A personification of the classic short stories by Bengali polymath Rabindranath
Tagore from his most fecund period, Stories By Rabindranath Tagore is EPIC’s widely
appreciated show. These stories have been adapted to the small screen by acclaimed
film director Anurag Basu, renowned for his distinctive narratives and visual storytelling
in movies. In the original literary work, Tagore focused on relationships that were
drenched with human shortcomings and idiosyncrasies. Based in the early twentieth
century of undivided Bengal, the stories are set in a politically volatile Calcutta. Tagore
touted as the most articulate feminist of his times, defined confident women as the
protagonists of his stories who were strong in their stead and defiant in nature while
being cocooned in a conservative Indian society.
In Stories by Rabindranath Tagore, Basu translates these works in his signature style,
achieving a fine balance between the populist and the elite. In an amber chiaroscuro
of a bygone era, he details a range of moods from the stark to the tender. The show
brings to life the timeless characters created by Gurudev and exceptionally portrayed
by renowned actors like Radhika Apte, Amrita Puri and Abigail Jain among many
others in lead roles. Unlike ordinary characters, these personalities pack a rebellious
punch. They break the traditional paths and root themselves into our hopeful hearts.
We fight alongside them as they break out from their socio-religious confines. The
audience, in our times too, will find this world engaging as well as challenging; feeling
attached to their emotions, issues, drama and anxieties. Basu retains Tagore’s
narrative style even in the visual medium and enhances the words of his pages with
songs, music, cultural references and its newfound political and social expressions.
Tagore’s words and Basu’s vision have amalgamated into a show that will transport
you back in time to a world as complicated as this one but with far more appeal and
beauty.