Bansuriwala review: An intimate journey with flautist Ronu Majumdar

Director Viplab Majumdar is a fan of ace flautist Pandit Ronu Majumdar. While his admiration gives direction to the documentary on the musician's life and work, Viplab Majumdar does manage to step out of the fan zone and keep a comfortable distance to bring forth a rare talented musician and human being.

While maintaining this distance, Viplab walks with Ronu Majumdar through the gullies of Varanasi’s Raj Ghat area, Ghasiyari Tola to be specific. It was here that Ronu Majumdar was born, and where his mother prayed that her child would grow up to become a fond artiste and likely a radio performer.

Ronu Majumdar, of course, has gone on to become much more, as legends of Hindustani classical music like Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Bombay Jayshree, Pandit Dilshad Khan and Pandit Durga Prasad Majumdar wax eloquent about his prowess with the flute.

His mother makes an appearance, complaining that he spends little time with her. Her expression, however, is one of pride and contentment. His wife Sangeeta Majumdar speaks about the hardwork Panditji puts into his recordings, concerts and, most importantly, practice.

The flautist's face remains calm as he effortlessly creates music with his flute. The documentary largely uses the magic of his flute as the background score and treats the audience to footage of concerts that Ronu Majumdar has played in with his father, the legendary Dr Bhanu Majumdar, Zakir Hussain and other classical instrumentalists.

Apart from the music, Ronu Majumdar’s humility is on full display when he admits to knowing “nothing”, a realization, he says, that comes whenever he is in the presence of his guru. After learning from his father, Majumdar honed his skill on the flute under the great Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao. He also received training in vocal music from Pandit Lakshman Prasad Jaipurwale.

From the younger lot, composer Shantanu Moitra is heard saying, “It’s like there are two different sides in his brain. He doesn’t mix classical and light. It’s either pure classical or pure light.” Moitra goes on to highlight the versatility of Ronu Majumdar’s skill in contemporary times.

Director Viplab Majumdar said he managed to get these interviews through the music legend himself. They definitely add value to the documentary, making it a pleasant watch. Some of the footage is grainy, but that’s forgivable. The Varanasi portion was shot in seven days. Pandit Majumdar mentions how he misses Varanasi more than any other place he has lived in in India. Director Viplab captures the glint in his eyes as he speaks fondly of his days as a young boy in Varanasi.

Bansuriwala is an intimate journey of Pandit Ronu Majumdar, with him. It is produced by the Films Division of India.  

Bansuriwala was screened at the Jagran Film Festival on 27 September 2018.