12 Kolkata: The use of Tagore's ‘Mamo chittey' in a scene, suggesting lesbian bonding in a web series, has divided Bengal's cultural elite.
While many musicians criticised its use as background music in ‘Dabba Cartel', others support its inclusion in the context of a scene depicting the characters' hallucinations. Actor Jisshu Sengupta, who plays the male lead in ‘Dabba Cartel', along with Shabana Azmi, told TOI, "I am busy shooting with Priyadarshan and haven't watched the series. I have not followed the controversy. But I am sure no one in the unit wants to disrespect Tagore."
Sound designer Hindole Chakraborty garnered acclaim for his remix of another Tagore song— ‘Aloker ei jharna dharae'—in Aditya Vikram Sengupta's ‘Mayanagar'. "I used a distorted version of the Tagore song as a recurring motif to stress the decadence in society," he said. No one launched a tirade against it. But the use of ‘Mamo chittey' in ‘Dabba Cartel' has invited sharp criticism from certain quarters. Singer Rupankar Bagchi said he could not support the use of the song picturised on Anjali Anand and Nimisha Sajayan. "Why did the music director have to distort its tune to suit the context here? Last year, AR Rahman distorted Nazrul Islam's ‘Karar oi louha kapat'. Now, Tagore's original tune is distorted. I understand the song no longer falls under copyright but it has not gone down well with me," Bagchi said.
Though some expressed displeasure at the song being picturised on two women seducing each other under the influence of drugs, Bagchi said, "I have no reservations about it being used in the context of homosexuality."
Music composer Debojyoti Mishra has watched the musical sequence but not the entire series. "If the director asked me to alter ‘Mamo chitte' in such a manner, I would have declined. I oppose restrictions on experimentation but this is silly," Mishra said.
But Chakraborty said, "Reacting to the use without placing it in the film's context does injustice to music directors Gaurav Raina and Tarana Marwah's works." Pointing out he admired the visuals and the song in ‘Dabba Cartel', he said, "Tagore is intertwined with every moment in our lives. He is remarkably contemporary. The song's adaptation in a 4×4 beat, instead of the original dadra, is colourful. It portrays the celebration of love, friendship... Intoxication is part of our lives. That, too, is a sentiment and an essential component of contemporary life for mental sustenance. Tagore remains a part of that celebration, too."