Expressing a wide spectrum of human emotions, the songs of Tagore resonate with listeners on a deeply personal level. His lyrics delve into the complexities of love, loss, spirituality and the human experience, often blending these ideas with nature and philosophical insights. To commemorate Tagore’s death anniversary, the video of the Tagore song Robe nirobe was unveiled on Friday. It offers a contemporary reimagining of this popular romantic number, once again underscoring its universality and timelessness.
Sung by Samantak Sinha, the music video directed by Paramita Banerjee narrates the story of former lovers Arnab Chatterjee and Nandini Sengupta, played respectively by Rahul Dev Bose and Debadrita Basu. Having gone their separate ways after ending their relationship, they meet again 12 years later but not under the most cordial of circumstances. Political adversaries who are now pitted against each other at the forthcoming local polls, they are caught in the midst of a controversy when an old photograph of the two in happier times is leaked into the virtual space. Outraged by this, Nandini, who believes that it has been done by Arnab to undermine her dignity, charges into his office to confront him about his intentions and to demand an explanation and an apology. As she enters, an accident involving a cup of steaming hot tea triggers their memories of the past and the meeting takes a completely different turn. It becomes apparent that in her subconscious mind Nandini still cares for Arnab and that he too, reciprocates her feelings. However, the passage of time and their self-consciousness make them keep their emotions in check.
The video takes us back to their days in college where love had blossomed in their young hearts. Shot in the historic campus of Serampore College, the video will appeal especially to those familiar with its lecture halls, corridors and gardens, and will definitely evoke vivid memories of their own time spent there and the love stories spun by them in their youth. Brought together by their involvement in college politics, the visuals trace the budding of the couple’s romance and their beautiful love affair, until it is abruptly cut short by a misunderstanding that arises after their party’s loss in a college election. As the song draws to an end, Arnab’s calm assertion of his innocence in the past as well as the present and his gentle declaration about trust being at the core of any relationship, breaks Nandini’s ego completely. As she retreats silently from the room, it is evident that both of them are silently and secretly nursing a love that has now grown too complex and painful to express.
Playing in the background as the visuals portray Arnab and Nandini’s unfulfilled love story, Robe nirobe captures the bittersweet nature of their romance. It alludes to their pain of not being able to overcome their inhibitions and reach out again to each other. The song reminds viewers that though their maturity, position and authority have made them disconnected from each other, they still nurture a deep-seated love for the other, which is rekindled by their meeting and the reawakening of their memories, and which will continue to glow steadily but silently in their hearts.
Rahul Dev Bose and Debadrita Basu’s presence elevates the experience of the song, their nuanced and measured performances highlight the sorrow and pain they both conceal in their hearts. Their appearance both as a couple in love and as political rivals, is simple, relatable and realistic while their chemistry, especially as older people, has that perfect aura of subtlety and sophistication, which makes viewers root for them from the bottom of their hearts.