As Kolkata marks Satyajit Ray's 102nd birth anniversary, old curio shop for his film props has fallen on hard times

KOLKATA: As the city celebrated Satyajit Ray's 102nd birth anniversary on Tuesday, an old curiosity shop in Bhowanipore, which supplied numerous props to the maestro's beloved classics, found itself staring at a bleak future, with no one interested in taking over the reins of the business after the current proprietor.
From the chessboard in 'Shatranj Ke Khiladi' to the conical caps worn by the peasants in 'Hirak Rajar Deshe' to the skeleton in Byomkesh Bakshi's study in 'Chiriakhana', "Goopi Babur Dokan (Gupi Babu's shop)", as the now 116-year-old shop, DK Makeup, used to be known, has supplied many artefacts to the auteur for his movies.
Amal Banerjee, who has inherited the shop once run by his grandfather Rashika Mohan Banerjee (Goopy Babu), says his is the last generation that has shown any interest in running the establishment. Gen Next has opted out because it's no longer profitable.
Tucked away in a blind lane off Asutosh Mukherjee Road in south Kolkata, DK Makeup is a treasure trove for movie buffs in general and for Ray fans in particular. If you wander - perhaps by chance - into its cavernous interiors with dark wood-lined furniture and showcases that have seen better days, among the numerous knick-knacks coated with dust, you would bump into priceless finds: the instruments played at the durbar of Shundi's King in 'Goopi Gyne, Bagha Byne'; the hookahs the village elders were seen puffing in the scene where they make fun of a haplessly out-of-tune Goopy; and even a Rudra Veena used in the same movie.
'Goopi Babu collected props according to Ray's sketches'
Amal Banerjee, who inherited the shop from grandfather "Goopi Babu" (Rashika Mohan Banerjee), is worried there'll be no one to take care of the shop after him. "Goopi Babu was a friend of Banshi Chandragupta, Ray's art director, and it was through him that he became Ray's close associate," said Amal.
"From 'Pather Panchali' to 'Ghare Baire', my grandfather supplied the most intricate and hard-to-find props. He used to be called when Ray's movies were still on the drawing board. He used to collect the objects from various places according to sketches provided by Ray," he said.
Most objects in the shop were used by Ray, Ritwick Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. But the props business is past its prime, he adds. "Now, newer curiosity shops have mushroomed in Tollygunge. Only those who do period movies still come to me. Rituparno Ghosh was a regular. These days, Srijit Mukherjee drops in sometimes."
After Amal, who? "My children have no interest in taking it forward. The business has lost its charm. Now, directors hardly have an eye for detail. Also, I don't have the finances to invest in 'modern props'," Amal said.