Kankal (1950)
Director: Naresh Mitra; Writer: Naresh Mitra; Producer: Shishir Mallick; Cinematographer: Prabhat Ghosh; Editor: Rajen Choudhury; Cast: Paresh Bannerjee, Moloya Sarkar, Dhiraj Bhattacharya, Shishir Batabyal, Jiben Bose, Ketaki Dutta, Malcolm, Naresh Mitra, Prabhadevi, Robi Roy, Kali Sarkar, Geeta Shome
Duration: 01:49:26; Aspect Ratio: 1.335:1; Hue: 30.394; Saturation: 0.004; Lightness: 0.136; Volume: 0.128; Cuts per Minute: 5.254; Words per Minute: 72.636
Summary: The only proper horror film from the first decades of Bengali cinema that exists till this date, Kankal is a revenge drama about the central protagonist Tarala. A story of greed, desire, deception, scandal and revenge, Tarala (Moloya) is a young woman who wishes to enjoy life but is held back by her circumstances until she meets and marries the wealthy Ratan (Paresh). However, her previous relationship with Abhay (Dhiraj) comes back to haunt her as the latter sets out to seek revenge by bringing ruin to her husband and his family. The story takes a turn towards the supernatural when a drunken Abhay lures Tarala to his farmhouse and accidentally kills her. Tarala's vengeful spirit begins to haunt the people in her life, paving the way for a tense and gruesome end.
Release date: 14 April, 1950 (Uttara)
censor certificate
Kankal is perhaps the only horror film from the first twenty years of Bengali cinema that survives till today. Much appreciated during its time of release, written and directed by Naresh Mitra who also plays the role of Professor Chatterjee in the film, the opening sequence with the title credits begin at a curious juncture in the film. In fact, the first few minutes with the cast and crew information is actually the very last sequence of the film. The whole story of Kankaal is in fact one that is related by one person to another in a film-long flashback including this sequence which is repeated again right at the end. The horror element of Kankaal is established in this very first sequence as a man is choked to death by a skeleton, and a man laughing hysterically watching the incident. From then on, we move to the extended flashback with the doctor relating the story to the police inspector.
The protagonist Tarala lives with her brother and his foul-mouthed wife who cannot tolerate Tarala's presence in the house. So much so that the smallest things, sometimes things that are not even true, set her off and she verbally abuses Tarala constantly. However, as it becomes very clear, this behaviour is not reserved for Tarala alone but for almost everyone around her.
Tarala's relationship with her brother is completely contrary to her relationship with his wife. Throughout the film, he remains a constant supporting presence for Tarala despite being unable to do much about his wife's behaviour.
Faced with insult and violence on a daily basis, Tarala's only way of repairing her shattered confidence are the love letters she gets from her admirers which she carefully collects. At the same time, Abhay, her brother's brother-in-law, is also someone she is close to, perhaps because he is seemingly a constant presence in the house.
The love letters, as mentioned before, are a source of great pride and joy for Tarala, especially they shower on her the admiration and adulation she sorely misses at home. The coquettish ease with which she talks about the writers of these letters is in sharp contrast to Abhay's obvious show of jealousy and anger.
For Tarala, Abhay is a means to get away from the oppressive atmosphere at home, hence her plea for him to marry her and take her away. Abhay, who desires Tarala, sees this as a hindrance because he has no intensions of taking any sort of responsibility.
Ratan was someone Tarala probably used to know from before and had not quite expected to see again.
Ratan, in fact, is an old student of Tarala's brother who has just come into a large inheritence after his maternal uncle's passing.
Ratan's unexpected arrival does not sit well with Abhay, especially when he witnesses the easy camaraderie between the two, resulting in his rudeness and sudden departure. It is also important that he has just taken Tarala's love-letters with him without her knowledge, as seen in a small sequence in between with a close-up of his hands.
Despite Ratan's hesitation Tarala assures him she and Abhay were done talking. The assurance is true in more ways than one since Tarala has understood Abhay's intensions by now.
Tarala and Ratan are interrupted by Abhay's sudden letter.
Abhay, who has till now refused to get married or elope, has obviously started to feel threatened by Ratan's sudeen arrival. His sudden change of mind about eloping with Tarala stems from the earlier display of jealousy and insecurity.
Tarala , on the other hand, is no longer interested in the offer she had made to Abhay. It is clear she is attracted to him. That Ratan feels similarly becomes clear when he impatiently requests for Professor Chatterjee to accompany him to their house to talk to his uncle about a groom for Tarala.
When Tarala does not find the letters, she instantly understands Abhay has taken them.
