NCERT Solution||Class10||English Communicative

NCERT Solution||Class10||English Communicative

              5.Patol Babu A Film Star

Very Short Summary

 This story is about a middle-aged person who was once bitten by the acting bug. Patol Babu is a middle-aged man with bald pate and short height. When he was young, he used to act in various dramas and theatres in the neighbourhood. After that, he had to give up his hobbies in the pursuit of his livelihood all through these years. But when he had least expected it, he got an offer to do a small role in a film which was being made by some famous director. Patol Babu is quite excited at getting that offer as it had rekindled the old flame of acting in him. When Patol Babu reaches the spot where shooting is to take place, he discovers that all he got was an inconsequential role. Patol Babu is quite angry at being tortured for such a useless role where he does not even have a proper dialogue. But he recalls the precious teachings by his theatre guru that no role is insignificant and an artist should do full justice to a role no matter how small or insignificant it appears. So, Patol Babu does full rehearsal before the shot and tries to do full justice to the role. He is deeply satisfied at his effort and so happy that he leaves the shooting spot without even collecting his wages for the role. This story shows the contrast between the life of a common man and the glitter of the film industry.

 Summary

his story depicts the dreams and aspirations of smalltimers and the apathy of film people for whom making films is a business. Patol Babu was a middle aged man of about fifty years with a bald head. His neighbour Nishikanta Ghosh informed him that his brother-in-law Naresh Dutt, a film producer, was looking around for an actor for a scene in a film, with looks like that of Patol Babu. Patol Babu was so excited to hear this news that in his excitement, he made the wrong purchases in the vegetable market. Patol Babu remembered fondly that he always had a great passion for the stage and in his youth he had acted in many ‘Jatras’. Indeed there was a time when people bought tickets especially to see him.

It was in the year 1934, when he lived in Kanchrapara and worked as a clerk with Hudson and Kimberley. He had thought of floating his own theatrical club but he lost his job. Ever since Patol Babu had to struggle a lot to make a living. He worked in a Bengali film, worked as an insurance salesman but nothing lasted. He paid regular visits to various offices for jobs but nothing worked. He still remembered some of the dialogues of
the plays he had acted in.

A new offer to work in films sparked his interest. Naresh Dutt duly arrived and told Patol Babu to report at Faraday House, next morning. On enquiry, Naresh Dutt told Patol Babu that it was a speaking role and he had to play an absent-minded pedestrian. Patol Babu was extremely happy and confided to his wife that he was aware that it wasn’t a big role, but one rose from small roles only and this might prove to be the beginning of a
great career. His wife expressed her reservation but Patol Babu was in no mood to listen.

Next morning, Patol Babu reported on time at Faraday Building. He saw a big crowd with instruments and cameras being shifted here and there. He was instructed by Naresh Dutt to wait for his turn. Patol Babu was quite nervous since he had no idea about his dialogues and he didn’t want to make a spectacle of him self in front of the lead actors. In the meantime, the shooting of the movie started and one scene was shot. Patol Babu couldn’t wait any longer. He went to Naresh Dutt and asked for his dialogues. On glancing at the paper, Patol Babu was really depressed, since he was required to speak just one word ‘Oh!’ Patol Babu was supposed to act like an absentminded pedestrian and collide with the lead actor,
Chanchal Kumar, utter ‘Oh’ and resume walking. He was instructed to go and wait on one side. Patol Babu felt humiliated and let down. He felt the entire Sunday was lost in false anticipation of a good role. A faint memory stirred his mind. He remembered his mentor, Gagon Pakrashi’s advice that as an artist one must make the most of one’s opportunity, whatever it might be. This thought drove away his depression and he started rehearsing all kinds of exclamations ‘Oh’s’ that could be given at different occasions.

Finally Patol Babu was called after an hour. Patol Babu suggested to the director that the scene would look more realistic, if the collision took place, while he had his eyes on the newspaper. A newspaper was immediately arranged. The director suggested that a moustache on Patol Babu would really look more interesting. A moustache was stuck on his face. During the shot, Patol Babu packed in his best effort mixing 25 parts of anguish and 25 parts of surprise, in a single ‘‘Oh!’’ Everyone around praised Patol Babu’s acting skills and he went back satisfied near the paan shop. Patol Babu was tremendously pleased and felt that his acting skills were not blurred even after so many years. But now he felt dejected because there was no one who had appreciated his dedication. For the film-people it was a moment’s work and next minute they had promptly forgotten about that. He knew he would be paid, it would be a very small amount and he did need money very badly. But could twenty rupees measure against the intense satisfaction of doing a job perfectly. Ten minutes later Naresh Dutt was surprised to find Patol Babu missing, without collecting his remuneration. Next minute, all that was forgotten and the camera started rolling for another shot.

