Entertainers with a strong storyline and competent craftsmanship have been the forte of Tarun Majumdar throughout his long and distinguished innings in Bengali cinema. Dadar Kirti, one of his most popular works, explores the theme of falling in love of a young man and a woman – a theme he had earlier explored in two of his major films Balika Badhu (1969) and Sriman Prithviraj (1972).

Dadar Kirti is the story of Kedar, the dimwit with a golden heart, who overcomes his failures and weaknesses and wins the heart of the Saraswati, a girl who is somewhat tomboyish and puritan and who is feared by all because of her strong and no-nonsense personality. At the same time, it also depicts the process of Saraswati maturing into womanhood and realizing her true love and happiness with Kedar. The interplay between the growth of these two protagonists who are like chalk and cheese in terms of personality provides the film with its distinctive appeal and poise. The growth of their romance – from their first meeting where the naïve Kedar flees the admonishing gaze of the stern Saraswati and he then being mesmerized by her performance as the warrior princess Chitrangada in the production of the dance drama by Rabindranath Tagore, to the happy finale of Saraswati refusing marriage with a affluent suitor from Bhagalpur – is sketched in very clear terms. The antics of Bhombolda and the his cohorts which start off as innocent jokes on the foolishness of Kedar take an ominous turn just by sheer bad luck and throw obstacles in the path of the two lovers. In the end as with all romantic films all misunderstandings are cleared up and the lovers are united in bliss.

Given the somewhat predictable storyline, the enduring quality of the film lies in its breezy screenplay that concentrates on the essentials and is extremely strong in characterization. Kedar’s idiocy is established at the very prologue that comes before the title sequence when his father almost has a heart attack on hearing about his son’s failing thrice in his exams. His innocence is more exposed when he easily accepts that his cousin Santu was having his “botany practicals” with his “lady professor clad in a sky-blue sari” when in reality he was having a romantic tryst with his fiancée Bini. And to top it all Kedar confesses his unabashed admiration for Saraswati in front of Bhombolda and all the other members of the local Boy’s Club without an iota of an idea the hilarity such a confession can generate. However the film is never harsh on his shortcomings; even in the scene when Bhombolda dupes him to take a three-hour dip in the icy stream in the middle of the night, the attitude is not to make fun of Kedar’s sheer gullibility. Instead the act is portrayed as Kedar’s fervent prayer to the Goddess of learning, Saraswati (!), to overcome his phobia of studies. The stupid and naïve Kedar is however redeemed by one great quality – his innate talent for singing. It is this quality which is presented as a surprise element much to the chagrin of Bhombolda (and also the audience) that initially deeply impresses Saraswati, who is almost a polar opposite to him. The scene where Kedar bursts into the Rabindra sangeet song Chorono Dhorite Diyo Go Aamare in the drawing room is masterfully composed with the stress on the reactions of Saraswati who accompanies Kedar on the piano is definitely one of the highlights of the film.

In fact, references to Rabindranath Tagore’s works are meaningfully integrated in the screenplay of Dadar Kirti and this adds a touch of class to the film. Kedar is mesmerized by Saraswati’s brilliance as Chitrangada – the warrior princess who realizes her womanhood with the legendary Pandava Arjun. E Bodhu Kon Alo Laaglo Chokkhe the song to which Saraswati dances on the stage captures the first emotions of love in Chitrangada’s mind and is portrayed in the film with the liberal use of close–ups of the eyes and faces of the protagonists. Extremely literal but absolutely on the mark for the Bengali middle-class audience fed on a heavy diet of literary cinema. Kedar’s acceptance of his fallacy of falling in love in Saraswati with her deciding to accept the marriage proposal of her rich suitor comes out through his rendition of another Tagore song with a somewhat fatalist tone Ei Korechho Bhalo Nithur Hey, again somewhat literal but then…

One of the major plus points of the film is the acting by a pretty large cast comprising of a mix of newcomers, young actors and veterans of Bengali cinema. Tapas Pal makes a stunning debut in an author backed role; he is extremely believable as the naïve simpleton who steps into adulthood and is able to pull at the heartstrings of the viewer. Sadly though, such was the impact he made with this film, he got typecast and had to struggle for a long time to get out of the predicament. Mohua Roychoudhury, an actor of real talent who tragically died young, gives one of her best known screen performances. The scene where Saraswati confesses her love for Kedar, Mohua is able to change her emotional state from anger and sternness to passionate emotional turmoil with a degree of effortlessness that speaks volumes of her histrionic abilities. One must also mention Debashree Roy who plays Saraswati’s younger sister Bini. In her first major role as and adult she is brilliant as a frivolous teenager betrothed to Kedar’s cousin Santu. In the scene where she has a spat and then reconciliation with her elder sister, the young Debashree actually manages to steal the scene from the more experienced Mohua. Anup Kumar Das, mostly seen as a comedienne in mindless potboilers, is also reasonably competent as the scheming and smart-alecky Bhombolda but it must be admitted that in some scenes especially in the one he disguises himself as a sadhu from the Himalayas he goes over the top by a long way. The rest of cast does able jobs in portraying typical characters. In its technical aspects the film is competent without being flashy. The soundtrack is pleasing with Hemanta Mukherjee’s inimitable rendition of the two Rabindra sangeets sung by Kedar being the highlight.

Dadar Kirti operates at an extremely stereotypical level both in terms of the overall narrative, characterisation and cinematic technique. However despite its clichés the film overall has a charming feel good quality and provides unpretentious entertainment with a certain degree of poise, honesty and competency.