Abhay's quick return makes his insecurity and envy obvious. He has changed his mind about marrying and eloping with Tarala but the latter has changed her mind about him too. As they both admit, it could be beciase of Ratan's arrival and all the promises that it brings with it. However, at the same time, Tarala is wary of Ratan as a person too though she had ignored the signs earlier in her desperation to get away from the place. His behaviour with her letters is symptomatic of this suspicion, something that is re-affirmed when he attempts to force himself on her.
Abhay's sister, however, accuses Tarala of attempting to snare her brother into a marriage.
Ratan's cousin sister, the one who was earlier mentioned to have recently won a singing competition. Tarala's brother has been invited to dinner at Ratan's place, presumably to talk about a groom for Tarala.
Ratan's uncle reveals that the prospective groom for Tarala was Ratan himself, something that had become quite evident already.
Tarala, driven to the brink by her sister-in-law's torments, has decided to join a voluntary organisation in order to leave. At such a juncture, the sudden wedding proposal comes as a solution to all her problems and as a possible way to relaise all her dreams and aspirations. The brother, hitherto unable to do anything against his wife, can also feel some measure of relief.
Abhay's presence at the wedding obviously is a source of great discomfort for Tarala as is evident here. At the same time, Abhay is also there for certain ulterior motives because he has clearly not been able to come to terms with Tarala's rejection.
Abhay's wedding proposal for Ratan's sister, Anima, is quite clearly a cleverly calculated move to remain involved in Tarala's life in some way or the other.
Abhay confronts Tarala finally on the night of his wedding. She is justifiably wary but has to relent about the conversation because he says he involves both their futures.
Abhay wishes to resume their previous relationship, admitting he had married Anima to be close to Tarala. He attempts to persuade a clearly shocked Tarala.
However, the persuation soon turns to threat. In a parallel shot, Anima, having heard their voices, wakes up.
Abhay has been threatening Tarala, stating he will destroy her home. However, when he catches a glimpse of his wife over-hearing them he immediately turns the conversation around.
Anima and Tarala's relationship is irreversibly damaged by the incident and one is also made aware of the fact that Tarala had attempted to stop Abhay and Anima's marriage.
Abhay has, in a way, kept his vengeful promise that he will destroy Tarala's home. With Anima as the first step in that direction, he manages to convince her with a different version of his earlier relationship with Tarala, casting the latter as the perpetrator.
Everyone in the family except Tarala has taken to Abhay in a big way, so much so, that Ratan has agreed to take Abhay's advice on share trading. Tarala has quite obviously understood Abhay's intensions behind the offer and warns Ratan about it, also stating he will not listen to her.
Immediately, the scene dissolves, and the next three shots are the facade of the stock exchange, a hoard of people calling the rates and a long line, until it dissolves back in at Abhay's office. To foreground Tarala's warnings and their connection with the establishment shots, Abhay is seen talking to his associate Agarwallah about a girl they have kidnapped.
The very next scene seems to prove Tarala's apprehensions. Ratan is seen selecting shares in order to buy the stocks Abhay has suggested.
Abhay's senior partner, who used to know Ratan's uncle, is also seemingly bewildered by Ratan and Abhay's transactions, a subtle hint that Abhay might be giving Ratan bad advice.
Abhay and Ratan's conversation is revelatory in more ways than one. While Ratan is revealed to be rather gullible and rather innocent about the ways of the world, Abhay display immense shrewdness and cunning in the way he convinces Ratan that he is deeply hurt by Tarala's behaviour towards him.
The well-meaning old trader, sensing Ratan's inexperience and naivete, attempts to warn him about the place, much to Abhay's obvious anger. However, the latter manages to convince the former yet again.
Tarala's brother is also well aware that everything is Abhay's doing.
Consequently, he warns Ratan about Abhay and his intensions. However, Ratan, completely convinced by Abhay's promises, refuses to pay heed.
That Abhay is involved in possibly illegal activities is something has been hinted at from his behavious in the stock exchange and his conversation with Agarwallah.
Ratan's shares have yielded profit and though he is hesitant to take a decision without Abhay, he finally agrees. Abhay does not seem to have been bothered by the news, instead congratulating him.
There is a possibility that the sudden profit is meant to lure Ratan into a sense of security.
Tarala is seen reading a book on death and afterlife. In fact the chapter title roughly translates to 'The Soul after Death'. This the first time that Tarala's interest in the afterlife and the spirit realm is referred to. Ratan is seen uncomfortable with her reading habits.
Tarala's promise that she would come back to him if she were to suddenly die is a major point in the film, something that begins to give the narrative a certain specific direction.
As one has already anticipated, Tarala is not happy with the profit. In what seems like almost a prophesy, she tells Ratan that the profit was basically a trap that he had set foot in. Her conviction that it is all her fault might also stem from the fact that she has Abhay's threats ringing in her head constantly.