Word Meaning from Textbook with page n.o.

Word	Meaning
Page55 genial	amiable,friendlly
Page56
nonetity	isdignificant person
beyound his wildest dreams	in a way he had not imagined
strapping	well built
aubergines	garden egg(bringal)
verged on obsession	could not think of anything else
amateur	non-professional
smooth sailing	having no problems
toying with the idea	considering an idea
Page57
retrenchment	cutback in employees
recalls at times with a sigh	somethimes remembers past eventsand experiences fondly
thunderous twang	deafening sound
diffidence	shyness
cast an appraising look	to consider or examine somebody or something and form an opinion about that person or thing
Page58
rise to fame and fortune	becoming famous and wealthy
counting your chickens again before they’re hatched	thinking of success again before it has actually happened
make a go of it	become successful
Page59
obolong	diamond shaped
Page60
muffed	messed up
hubbub	noise made by many people talking at the same time
Page61
gigantic hoax	huge prank
Page62
embezzlement	cheating
stiffing	suffocating
Page63
pompous	spectacular
trivial	unimportant
tract of vanity	trace of pride
edification	enlightenment
inflection	tone
Page64
enunciating	uttering,pronouncing
apathy	indifference
strides	steps
Page65
perspicacity	ability to understand somebody or something quickly and accurately
Page66
excruciating	awful
blunted his sensibility	reduced his acting talent

 

VALUES HIGHLIGHTED IN THE CHAPTER

The chapter “patol Babu” by Satyajit Ray teaches the value of dignity of labour.  It says that no work is ever small.  A man is not juidged by his position, status or the work assigned, but his performance.

The story also teaches that we should make the most of the opportunity that throws at us and overcome even the toughest obstacles.  These challenges also help us realise our potential.  The story further depicts that personal satisfaction is more important than financial rewards.

NCERT Solution of Textbook

1)Short Answer questions-

1. What was the news that Nishikanto Ghosh gave Patol Babu?
   
   Answer: Nishinkanto Ghosh brought the news that someone has agreed to offer a role to Patol Babu in a movie.
2. How did Patol Babu react? Why?
   
   Answer: Patol Babu was surprised. He had acted in dramas when he was young but now he is in his early fifties and has left acting a long back. He is a simple middle class man who is struggling to make ends meet.
3. Why had Patol Babu lost his first job in Calcutta?
   
   Answer: The Company for which Patol Babu was working suffered due to the war. It forced the Company to retrench a large number of employees. Patol Babu was among the unfortunate employees who lost their job.
4. How does Patol Babu reconcile to the dialogue given to him?
   
   Answer: Patol Babu remembers the preaching of his guru in acting. He always advised that no role is small and one should do full justice to a role; no matter how insignificant it appeared. So, Patol Babu decided to give it his whole heart.
5. Who was Mr. Pakrashi? How do his words help Patol Babu in enacting his role?
   
   Answer: Mr. Pakrashi was the mentor of Patol Babu during his theatre days. He advised Patol Babu to never consider a role below his dignity. He advised that an actor should try to squeeze every drop of the line given to him. He said that acting was like a teamwork in which everyone’s effort brings the whole picture. His words appeared highly encouraging Patol Babu and thus Patol Babu began rehearsing to say ‘Oh’ in various styles.
6. How do we know that Patol Babu was a meticulous man?
   
   Answer: Different activities of Patol Babu show that he was a meticulous man. To start with; he reached on time for the shooting. He tried to gather all possible information about the film; like name of the director, lead actor, etc. He wanted to get his dialogue beforehand so that he could get enough time to rehearse for his role. Even when he was given a monosyllable in the name of dialogue; he continued rehearsing that. He even counted the number of steps required to correctly time his collision with the lead actor.
7. Why did Mr. Mullick turn down Patol Babu's request for a rehearsal?
   
   Answer: Mr. Mullick was aware about the inconsequence of the role given to Patol Babu. Hence, he did not want to waste time on rehearsal and refused Patol Babu’s request.
8. What were the special touches that Patol Babu gave to his role to make it more authentic?
   
   Answer: Patol Babu practiced his dialogue in a variety of ways to make that as authentic as possible. He wanted to hold a newspaper to appear like an absent minded pedestrian. These are the examples of special touches Patol Babu gave to his role to make it more authentic.

