10TH STD PATOL BABU

PATOL BABU

Answer the following questions briefly

1.     What was the news that Nishikanto Ghosh gave Patol Babu?

Answer: Nishinkanto Ghosh gave Patol babu the news that his youngest brother-in-law is in search of an actor for a particular scene in his film.Someone who is in his fifties and can do justice to the role. 

2.     How did Patol Babu react? Why?

Answer: Patol Babu was surprised. He had acted in dramas when he was young but now he is in his early fifties and has left acting a long back. He is a simple middle class man who is struggling to make ends meet.

3.     Why had Patol Babu lost his first job in Calcutta?

Answer: The Company for which Patol Babu was working suffered due to the war. It forced the Company to retrench a large number of employees. Patol Babu was among the unfortunate employees who lost their job.

4.     How does Patol Babu reconcile to the dialogue given to him?

Answer: Patol Babu remembers the preaching of his guru in acting. He always advised that no role is small and one should do full justice to a role; no matter how insignificant it appeared. So, Patol Babu decided to give it his whole heart.

5.     Who was Mr. Pakrashi? How do his words help Patol Babu in enacting his role?

Answer: Mr. Pakrashi was the mentor of Patol Babu during his theatre days. He advised Patol Babu to never consider a role below his dignity. He advised that an actor should try to squeeze every drop of the line given to him. He said that acting was like a teamwork in which everyone’s effort brings the whole picture. His words appeared highly encouraging Patol Babu and thus Patol Babu began rehearsing to say ‘Oh’ in various styles.

6.     How do we know that Patol Babu was a meticulous man?

Answer: Different activities of Patol Babu show that he was a meticulous man. To start with; he reached on time for the shooting. He tried to gather all possible information about the film; like name of the director, lead actor, etc. He wanted to get his dialogue beforehand so that he could get enough time to rehearse for his role. Even when he was given a monosyllable in the name of dialogue; he continued rehearsing that. He even counted the number of steps required to correctly time his collision with the lead actor.

7.     Why did Mr.Barren Mullick turn down Patol Babu's request for a rehearsal?

Answer: Mr. Barren Mullick was aware about the inconsequence of the role given to Patol Babu. Hence, he did not want to waste time on rehearsal and refused Patol Babu’s request.

8.     What were the special touches that Patol Babu gave to his role to make it more authentic?

Answer: Patol Babu practiced his dialogue in a variety of ways to make that as authentic as possible. He wanted to hold a newspaper to appear like an absent minded pedestrian. These are the examples of special touches Patol Babu gave to his role to make it more authentic.

Discuss the following questions in detail.(Elaborate them, only basic idea is given)

1.     'I hope the part calls for some dialogue?' Who says this? Why does he /she ask this question?

Answer: Patol Babu enquires this. He wants enough time to rehearse his dialogue and hence asks this question.

2.     'Were these people pulling his legs? Was the whole thing a gigantic hoax? A meek, harmless man like him, and they had to drag him into the middle of the city to make a laughing stock out of him. How could anyone be so cruel?' Why does Patol Babu have these thoughts?

Answer: When Patol Babu discovers the insignificant role offered to him; he develops these thoughts.

3.     Patol Babu is an amateur actor for whom walk-on part in a movie turns into an ultimate challenge. Discuss.

Answer: Patol Babu is an amateur actor who has left acting a long time ago. He feels highly elated when he gets the news of an offer for a role. But Patol Babu feels quite dejected when he discovers that his role has no significance. Finally; the preaching of his old mentor encourages him to take up the challenge and do full justice to his role. Thus, it can be said that the walk-on part in a movie turns into an ultimate challenge for him.

4.     Do you agree with the statement that Patol Babu is a practical man who comes to terms with whatever life has to offer? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: Patol Babu moves to Calcutta when a better offer is available. After he loses his job in Calcutta, he begins a shop which shuts down after some years. After that, he is working hard to earn his livelihood and appears to be a content man. When the role is offered to him, he accepts the fact that he is a small actor who may not deserve a big role. He also musters enough courage to do full justice to the role he was offered. These examples show that Patol Babu is a practical man who comes to terms with whatever life has to offer.

5.     Why does Patol Babu walk away before he can be paid for his role? What does this reveal about his character?

Answer: Patol Babu was satisfied at the fact that he did full justice to his role. For him, getting a role and playing it to its true potential was more important than earning money from the role. Hence, he left before he could be paid for the role. This shows that Patol Babu is a true artist and a good human being.

6.     Do you think making a movie is an easy job? Discuss with reference to the story.

Answer: Moving making does not appear to be an easy task. The unit of a movie needs hundreds of staffs who have to carry out different tasks. Arrangements for shooting at a particular location can be cumbersome and time consuming. In case of an outdoor shooting, crowd management is another headache.