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Question
Discuss the following question in detail and write the answer in your notebook :
Patol Babu is an amateur actor for whom walk-on part in a movie turns into an ultimate challenge. Discuss.
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Solution
Patol Babu at one time had real passion for stage. It verged on obsession. In Jatras, in amateur theatricals, in plays put up by the club in his neighbourhood, he was always in demand, his name had even appeared in handbills on many occasions. There was a time when people bought tickets especially to see him. One day he was offered a part to play in a film directed by Baren Mullick. Patol Babu thought his lifelong dream coming true. When he reached the site of the shooting he was given his dialogue. To Patol Babu’s surprise it was not a proper dialogue but only an expression ‘Oh’. Patol Babu felt discouraged, he found it rather strange. He thought that thos^people were trying to make fun of him as he was a simple man.
On asking he was informed that this was a regular speaking part. A speaking part in a Baren Mullick film – didn’t he realise what that meant? Why he was the luckiest of the actors? There were at least a hundred who had appeared in this film who had had nothing to say, even the hero had no lines to speak that day. Patol Babu was the only one who had.
Patol Babu thought about his mentor’s advice that however small a part may be you should never consider it beneath your dignity to accept it, a play/film is a combined effort.
Patol Babu now thought that this little word ‘Oh’ if spoken in different ways carried different meaning. Why had he then felt so disheartened when this single word contained a gold mine of meanings? A true actor could make a mark with this single word.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Patience and hard work go a long way in achieving your goals. How does Patol Babu win the admiration of the director through a very small role? Write in 80–100 words.
"Oh, oh, oh; oh, oh ..." Patol Babu began giving the exclamation a different inflection each time he uttered it: After doing it a number of times he made an astonishing discovery.
(a) Why did Patol Babu repeat the word, `oh' over and over again '?
(b) What 'astonishing discovery' did he make?
(c) What does the word, 'uttered' mean?
How do we know that Patol Babu was a dedicated actor?
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
'Were these people pulling his leg? 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.'
(a) Who is the speaker?
(b) Why does he think that he is being made a 'laughing stock'?
(c) What does the word 'hoax' mean?
Discuss with your partner and answer the following question:
What are your strengths?
| Strengths | Why do you feel so? |
What is your dream career?
I want to become a………
• Is there any correlation between your strengths and aspirations?
• Do you think you can achieve your dreams? Give reasons.
Answer the following question briefly :
What was the news that Nishikanto Ghosh gave Patol Babu?
Answer the following question briefly :
Who was Mr. Pakrashi? How do his words help Patol Babu in enacting his role?
Answer the following question briefly :
What were the special touches that Patol Babu gave to his role to make it more
authentic?
Discuss the following question in detail and write the answer in your notebook :
'Were these people pulling his leg? 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?
Discuss the following question in detail and write the answer in your notebook :
Why does Patol Babu walk away before he can be paid for his role? What does this reveal about his character?
Discuss the following question in detail and write the answer in your notebook :
Do you think making a movie is an easy job? Discuss with reference to the story.
Here are some lines from the lesson. Match the meanings of the underlined words with their meanings listed below
| (a) Then he had a job in a Bengali firm which he gave up in disgust when his boss began to treat him in too high-handed a fashion | stimulate the imagination |
| (b) A faint memory was stirred up in Patol Babu's mind. | to surrender or relinquish |
| (c) At first he opened a variety store which he had to wind up after five years. |
staged |
| (d) In Jatras, in amateur theatricals, in plays put up by the club in his neighbourhood, Patol Babu was always in demand | to gain control over one's actions |
| (e) Patol Babu was about to step forward when he was pulled up short by a voice shouting 'Silence!' |
shut down |
| (f) Patol Babu pulled himself together | stopped |
Listen to your teacher read out from page no. 193, the passage on character actors and complete the exercise as directed.
Supporting roles are those roles that do not affect the plot or the subject of the film
Listen to your teacher read out from page no. 193, the passage on character actors and complete the exercise as directed.
People become character actors chiefly because (Tick the right choices)
Listen to your teacher read out from page no. 193, the passage on character actors and complete the exercise as directed.
After the age of forty, the actors most likely to get less work are (Tick the right choice)
Ten minutes or so later Naresh Dutt went looking for Patol Babu near the paan shop and found that he was not there. “That’s odd the man hadn’t been paid yet. What a strange fellow !”
(a) Where had Patol Babu gone ?
(b) Why did Patol Babu leave without informing anyone ?
(c) Why was Naresh Dutt looking for Patol Babu ?
(d) What does the incident tell us about Patol Babu ?
Answer the following in 100-200 words :
"Patol Babu, Film Star," by Satyajit Ray emphasizes the valuable contribution of a mentor in changing a negative mindset into a positive one. Describe how Mr. Pakrashi's advice helps Patol Babu in performing his role.
In Patol Babu, Film Star, how is Patol Babu's character a commentary on the struggling actors in the film industry?
