Antony Firingee(1967)-Uttam-Tanuja Classic- Home of ‘Ami Je Jolsa Ghore‘
Director: Sunil Banerjee
Casts: Uttam Kumar, Tanuja, Asit Baran, Bhanu Banerjee, Lolita Chatterjee, Asha Devi, Chhaya Devi, Ruma Guha Thakurata, Tarun Kumar, Haridhan Mukherjee, Jahar Roy,
Genre: Romance, Drama, Musical
Original Music by: Anil Bagchi
Musical Hits: Ami Je Jolsa Ghore, Ami Jamini Tumi Shoshi, Champa Chameli Golaperi Bage
Singers: Manna Dey, Sandhya Mujherjee, Hemanta Mukherjee
‘Antony Firingi’ is based on the life of Antony Firingi, a Portugese Indian who was very moved by the Bengali culture and worked hard to become a Bengali poet and singer -Kobiyal. In the film Uttam Kumar played the role of Antony Firingi and Chhaya Debi played the role of his Hindu mother. Antony fell in love with a court singer Shakila (Tanuja) who came from a Hindi family originally. She married an old man according tho the will of her father, not raising her voice for marrying her admirer, a sick man as revealed all throughout the film. And when her old husband dies, she was forced to become a ’sati’- burn herself into the pyres when her husband was being cremeted. As any normal human, she was scared. Her ex-lover took advantage of this situation and came to help her. They eloped, and then to her utter shock she discovered that she was sold to some court-singer by him. She had no other way to be anything other a singer now. She could not go back. And started her life as a mistress for some rich man and her name became Shakila. Antony married her and got all the inspiration from her to become a ‘kabiyal’ and them to defeat the allmighty poet of that time – Bhola Moira (Asit Baran). Shakila’s cursed life never left her. She was followed everywhere by her past. The villagers discover one day about her past. And when she tries to arrange for the worship of goddess Durga, they take it as a sacrilage and burn the hut. Antony was away in a ‘kobi-larai’ – battle of poets in penning songs instantly- with his adorable idol Bhola Moira, a chance for which he has waited all his life- and when he returns with victory his wife is gone.
A very touching story full of gorgeous songs and bright stars of cinema world and also music who has lent their melodious voices. A classic for all times that depicts the social and cultural life in Bengal 200 years back. A wonderful direction – convervativeness of the contemporary Hindu society, the mistreatment on women have played a thematic background, but never lost harmony with the main story. Actors like Tarun Kumar, Chhaya Debi, Asit Baran, Lalita Chatterjee, Ruma Guha Thakuarta, Jahar Ray have played small, but sweet and important roles.
