Class X: Patol Babu : Notes

Questions – Answers:

1.      What was the news that Nishikanto Ghosh gave Patol Babu?

Answer: The news that Nishikanto Ghosh gave Patol Babu was that his youngest (Nishikanto’s) brother-in-law who was in the production department in the film business had been looking for a scene where they had needed an actor to play the character of fiftyish, short, bald-headed man just like Patol Babu. Nishikanto would like Patol Babu to play that character in the movie. Nishikanto Ghosh also mentioned that Patol Babu would be paid for that.  

2.      How did Patol Babu react? Why?

Answer: Patol Babu when heard of Nishikanto’s offer for working in a movie, he didn’t show any excitement. He was quite pleased. On the other hand, he desired to talk to Nishikanto’s brother-in-law. It is because Patol Babu had not expected in his wildest dreams that he would be offered a role in a film at the age of 52. Also, he used to perform in theatres long back.

3.      Why had Patol Babu lost his first job in Calcutta?

Answer: Patol Babu had lost his first job in Calcutta due to sudden retrenchment in his office due to the war cost him his nine-year-old job.

4.      How does Patol Babu reconcile to the dialogue given to him?

Answer: Patol Babu reminded of his mentor Gogon Pakrakshi who always used to tell him that any small role offered to an actor, shouldn’t be considered below his dignity. A true actor should play any role given to him with sincerity and honesty.

5.      Who was Mr. Pakrashi? How do his words help Patol Babu in enacting his role?

Answer: Mr. Pakrakshi was Patol Babu’s mentor. He was a wonderful actor without a tract of vanity in him. For Patol Babu, he was a saintly person, and an actor in a million.

6.      How do we know that Patol Babu was a meticulous man?

Answer: Patol Babu was given only a single word ‘Oh!’ as a dialogue. He thought of different ways to enact that word in the most effective manner. He uttered the exclamation a number of times with a different modulation each time. He rehearsed the same a number of times. All his efforts show that Patol Babu was a meticulous man.

7.      Why did Mr. Mullick turn down Patol Babu's request for a rehearsal?

Answer: Mr. Mullick was a director. He wanted to shoot the shot in the sunlight. But clouds could have already begun to appear in the sky. So, he turned down Patol Babu’s request for a rehearsal.

  

8.      What were the special touches that Patol Babu gave to his role to make it more authentic?

Answer: Patol Babu thought that a newspaper in his hand would make his role look more authentic. He suggested the same to the director and director got agree. Patol Babu also mentally counted the steps to reach the spot of collision. He decided the pace at which he would have to take his steps. All his plans helped him in making his role more authentic.

9.      'I hope the part calls for some dialogue?' Who says this? Why does he /she ask this question?

Answer: Patol Babu says, “I hope the part calls for some dialogue.” When Naresh Dutt offered the role, Patol Babu thought of ‘a role with some dialogue’. Patol Babu was a well-known stage actor in his town. Naresh Dutt told him everything about the role but not about the dialogues. Patol Babu asked him about the dialogues so that he could rehearse and memorize the dialogues.

10.  '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: Patol Babu, since he had been on the shooting place, had been treated not as an actor but as a common man. He wasn’t given the dialogues after asking for it for many times. He was made to stand in the sun. No special treatments were given to him. On the other hand, he was respected a lot for his theatre performances. But here, he wasn’t given the respect.

11.  Patol Babu is an amateur actor for whom walk-on part in a movie turns into an ultimate challenge. Discuss.

Answer: Patol Babu was a very good actor in theatre. There, one is supposed to rehearse a lot and then perform. But he was completely stranger to movie acting. He was completely new to the pre-worked movie process. He was not a spontaneous actor who would act anyhow for any shot. He had his own ethics and practices for playing a character. Movie making was a completely new arena for him. So, acting in a movie was a challenge for him.

12.  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: I agree with the statement that Patol Babu was a practical man. His life was full of struggle which enabled him to lose his jobs and his passion ‘acting’. He did whatever job was offered to him irrespective of his dignity in the past. He also showed his agreement to work in a movie for a small scene though he was a well-know theatre artist of his town. This shows that Patol was practical man.

13.  Why does Patol Babu walk away before he can be paid for his role? What does this reveal about his character?

Answer: Patol Babu wasn’t happy with the way people (actors) were treated on the set of the film. He had his own reasons to accept the role i.e. to earn money and to enjoy his passion ‘acting’. But the way, he saw film-making, where a true actor is not treated properly, where there are no rehearsals, where people work so busily without even looking for creativity, made him think that the job he way he had portrayed the character is far satisfactory than anything else. He didn’t wait to take the money because he was satisfied with his performance but wasn’t happy with the way people make films.

It reveals that Patol Babu was a true actor and a genuine person. He was a person who believes in doing best in whatever is given to him. He wasn’t the person who loves money more than his passion.