In a startling response to the earlier scene, Ratan is immediately seen back at the stock exchange as Tarala had predicted, this time more confident of his surroundings.
Not drawing the line at just stock trading, Abhay manages to tempt Ratan to the races too.
Cuts to the race course, the scene has two layers as we see the racing track reflected on Ratan's engrossed face as he begins betting.
The very first shot of the next scene is of the book of the after Tarala had been reading. The book will become a recurring image henceforth. This is especially important when we realise Tarala is rebuking Ratan for gambling at the races despite him having won.
Ratan's uncle, from whom the former had inherited the property had been interested in the afterlife too. Tarala's warnings, the ones she claims to have gotten from the uncle, directly refers to the supernatural in a major way for the first time. Ratan, however, refuses to believe her.
The fact that Abhay has begun to cast a shadow on their lives is evident. What is also important is the complete and utter faith Ratan seems to have on him despite Tarala's objections.
Abhay, aware that Ratan will not be home, takes advantage of the empty house and comes to meet Tarala. Her direct accusations, however, are interrupted by Ratan's sudden arrival.
Ratan is seen apologising for Tarala's outburst. However, one hears of a market crash and Abhay makes Ratan buy some more shares. The scene dissolves into the next and it is revealed Ratan is deeply in debt and with no way of extricating himself, something everyone had warned him about.
Ratan's worried face, seen against a reminder of Tarala's earlier warnings that he has set foot in a trap, serves to further underline the dramatic tension of the sequence. With Abhay's threats beginning to work their poison, the first act draws to a close with the realisation that Ratan has now begun to sell his property to pay off his debts.
The second act launches directly into the aftermath and the revelation that Ratan's debts are now massive. At the same time, Abhay's underhanded dealings become clear and he is dismissed from the company, though Ratan characteristically refuses to believe in the accusations.
The news of another market crash further proves dangerous for Ratan's prospects. With nothing left to sell, his decision to sell the house has multiple ramification, especially the fact that Abhay has fulfilled all that he had threatened to do and that all of Tarala's warning have thus far come true.
This is the first time one has seen Anima after her wedding night with Abhay and one is immediately made aware that unlike what Abhay had claimed and sworn, their relationship has not quite taken that course and Abhay has no cause to pretend anymore with Anima.
An unemployed Ratan has been going from pillar to post to find some means of repaying his debts. As his uncle points out, it is indeed ironic that he has invested so much on iron and coal stocks when his own uncle has a coal-mine which is closing down because of lack of funds.
That Ratan's debts and all his problems have been caused by Abhay has become clear by now but we are shown an instance of it for the first time. Abhay and Agarwallah are scheming to force more money out of Ratan.
There have been insinuations thus far about Abhay's illegal dealings but one witnesses it first hand here when Abhay is shown visiting the farmhouse he has leased from Agarwallah. One can suppose this is the site of his illegal businesses, especially when a police officer comes to search the premises, whom Abhay cleverly deflects. Besides, the unknown woman referred to before by Agarwallah, is also supposedly there, now as Abhay's mistress.
In contrast, Anima still believes everything Abhay had told her about Tarala, despite how much her relationship with her husband has deteriorated. She is pregnant but refuses to accompany her father to his house, instead venting her ire against Tarala for supposedly meaning her harm. It will be perhaps not be too wrong to assume that her refusal to go to her father's place stems from her beliefs about Tarala and the latter's supposed interest in Abhay.
A drunk Abhay arrives and his behaviour proves everything Anima's father had assumed about him. What heightens the tragic nature of the scene is when at the end a drunk Abhay pushes Anima, resulting her falling and miscarrying the baby.
Abhay has not visited Anima at the hospital, instead asking Ratan whether she is alive or not. Through the course of the film, the character has gradually evolved from being a jealous lover prototype who is out for revenge to a cold and calculating antagonist. This will be crucial considering the soon-to-arrive climax of the film.
Having lost their house too, Ratan and Tarala have shifted to a smaller place. Tarala's brother, always concerned about her welfare, wishes to take them with him but yet again the thought of his wife's reaction stops them in their tracks. In fact, her relationship with her brother has been the only one in the whole narrative that has remain unchanged despite their changing circumstances.
This sequence of two scenes seem a tad bit out of place especially because the narrative has already established Tarala's sister-in-law as a harsh, unfeeling woman. Her behaviour at the hospital is thus an expected one though the scene itself appears a trifle unnecessary.
Ratan has taken a job at a newspaper agency and his health, ravaged by worries and his failures, has severely deteriorated.
What is also notable is that despite all the hardships, their relationship has still remained strong. Thus, when Ratan hesitantly asks for some money to avail the tram, and Tarala gives him extra to avail the tram even while returning, the scene evokes both irony (at their drastically changed circumstances) and an abiding sense of melancholia. It should be noted that this touching scene between the two is the last time when Tarala and Ratan are together in this film.
