4, 2021

March 4, 2021 Mozharul Islam Babla Vanu Bandyopadhyay is a true Bengali and inevitably our man. Khas is also from Dhaka. Vanu of Dhaka became famous by spreading the local Kutti language of Dhaka all over West Bengal. In his comedy designs and in Bengali films, he has established himself as the Vanu of Dhaka by applying and propagating his dialogues in the pure Kutti language of Dhaka. Thus, there was no shortage of sniffing, sarcasm, ridicule and jokes of the Bengalis of West Bengal about the East Bengali language. They used to ridicule the conventional Bengali language of East Bengal. The local Kutti language of Dhaka was more and more difficult for them to digest. Vanu’s Dhakaiya Kutti language would surely warm their ears. By imposing the language of contempt on the Bengalis of West Bengal, he has left them in the lurch. They were forced to accept Vanu’s extraordinarily humorous Dhakaiya Kutti language. People laughed at Vanu’s joke and enjoyed pure joy. Bhanu’s joke was not just laughter. The oblique was largely. He made an artistic mockery of inconsistency through law. He has slammed the joke about the inconsistency of society, state and politics. A notable aspect of Vanu’s humor is his ridicule of inconsistencies. He has done that successfully. The audience did not have to hurry to understand Vanu’s slanted jokes even though he was playing looting with a sigh of relief. The popularity of Bhanu’s jokes is skyrocketing. Vanu in Dhaka was not limited to West Bengal. Motherland was also popular in East Bengal. Indian films were not banned in East Pakistan. Even after the partition of the country in mid-August 1947, there was a huge market for Indian Hindi-Bangla films in East Bengal. During the Pak-India war in September 1965, General Ayub Khan banned the screening of Indian films in the then East Pakistan. In the years leading up to the Pak-India war from 1947 to 1965, Bengali films made in Calcutta and Hindi films made in Mumbai were freely displayed in East Bengal. That is why Vanu was no stranger to the visitors of East Bengal. Baryatri (1951), Pasher Bari (1952), Sare Chuattar (1953), Ora Thake Odhare (1954), Vanu Pel Lottery (1958), Yamalaye Jivant Manush (1956), Personal Assistant (1959) Due to his appearance, Vanu was equally popular in both Bengalis. I grew up listening to all the pictures of my parents enjoying the pure laughter and joy. That’s why I used to feel the natural attraction towards all those pictures from my teenage years. Due to the ban, there was no way to listen to Vanu’s jokes and watch his films. After independence, I got a chance to listen to Vanu’s comedy designs on audio cassettes. I used to collect cassettes from Er-Or and listen to all the wonderful comedy designs. No one else in Bengali like Vanu has been able to stand in his place till today and has not been able to surpass him. Vanu is still unique and unique even today. The film starring Vanu was screened at the auditorium of the Indian Embassy in Dhaka organized by the Film Parliament. Much later, on the arrival of VCR, I saw a picture of Vanu on video cassette. Thanks to the internet and satellite TV, there is nothing forbidden for us now. Kolkata’s Bengali channel also occasionally broadcasts Bengali films of the golden age of Kolkata. Also video CDs are now quite readily available. Lots of pictures starring Vanu are now available on CD. Vanu’s acting style, expression, eloquence, voice all combine to make Dikpal Vanu a comedian. He never tried in vain to make the audience laugh. Vanu has an extraordinary ability to make the audience laugh. He is not only an outstanding but also rare among the common comedians. We have not been able to give due respect to this outstanding talent. None of us invited him here for a film or a cultural event. We have to bear this shame. Short-lived Vanu passed away at the age of only 72 years. After the victory of 1971, many talented artists from West Bengal came to independent Bangladesh. They came to Dhaka on various government and private initiatives. But no one brought Vanu to Dhaka on public-private initiative. He came to Dhaka on his own initiative. BTV also aired a program about him. Interviewed, joked on the occasion. I do not know whether the program is preserved in the archives of BTV? In an interview with BTV, Vanu said sarcastically, ‘None of you called me. I have been waiting for your call for a long time. But none of you called me. ‘ We certainly did not do justice to Vanu. Dhaka has shown utter failure to give Dhaka the respect it deserves. This shame will no longer be redeemed. He used to proudly call himself not only from East Bengal but also from Dhaka. It did not have his inferiority complex. There was a feeling of arrogance. A few years ago I went on a trip to Calcutta to see pictures of Nandan. Looking at the picture, my friend from Kolkata suddenly gestured to a lady and said in a low voice, that woman is the eldest daughter of Vanu Bandyopadhyay. As soon as I heard that, I ran to the lady. Without hesitation, I ask if she is the daughter of Vanu Banerjee? He is a little hesitant in my question to the stranger. After