CBSE Class X English Support Material – Drama – Patol Babu, Film Star

Satyajit Ray

Personal Satisfaction vs. Financial Rewards is the theme in the chapter, Patol Babu, Film Star.

Summary: Personal satisfaction is more important than financial rewards, as depicted in Satyajit Ray’s short story, Patol Babu, Film Star. The main character Patol Babu realized that personal satisfaction could not be measured and weighed by money, and so he acted in the film out of passion. He felttowards the job more than the money he would make from the job.

In Patol Babu, Film Star, Satyajit Ray has highlighted the idea that personal satisfaction is more important than financial rewards. According to him, one does a job because he is interested in it rather than getting reward from it.

In the story Patol Babu was given only a minor role in the film, as a pedestrian who was only needed to collide into the main actor Chancal Kumar and uttered a monosyllable sound “oh.” Nevertheless, his passion for the job drove him to work hard to give the best performance by rehearsing himself. Eventually, he had done a terrific job and received praise from Chancal Kumar-“You timed it so well that I nearly passed out”, and Barren Mullick praised him saying, “Jolly good! Why, you’re quite an actor!” He felt very pleased with his performance and “a total satisfaction swept over him.” He thought that it did not matter whether he received any payment or not. “What were twenty rupees when measured against the intense satisfaction of a small job done with perfection and dedication?” Thus, he did not wait to collect his payment.

Patol Babu realized that personal satisfaction could not be measured and weighed by money. To him, personal satisfaction is more crucial than material rewards. Ever since the beginning, Patol Babu did not act in the film because of the money merely. In contrast, it was because of his passion towards the job that drove him to act in the film. “I’ll be paid, of course, but that’s not the main thing.” He also knew that nobody would appreciate his performance as he is only a minor actor in the film. Even though Baren Mullick praised him, he would soon forget about it. “But all his labour and imagination he had put into this one shot–were these people able to appreciate that?” However, Patol Babu thought that his own satisfaction was more salient. He had proven his ability and talent in acting and these worked as a sort of motivation to him.

In the nutshell, personal satisfaction was more important than financial rewards and this idea work as one of the main issues in the story.

Solved questions:

1What did Nishikandto Ghosh tell Patol Babu one morning?Why?
One morning Nishikandto Ghosh , patol babu’s neighbour told him that his youngest brother in law was looking for an actor for film scene. The person was to be around fifty, short, and bald headed. Since patol babu had acted earlier and was in need of work’ he recommended him.

2.Describe the past of Patol Babu as an actor.?
Patol babu had a real passion at one time. He was always in demand in Jatras, in amateur theatricals, in plays put up by the club in his neighbourhood. There was a time when people bought tickets especially to see him.

3.What did Patol Babu do for a living after having been retrenched?
Patol Babu opened a variety store. But he had to wind it up after five years. Then he had a job in Bengali firm but had to give it up due to high handedness of the boss. Then he remained an insurance salesman for ten years. Of late he has been with a firm dealing with scrap iron.

4. How did Patol Babu disclose his pleasure for the film role before his wife?
Patol babu disclosed his pleasure for the film role before his wife in talking about his past. He told her that his first role on the stage had been of a dead soldier. It was appreciated by all. The chairman of the municipality then gave him a silver medal. God willing he would rise to fame again after this role.

I) Answer the following questions in a sentence or two each:

1. How did Sosanko convince Patol Babu about the dialogue given to him?
2. Describe the scene Patol has to play in the film.
3. Which incidents prove that Patol was a man of imagination?
4. How did Patol react to the lines given to him?
5. Why did he leave the shooting spot without taking the money?
6. How does he rate the people in the filmdom?
7. What did Nishikandto Ghosh tell Patol Babu one morning? Why?
8. Describe the past of Patol Babu as an actor.
9. What did Patol Babu do for a living after having been retrenched?
10. How did Patol Babu disclose his pleasure for the film role before hiswife?
11. What did Patol Babu think of Chanchal Kumar after his shoot?
12. What did Jyoti tell Patol Babu about his role before it was to be shot?
13. What did Patol Babu do with the paper on which his dialogue was written?
14. What did he hear standing near the paan shop and how he reacted to it?
15. What had Patol Babu’s mentor Gogon Pakrashi told him about the actor as an artist?
16. How was Patol Babu emboldened by his mentor Gogon Pakrashi’s advice ?
17. What did Patol Babu suggest Baren Mullick to add authenticity to his role
when histurn for shoot came? What happened thereafter?
18. What did Patol Babu feel after the shoot? Why did he go without taking anymoney?

II) Long answer type questions:

1. Why did Nishikanto Gosh call on Patol Babu one morning? How did Patol Babu react after hearing him? What kind of a stage actor had Patol Bab been earlier?
2.What happened when Patol Babu went to Faraday House for shooting after he had met Naresh Dutt? How did he feel after having been given his one-worded dialogue?
3. How did Patol Babu give an emotional touch to his dialogue of Oh!?
4. Imagine Patol Babu writes a diary page about important events. He writes a diary page describing this event. Write a diary page on his behalf about this event in150 words.

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