Ratan leaves and Tarala picks up her book on death and the afterlife. The passage she reads is crucial; it deals with how spirits travel back to fulfil the thoughts and desires that are dominant in a person before death. This sense of doom translates perfectly into the sudden sound of knocking and someone calling. It serves to start her out of her stupor, while at the same time acting as a sort of cataclysmic sign of approaching danger.
Tarala receives a letter from Abhay where he has apologised and wished to give her back their property.
On the other hand, an extremely unwell Ratan is sent back home from work. He has no idea that Tarala has gone to meet Abhay.
Ratan reads Abhay's letter and immediately realises that something is wrong. Having already been deceived by Abhay's lies, he rushes out in search of Tarala.
His suspicions are confirmed when Tarala is confronted by a drunk Abhay who attempts to force himself on her. Having destroyed her family as he had promised, Abhay has now set his sights on Tarala herself. The extreme close-up shots of Abhay as he advances on a scared Tarala foregrounds the sense of menace while the parallel shots of Ratan running towards the house heightens the sense of urgency.
Having locked Tarala inside the cupboard, a drunk and dangerous Abhay pushes Ratan down the stairs severely injuring him. Assuming him to be dead, he orders the body to be thrown into the woods.
The climactic sequence ends with Abhay's horrifying discovery that Tarala has suffocated to death inside the corridor.
In many ways this short sequence serves as a sort of bridge to the final act of 'Kankal' where the supernatural element that has been hinted at in various previous sequences gets foregrounded. While attempting to seal Tarala's body in a box, Abhay notices a tuft of her hair which he proceeds to tear out so that it is not seen from outside. What sets apart the scene is the fact that unlike earlier dramatic scenes there is an absolute absense of any background score, almost anticipating the spectral.
Abhay's henchman seizes the opportunity and makes off with Tarala's jewels.
Ratan has survived but is extremely unwell.
Ratan is revealed to have lost his memory in shock, constantly looking for Tarala everywhere.
Tarala's spirit has begun to haunt the place of her death and the first person confronted by it is Anima.
Abhay is also conronted by Anima's ghost and they decide to abandon the house.
Ratan, meanwhile, has run away from Dhanbad, presumably to Calcutta ir order to look for Tarala.
A series of shots of Ratan roaming the streets of Calcutta in his search for Tarala. One such search leads him to Dr. Sanyal chambers, and the latter decides to take him in.
Tarala's interests in death and the afterlife is something one has already referred to.
Ratan is visibly shaken on seeing Tarala's photo. He has been searching for her but due to his memory loss he cannot make the connection between the mysterious woman he is looking for and the face on the photo.
Having reached the conclusion that perhaps Tarala is dead, Dr. Sanyal and his assistant decide to call upon Tarala's spirit via a medium.
It has already been mentioned that Ratan has developed an affinity towards the Ganges. Hearing that the doctor is going to Hooghly he insists on being brought along.
It is quite significant that the moment Ratan reaches Hooghly, the fishermen also chance upon a human skeleton which is quickly proved to be Tarala's. It also serves to explain Ratan's affinity towards the Ganges and the fact that Tarala has probably kept her word - she had earlier famously promised him that she would come back to him after death were he to call her.
Ratan, who remembers Tarala's promise, pleads her to come back to him with parallel shots of the skeleton attempting to re-animate itself.
With Anima still in shock after seeing Tarala's ghost, Abhay's doctor suggests he take her in for an x-ray to Dr. Sanyal's place, the same place where Tarala's skeleton has been kept.
In a slightly prepostrous scene, Tarala's skeleton re-animates itself and talks to Dr. Sanyal about her plans.
Three short scenes make up this sequence where Abhay's guilt is discovered in a markedly co-incidental manner. His accomplice who had run away with Tarala's jewels is caught and he reveals everything to the police. However, when the police attempt to talk to Abhay it is discovered that he has gone to Dr. Sanyal's chambers - a sign that the punishment Tarala's spirit had talked about in the earlier scene is imminent.
The police inform Dr. Sanyal about Abhay.
Bringing the narrative a full circle the sequence that the film had begun with replays, with certain additional scenes of detail, at the very end. As the viewer is now aware of the context of the ghostly murder at the beginning, the act of revenge is further intensified by how the scene is composed - hard close-ups of Abhay's terrified face, Anima's skeleton as she chokes the former to death, Ratan's hysterical laughter as he witnesses this and then falls and dies, the reaction shots of the people present and the rousing background score that accompanies these rapid shots.
The final line of dialogue in the film is also a repetition of the lines with which the extended flashback had begun, effectively bringing closure to the narrative as the camera zooms in on Tarala's framed portrait on the wall.
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