UpdateBot at 02:17, 15 December 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Bhuvan Shome
| image = Bhuvan Shome.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Film poster
| director = [[Mrinal Sen]]
| producer = Mrinal Sen Productions
| writer = [[Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay]]
| narrator = [[Amitabh Bachchan]]
| starring = [[Utpal Dutt]]<br />[[Suhasini Mulay]]
| music = [[Vijay Raghav Rao]]
| cinematography = [[K. K. Mahajan]]
| editing =
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1969|05|12}}
| runtime = 96 minutes
| country = India
| language = [[Hindi]]
| budget = 
| gross = 
}}

'''''Bhuvan Shome''''' is a 1969 [[India]]n Hindi-language [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[Mrinal Sen]]<ref>{{Cite web|title='Bhuvan Shome': Why this Mrinal Sen classic can teach you a lot about self-isolation and social distancing - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/bhuvan-shome-why-this-mrinal-sen-classic-can-teach-you-a-lot-about-self-isolation-and-social-distancing/articleshow/75049424.cms|access-date=2021-12-08|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> based on the story of [[Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Banaphula|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ykQwAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhuvan+Shome|title=Bhuvan Shome|date=1970|publisher=Hind Pocket Books|language=en}}</ref> The cast includes [[Utpal Dutt]] (Mr. Bhuvan Shome) and [[Suhasini Mulay]] (Gauri, a village belle). Sen based his film on a Bengali story by [[Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay]]. The film is considered a landmark in modern [[Indian cinema]].<ref>[http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Cinema/Mrinal.html Mrinal Sen] ucla</ref>

This was the debut film of [[Suhasini Mulay]]. [[Amitabh Bachchan]] did the voiceover and was the narrator.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thereel.scroll.in/852519/before-stardom-amitabh-bachchans-drudge-years-are-a-study-in-perseverance-and-persona-building|title=Before stardom: Amitabh Bachchan's drudge years are a study in perseverance and persona building}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Plot==

Bhuvan Shome, a widower and a dedicated civil servant - strict, uncompromising - is a "big officer" in the Indian Railways. The background of the film is constructed in the context of a few railway ticket checkers discussing him as a strict, unreasonable officer ("afsar"). It continues with him being described, by the narrator, as a man whose "Bengali"-ness has not been affected by his travels. His apparent age, late 50s, is an important element of his psychology.

Inspired by the idea of hunting, Bhuvan Shome takes a "hunting holiday" to Gujarat. It is quite clear that his expedition is amateurish. He is portrayed as an inept "hunter" rather than a man who knows how to acquire a skill.

His encounter with the young Gouri is fortuitous because it is she who takes care of him and helps "hunt" birds. She helps him through a barren wilderness, takes him home and takes care of him. When he is made to change his clothes because otherwise the "birds will know" and fly away is probably an important part of his transformation from a strict, conformist and aging man to one of a person more open to the stimuli of his environment.

The subsequent hunting sojourn of Gouri and Bhuvan Shome is a lyrical exploration of Bhuvan Shome's transformation. He is not only enamored by the simple beauty of Gouri, but also enchanted by the sights of birds on the lake and in the sky.

His hunt is "successful," but only in a way that reflects Bhuvan Shome's limitations as a man.

Bhuvan Shome is deeply affected by Gouri, who is actually schooled more than he could expect to be in that environment.

When he returns to his office chambers, he is seen to reprieve an offending railwayman. This is a sub-plot that completes the story and context of the initial narration.

== Cast ==
* [[Utpal Dutt]] as Bhuvan Shome
* [[Suhasini Mulay]] as Gauri
* [[Shekhar Chatterjee]]
* [[Sadhu Meher]]
* Punya Das
* Rochak Pandit

==Themes==

''Bhuvan Shome'' is said to have pioneered the Indian New Wave. It was one of the earliest films to get funded by the [[National Film Development Corporation of India]]. The film deals with  themes of monotony, solitude, camaraderie, and compassion. It also highlights the rural-urban divide in India.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Banerjee|first1=Shampa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zX4GY37rG8kC&dq=Bhuvan+Shome&pg=PA52|title=One Hundred Indian Feature Films: An Annotated Filmography|last2=Srivastava|first2=Anil|date=1988|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-8240-9483-6|language=en}}</ref>

==Awards==

* [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]]
* [[National Film Award for Best Direction|National Film Award for Best Director]] - [[Mrinal Sen]]
* [[National Film Award for Best Actor]] - [[Utpal Dutt]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0064086}}
* {{Amg movie|140770}}

{{Mrinal Sen}}
{{NationalFilmAwardBestFeatureFilm}}

[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:1969 films]]
[[Category:Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:1960s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:Indian avant-garde and experimental films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Mrinal Sen]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actor National Award-winning performance]]
[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Director National Film Award]]
[[Category:Best Feature Film National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay]]

Bhuvan Shome - Revision history

UpdateBot at 02:17, 15 December 2021