hearing yes in his mouth, I told him – I have come from Dhaka. I had no personal acquaintance with Vanu Banerjee. But my acquaintance with his creativity is much earlier. At my words he stood up. I ask a lot of questions about his father and he answered my questions with pure sincerity, without the slightest annoyance. Similar to Bhanu, his daughter Basabi is working in a service organization. Vanu used to speak Khas Dhakaiya language in his family life. He would not let the local Bengalis of Calcutta say Ghati. He joined the film industry in 1948 and got married that year. He gave up hope of returning to his motherland in the bloody partition of 1947 and settled in Calcutta. There were no more Bengalis in the country of communalism. Hindus and Muslims were divided. It was not possible to return to the motherland even if there was a wish. Although Joy was waiting for the invitation of Bengal, no one invited him to Dhaka in his lifetime. Regret about this. In the end he went to Dhaka on his own initiative. I also learned from Basbir about a different Vanu. While some may know that, many do not. I didn’t know either. Just last December, Basbi Bandyopadhyay came on G-Bangla channel’s ‘Miracle’ program. Rajtav Dutt asked about it and Basavi Banerjee said the same thing to me, his father Vanu Banerjee was involved in the armed Swadeshi movement. He was an active member of the armed Swadeshi organization Anushilan Dal. Three patriotic heroes took part in the Writers’ Operation in Kolkata. Vinay, Badal and Dinesh. During the operation, three people entered the writers separately that day. Vanu was tasked with transporting Dinesh to the Writers’ Building. Vanu Banerjee took Dinesh to the Writers’ Gate on a bicycle. According to the party’s decision, Vanu dropped Dinesh off and left the area after waiting for a while on a bicycle outside the gate. We know the consequences of the Writers operation. The infamous Colonel Simpson was assassinated by a surprise attack on three revolutionary writers dressed in European garb. Two English police officers, Twainam, Prentice and Nelson, were seriously injured in a clash with security guards. Badal Basu committed suicide on the spot after consuming potassium cyanide. Binoy Basu and Dinesh Gupta tried to commit suicide with their pistols but failed. Binoy Basu, a medical student undergoing treatment at the hospital, confirmed his suicide by inserting his finger into the bullet wound. When the bullet-riddled Dinesh recovered, he was hanged and put to death by the colonial English rulers. It would not have been possible to know this chapter of political-patriotism of Vanu Banerjee’s life if I had not talked to Basavi Banerjee earlier that day. As soon as Vanu pulled his daughter, I ran away and found out many unknown things about Vanu. Vanu’s real name is Samyamoy Bandyopadhyay. He was born on 26 August 1920 in Bikrampur, Dhaka. Father Jitendranath Bandyopadhyay. Mother Suniti Banerjee. The beginning of childhood, adolescence and youth was spent in Dhaka. After matriculating from St. Gregory High School in Sadarghat, he was admitted to Jagannath College. After completing his education at Jagannath College, he moved to Calcutta in 1941 to earn a living. Calcutta was of paramount importance at that time because of its education, higher education, general occupation and respectable livelihood opportunities. Many people from East Bengal built their second residence in Calcutta due to their education and profession. From his sister’s shelter on Ashwini Dutt Road in Baliganj, Kolkata, he joined a government office called Iron and Steel Company. After living with his sister for two years, he moved to his separate residence on Charu Avenue in Taliganj. He married Nilima Mukherjee in 1947. They have three children. Gautam, Basbi and Pinaki. He made his acting debut in the film Jagran. It was released in 1948. He did not have to look back after the release of the second photo allegation in the same year. Gradually he became a busy artist of the film. His notable films include Manmugdha (1949), Baryatri (1951), Pasher Bari (1952), Basu Paribar (1952), Sare Chuattar (1953), [সাড়ে চুয়াত্তর সুচিত্রা সেন অভিনীত প্রথম ছবি। নির্মল হাস্যরসের অসামান্য ছবি সাড়ে চুয়াত্তরের কাহিনীকার বিজন ভট্টাচার্য (সাহিত্যিক মহাশ্বেতা দেবীর স্বামী) পরিচালক তপন সিংহ।] They live in Odhare (1954), Vanu Pel Lottery (1958), Jamalaye Jivant Manush (1956), Personal Assistant (1959), Galpa Hole Sathi (197), 70 Te Asio Na (198), Miss Priyambada (198), Vanu Goyenda Jahar Assistant (1981), the latest film Shorgol was released in 1974 after his death. Bandish (1955) and Ek Gaon Ki Kahani (1955) Ñ the total number of films starring Vanu, including these two Hindi films, is 231. Vanu Bandyopadhyay has acted in 229 Bengali films. His notable comedy designs are Vanu L in Calcutta, Lord Vanu, Telephone Vibrat, Vanu Sadananda, Nab Ramayana, Ghatak Sangbad, Karta vs. Ginni, Karta Babu’s Country Travel, Hanuman’s City Philosophy, Calcutta and Politeness, Chatujye-Barjye etc. The comedian has acted in more than 300 Bengali films. On March 4, 1983, at the age of just 62, he died prematurely.