That Cuckoo Definitely Flew Over | Part 1 | Under Lens

Ashutosh Mukherjee’s Nurse Mitra was considered to be a taboo idea to show on screen but for a progressive filmmaker like Asit Sen, it was a story worth sharing with mass. Can a nurse providing affection to patients suffering from emotional trauma become victim of the same ailment? The very sanctity of  the relationship between a patient and nurse in a rather motherly role takes a hit when she start developing emotions for the patient. The tragedy is that the patient upon recovery detaches himself leaving behind a emotionally distressed nurse.

Frankly for people saying cinema has grown, watch films made in 50s and 60s. That was the apogee of the cinematic brilliance.

Asit Sen’s Deep Jwoley Jaye made in 1959 is remembered for music by Hemanta Mukherjee and inspiring performance by Suchitra Sen. Her performance inspired actors like Waheeda Rehman, a brilliant actor in her own right. When she played Suchitra Sen’s character in Khamoshi opposite Rajesh Khanna and excelled, she noted that her performance was nowhere near Suchitra Sen. These films are considered to be finest performances by these two actresses.

The theme of Nurse Mitra and deviants are recurring ideas in World Cinema. Remember One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest?  

Worth Noting –

1. Many literary works by Ashutosh Mukherjee were made in Bengali and Hindi Films – like Safar, Bemisaal, Kora Kagaz, Maar Kantak etc.

2. Asit Sen made successful films in Hindi and Bengali. Safar was probably his most well known film in Hindi.

3. Chivaraku Migiledi (Telugu), Thalavattam (Malayalam) and Kyun Ki (Hindi) are some of the Indian remakes of the Bengali film apart from Khamoshi.