Kadambari - Ravindranath's Muse

KADAMBARI 2015

by

Suman Ghosh

She was Robi’s playmate since when he was 7 and she was 9. Theirs was a friendship which developed into soulful love and much more than can be expressed. Kadambari was Robi’s muse to whom he dedicated many of his early poems. But they lived in Bengal of 19^th century, which was an unforgiving place.

Kadambari’s husband , Jyotindranath, found refuge in actress Binodini’s arms. Robi married Mrinalini Devi in 1883. After the death of a relative’s  child, Kadambari was blamed for neglect, and this pushed her towards loneliness and despair. This along with the fact that both Jyoti and Robi had deserted her led to the extreme step in 1883.

This is a beautifully shot film, which explores the contours of various relationships with empathy. With Ravindranath’s poems playing in the background, and gardens and river as the backdrop, the film is a beautiful tribute to platonic love.