A film of one?s choice and the comfort of the living room, what else does a movie buff want? Nothing really, especially when he has the liberty to watch anything from Ray to Rituparno.

The demand for VCDs and DVDs of Bengali films is growing by leaps and bounds, as more and more Calcuttans are opting for the luxury of home viewing. For it ensures repeat viewing while also sparing the hassle of running to cinemas.

At MusicWorld (picture above by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya) on Park Street, the corner for Bengali films is where you will find the biggest huddle ? people of all ages browsing VCDs and DVDs of evergreen oldies or films that had blink-and-you-miss-runs at cinemas.

Disappearing fast off the shelves are Satyajit Ray?s Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen, Hirak Rajar Deshe and Pather Panchali, Ritwik Ghatak?s Meghe Dhaka Tara, Rituparno Ghosh?s Chokher Bali and Utsab, Aparna Sen?s Parama and Paromitar Ekdin?

Among the arrays of classics and critically-acclaimed works, one might even spot the odd Jeet-starrer Sathi. What?s more, the VCD of Sri Ramakrishna, a megaserial on TV, is a popular pick, too.

The Bengali VCD-DVD combination makes up 58 per cent of sales at the Park Street outlet, followed by English at 22 per cent and Hindi at 20 per cent. ?VCDs of Hindi films are not much in demand because they are easily available in the video parlours. People buy Bengali films to preserve and build a collection,? explains Lalita Sinha, regional manager, MusicWorld.

And Ray?s comic caper, Goopy Gayen?, launched in the VCD format in 2000 has recorded the highest sale in this sector (above 5,000 till date). The DVD format, released in September 2004, features the film on the top-five list, though the topper here is Chokher Bali (648 and counting).

The collector?s item combination packs of Ritwik Ghatak?s Titas Ekti Nadir Naam and Jukti Takko Gappo and Mrinal Sen?s Interview and Calcutta 71 are doing reasonably well.

But then, there?s also a huge chunk of the NRI population that drops into the store during winter holidays. ?The peak season is between October and January-end. That?s when NRIs buy a lot of Bengali films, meant for adults and children,? says Sinha.

The demand for home viewing had prompted video companies to come out with 320 titles in 2004-2005 alone, as opposed to 203 releases in 2003-2004.

And grabbing a pie in the burgeoning market is a host of players like Angel, Shemaroo, Eskay, Maxtech and Saregama, the latest entrant.

?We are going for classics as that is most in demand. The VCD of Meghe Dhaka Tara has done exceptionally well and we are coming out with its DVD too,? says Sanjay Chanda Rana of Maxtech Entertainment. The company has brought out 22 VCD titles till now. In the pipeline are VCDs of Ghatak?s Subarnarekha and Komal Gandhar, and the Prosenjit-Koel Mullick-starrer Shudhu Tumi.

?Among the new releases, we are concentrating on regional award-winning films only,? says Sanjay Singh, senior area sales executive, eastern region, Shemaroo.

The company has brought out three VCD titles ? Chokher Bali, Utsab and Mando Meyer Upakhyan.

But the big fight is over copyright acquisition. ?We want to bring out films of Uttam Kumar too, but acquiring the copyright is a very difficult job,? says Rana, of Maxtech.

To retain the customer base and reach out to a wider market, the companies have slashed DVD prices for Bengali films, dipping as low as Rs 350.

The competition will only benefit the customer. And more gains are in store with MusicWorld hosting a festival of VCDs and DVDs from April 8 to 16. With discounts galore, this spread could turn out to be yet another treat for the starved Bengali movie buff.

Addicted to the act

Bengali group theatre may be on life-support system, plagued by the dearth of funds and sponsorship, but stage and television actress Sudipta Chakraborty seems determined to dump the rulebook, develop an Addiction, and script a few rules of her own.

Returning to the stage after six long years, and for the first time since her award-winning performance as a domestic help in Rituparno Ghosh?s Bariwali, the familiar face on television has attached herself to Addiction, a young group of theatre enthusiasts out to make commercially-viable stage projects. ?When they approached me with the script of the play, I didn?t think twice before saying yes. They were young people trying to make a mark and they had thoughts about theatre that were similar to mine,? says Sudipta, now in the thick of rehearsals for Eena Meena Deeka.

Sudipta is working not just on her role but also on her new look that she?ll have to create for the character. With a designer wardrobe created exclusively for the play and photo-shoots flaunting her new look, the production at least looks chic and professionally handled.

In fact, a large part of the rehearsals took place during a weeklong outdoor stint in Santiniketan to cut out the din and the distractions of the city. Unwilling to share the plot of the story, Sudipta only reveals that it?s a monologue where she plays three different characters ? Eena, Meena and Deeka ? through the one-and-half-hour performance. ?The passion for theatre can never survive if it isn?t rewarded by recognition and money. I want to be on the stage doing good theatre but I want it to be a paying profession at the same time,? she says.

Planned for an April 14 premiere at the revamped Star Theatre, the first show will be for invitees only. Billboards across the city are billed to scream the coming of the play. ?This is an effort that is out of the ordinary and we are hoping it brings about a change in the way people look at Bengali theatre,? signs off Rajarshi Dey, one of the founder members of Addiction, who is also the scriptwriter and director of the play. Percussionist Bikram Ghosh has composed the music for the production.

Himika Chaudhuri