CHAPTER 05 - PATOL BABU, FILM STAR

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Question 1:
With your partner answer the following questions:
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 :
Note: This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, a brief idea on the solutions has been provided for your reference.
Strengths   
Why do you feel so?

Strong-willed   
I complete all work assigned to me.

passionate   
I try to do everything with perfection.

focused   
I am sure of what I want to achieve.

hardworking   
I put in a lot of effort in whatever I do.


I want to become a successful sportsman.

I feel my above strengths are necessary pre requisites for a good sportsman.

I am very determined to achieve my dreams. I take coaching in cricket and football. I keenly follow these sports. I follow a strict diet and fitness regime to keep myself physically fit.


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Question 3-(a):
What was the news that Nishikanto Ghosh gave Patol Babu?
 

Answer :
Nishikanto Babu told Patol Babu that his brother-in law, who was in the film business, was looking for an actor for a film they were shooting. The character he described reminded Nishikanto Babu of Patol Babu so he gave him his address and asked him to get in touch with him.


Question 3-(b):
How did Patol Babu react? Why?
 

Answer :
Patol Babu was taken aback by the acting offer. He was surprised as it seemed unbelievable to him that a 52-year old nobody like him was getting a chance to act in a film.


Question 3-(c):
Why had Patol Babu lost his first job in Calcutta?
 

Answer :
The Second World War had resulted in Patol Babu being retrenched from his nine-year-old clerical job at Hudson and Kimberley.


Question 3-(d):
How does Patol Babu reconcile to the dialogue given to him?
 

Answer :
Initially, Patol Babu was shocked to see his monosyllabic dialogue. However, after rehearsing his dialogue, he felt that a true actor could make his mark even with a single syllable. His mentor’s words rang in hismind who had once said that each word spoken in a play was like a fruit in a tree. Not everyone in the audience has access to it. So, the actor must know how to pluck it, get at its essence, and serve it up to the audience for their edification. These words helped Patol Babu perform the role assigned to him with conviction.


Question 3-(e):
Who was Mr. Pakrashi? How do his words help Patol Babu in enacting his role?
 

Answer :
Mr. Pakrashi was Patol Babu's mentor. He said, "Remember one thing, Patol; however small a part you're offered, never consider it beneath your dignity to accept it." These words influenced Patol Babu a lot and they helped him enact his role with confidence and determination. From these words, Patol Babu drew spirit, energy, inspiration and dignity to enact such a small role. He no more felt his role in the movie to be condescending.


Question 3-(f):
How do we know that Patol Babu was a meticulous man?
 

Answer :
Patol Babu was a meticulous man with a lot of perseverance. He was a very talented man who was gifted with the art of acting. He never lost faith in reality and overtook all challenges in life and faced all difficulties. He was offered a part in a movie in this story and he took it up. He was meticulous because he calculated the number of steps he needed to take before crashing into Chanchal Kumar. Similarly, he practised the variation in the dialogues with different tones. He was also a self concerned man because he ordered for a ginger tea with his wife the day before the movie was to be shot so that his voice will be loud and clear on the day of the movie. At last, he was a very grateful man and never gave up the responsibilities that were given to him even though he was a very mixed up man and a confused personality.


Question 3-(g):
Why did Mr. Mullick turn down Patol Babu's request for a rehearsal?
 

Answer :
Patol Babu suggested that he should rehearse his scene. But Mr. Mullick turned down his request for the rehearsal, showing impatience at his suggestion. This was because Mr. Mullick wanted to quickly shoot the scene in the sunlight and he could see a large patch of cloud approaching the sun, which was making him impatient.
 

Question 3-(h):
What were the special touches that Patol Babu gave to his role to make it more authentic?
 

Answer :
Patol Babu rehearsed the exact number of steps for colliding with the hero, added a small grey moustache to his look and held a newspaper open in his hand. These were the special touches which he gave to his look for making his role seem more authentic.


Question 4-(a):
'I hope the part calls for some dialogue?' Who says this? Why does he /she ask this question?
 

Answer :
These lines are said by Patol Babu. He had been a stage actor for many years before work forced him to come to Calcutta. He was a very passionate actor; in fact he was obsessed with acting. There was a time when people would buy tickets just to see him perform.

After many years, Patol Babu was offered a role in a film. He was both surprised and happy to receive this offer. He enquired about his role so that he could rehearse for it. He was told that his role was that of a pedestrian. He wanted to know if the role had any dialogues because he was very keen to show off his acting prowess.


Question 4-(b):
'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 :
The reason for Patol Babu having such kind of thoughts was that the dialogue that he was given shocked him. It was for the first time that Patol Babu has got an opportunity to act in a film. Till now he had acted on the stage. He was very excited. He reaches the shooting site at the designated time. After watching the film shoot for sometime, he asked for his dialogue so that he could memorise and rehearse it.

All he had to do was to collide with the hero and utter “oh”. He was very disappointed. He expected a small role with some dialogues but here he just had to utter a monosyllable. Patol Babu was a very good actor and he thought that by giving him such an insignificant role they had made a mockery of him and his acting skills.


Question 4-(c):
Patol Babu is an amateur actor for whom walk-on part in a movie turns into an ultimate challenge. 

Discuss.
 