2)Discuss the following questions in detail-

1. 'I hope the part calls for some dialogue?' Who says this? Why does he /she ask this question?
   
   Answer: Patol Babu enquires this. He wants enough time to rehearse his dialogue and hence asks this question.
2. '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: When Patol Babu discovers the insignificant role offered to him; he develops these thoughts.
3. Patol Babu is an amateur actor for whom walk-on part in a movie turns into an ultimate challenge. Discuss.
   
   Answer: Patol Babu is an amateur actor who has left acting a long time ago. He feels highly elated when he gets the news of an offer for a role. But Patol Babu feels quite dejected when he discovers that his role has no significance. Finally; the preaching of his old mentor encourages him to take up the challenge and do full justice to his role. Thus, it can be said that the walk-on part in a movie turns into an ultimate challenge for him.
4. 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: Patol Babu moves to Calcutta when a better offer is available. After he loses his job in Calcutta, he begins a shop which shuts down after some years. After that, he is working hard to earn his livelihood and appears to be a content man. When the role is offered to him, he accepts the fact that he is a small actor who may not deserve a big role. He also musters enough courage to do full justice to the role he was offered. These examples show that Patol Babu is a practical man who comes to terms with whatever life has to offer.
5. Why does Patol Babu walk away before he can be paid for his role? What does this reveal about his character?
   
   Answer: Patol Babu was satisfied at the fact that he did full justice to his role. For him, getting a role and playing it to its true potential was more important than earning money from the role. Hence, he left before he could be paid for the role. This shows that Patol Babu is a true artist and a good human being.
6. Do you think making a movie is an easy job? Discuss with reference to the story.
   
   Answer: Moving making does not appear to be an easy task. The unit of a movie needs hundreds of staffs who have to carry out different tasks. Arrangements for shooting at a particular location can be cumbersome and time consuming. In case of an outdoor shooting, crowd management is another headache.

3) Here are some lines from the lesson. What do they tell us about Patol Babu's character? You may take help from the words given in the table below or find some of your own from the dictionary. The first one has been done for you

passionate actor diligent unassuming talented genial mercenary short-tempered introvert meticulous modest humble arrogant

1. That an offer to act in a film could come to a 52-year-old nonentity like him was beyond his wildest dreams.

Answer: unassuming; modest

Indeed, there was a time when people bought tickets especially to see him

Answer: talented

'I was with Hudson and Kimberley for nine years and wasn't late for a single day.'

Answer: diligent, passionate

It didn't matter if the part was small, but, if he had to make the most of it, he had to learn his lines beforehand. How small he would feel if he muffed in the presence of so many people

Answer: passionate, meticulous, diligent

Patol Babu cleared his throat and started enunciating the syllable in various ways. Along with that he worked out how he would react physically when the collision took place--how his features would be twisted in pain, how he would fling out his arms, how his body would crouch to express pain and surprise--all these he performed in various ways in front of a large glass window.

Answer: Meticulous, diligent

It is true that he needed money very badly, but what was twenty rupees when measured against the intense satisfaction of a small job done with perfection and dedication?

Answer: mercenary

Here are some lines from the lesson. Match the meanings of the underlined words with their meanings listed below

Answer:

Word	Meaning
(a) Then he had a job in a Bengali firm which he gave up in disgust when his boss began to treat him in too high-handed a fashion	to surrender or relinquish
(b) A faint memory was stirred up in Patol Babu's mind.	stimulate the imagination
(c) At first he opened a variety store which he had to wind up after five years.	shut down
(d) In Jatras, in amateur theatricals, to gain control over one's actions in plays put up by the club in his neighbourhood, Patol Babu was always in demand	staged
(e) Patol Babu was about to step forward when he was pulled up short by a voice shouting 'Silence!'	stopped
(f) Patol Babu pulled himself together	to gain control over one’s action

4) Patol Babu writes a letter to Nishikanto Ghosh to thank him for being instrumental in his getting a role in a film. He also shares his experience at the film shoot including the excitement and deep satisfaction that he derived from the same. Write the letter in about 200 words.

Answer: Dear Nishikanto,

Hope you are fine.

I thought of writing this letter just to say thanks for all your efforts in getting me a role in the film. For a person like me, it was a godsend opportunity. I never imagined that you will rekindle the fire of acting in me. When I went for the shooting, I was disappointed initially. But when I understood the significance of the role, I was very excited and highly motivated. The icing on the cake was the deep satisfaction which I derived after finishing the shooting.

Regards

Patol