Answer :
Patol Babu is initially very disappointed because of the small role he had been given. Then he is reminded of his mentor’s words that “however small a part, never consider it beneath your dignity to accept it”. Motivated by these words, Patol Babu decides to rehearse his part before the final shoot. He chooses a reclusive spot to practice. As he practices, he realises that a monosyllabic exclamation could be said in different ways and carried different meanings. He also rehearsed how he would react physically when the collision took place - he would twist his face in pain, fling his arms, and crouch to show pain and surprise. He really worked hard at his part and performed it to perfection.


Question 4-(d):
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 had a passion for acting. In fact, there was a time when people used to buy tickets just to watch him. But he left all this and moved to Calcutta from Kanchrapara because he was offered a job with a better salary. In Calcutta, he gave up his plans of starting a club in his neighbourhood and dabbled in various jobs to make his ends meet. When an acting offer came by, he readily agreed to do it. Though he was initially disturbed by the triviality of the role, he performed the part to perfection without taking any payment for it. Patol Babu believed it was not about whether the role that an actor plays is major or minor, rather performance of the actor mattered the most. Thus, we can say that Patol Babu was a practical man who accepted whatever came his way.


Question 4-(e):
Why does Patol Babu walk away before he can be paid for his role? What does this reveal about his character?
 

Answer :
Patol Babu executed his part to perfection. However, he wondered whether the immense effort he had put in to enact a small role would be appreciated by everybody or not. The film unit usually got hold of some people, made them do their parts and paid them a small amount. They were not bothered about the quality of performance.

Although Patol Babu performed a small role, he felt that taking money for it would be trivialising his performance. He was a true actor for whom creative satisfaction was foremost and not money.


Question 4-(f):
Do you think making a movie is an easy job? Discuss with reference to the story
 

Answer :
The story, Patol Babu, Film Star, describes a film shoot. Filmmaking is a long and tedious process. Every scene has to be rehearsed many times before it is finally shot. Plenty of heavy equipments and expensive cameras are used. Film actors have to shoot in extreme weather conditions, sometimes in front of large crowds. The noise and extreme weather can, at times, distract an actor. The production unit has to see minor details, arrange for actors for small roles, and arrange for props. In short making a film is a combined effort of many people.


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Question 5-(b):
Here are some lines from the lesson. What do they tell us about Patol Babu's character?
passionate actor   
diligent   
unassuming    
talented


genial   
mercenary   
short-tempered    
introvert

meticulous   
modest   
humble   
arrogant
 

Indeed, there was a time when people bought tickets especially to see him_____________
 

Answer :
Indeed, there was a time when people bought tickets especially to see him —talented


Question 5-(c):
Here are some lines from the lesson. What do they tell us about Patol Babu's character?
passionate actor   
diligent   
unassuming    
talented

genial   
mercenary   
short-tempered    
introvert

meticulous   
modest   
humble   
arrogant



'I was with Hudson and Kimberley for nine years and wasn't late for a single day.'

Answer :
'I was with Hudson and Kimberley for nine years and wasn't late for a single day.' —

punctual


Question 5-(d):
Here are some lines from the lesson. What do they tell us about Patol Babu's character?
passionate actor   
diligent   
unassuming    
talented

genial   

mercenary   
short-tempered    
introvert

meticulous   
modest   
humble   
arrogant


It didn't matter if the part was small, but, if he had to make the most of it, he had to learn his lines beforehand. How small he would feel if he muffed in the presence of so many people__
___________
 

Answer :
It didn't matter if the part was small, but, if he had to make the most of it, he had to learn his lines beforehand. How small he would feel if he muffed in the presence of so many people—meticulous


Question 5-(e):
Here are some lines from the lesson. What do they tell us about Patol Babu's character?
passionate actor   
diligent   
unassuming    
talented

genial   
mercenary   
short-tempered    
introvert


meticulous   
modest   
humble   
arrogant


Patol Babu cleared his throat and started enunciating the syllable in various ways.

Along with that he worked out how he would react physically when the collision took place--how his features would be twisted in pain, how he would fling out his

arms, how his body would crouch to express pain and surprise--all these he performed in various ways in front of a large glass window_____________

 

Answer :
Patol Babu cleared his throat and started enunciating the syllable in various ways.

Along with that he worked out how he would react physically when the collision took place--how his features would be twisted in pain, how he would fling out his

arms, how his body would crouch to express pain and surprise--all these he performed in various ways in front of a large glass window—passionate actor


Question 5-(f):
Here are some lines from the lesson. What do they tell us about Patol Babu's character?
passionate actor   
diligent   
unassuming    
talented

genial   
mercenary   
short-tempered    
introvert

meticulous   
modest   
humble   
arrogant
It is true that he needed money very badly, but what was twenty rupees when measured against the intense satisfaction of a small job done with perfection and dedication? ______
_______
 

Answer :
It is true that he needed money very badly, but what was twenty rupees when measured against the intense satisfaction of a small job done with perfection and dedication? —humble


Question 6:
(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, to gain control over one's actions 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


Answer :
(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   
to surrender or relinquish

(b)    
A faint memory was stirred up in

Patol Babu's mind.    
stimulate the imagination

(c)    
At first he opened a variety store which he had to wind up after five years.    
shut down

(d)    
In Jatras, in amateur theatricals, to gain control over one's actions in plays put up by the club in his neighbourhood, Patol Babu was always in demand   
staged

(e)    
Patol Babu was about to step forward when he was pulled up short by a voice shouting 'Silence!'   
stopped

(f)    
Patol Babu pulled himself together    
to gain control over one’s action.