INDIA HONEST felt shocked , no words to describe the barbaric version narrated by Tapas Pal, the elected member of parliament of Trinmooll Congress party , led by the brave lady Mamta Banerjee, the mother of " ma-mati-manus " ideology. IH thought it best to reproduce the media version in exact wordings of the commentators to have the feel of the anguish of the people :
"Tollywood Shocked At `Disgusting' Transformation " quoted the news headlines : Way back in 1980, when a wide-eyed youngster with innocent good looks burst on to the Bengali screen, the audience was charmed.Tapas Pal did not have the swagger of a rock star, the elegance of a romantic lead or the aggression of an action star, but it was his man-with-the golden-heart image that endeared him to fans -and catapulted him into politics. This is also probably why his transformation into a revenge-seeking, expletive-hurling, abusive politician is something even Tollywood colleagues find shocking and hard to fathom.
Pal has come a long way since he hit stardom with his debut "Dadar Kirti'" the first big star of the post-Uttam Kumar era, Pal delivered successive hits, some of which like "Gurudakshina" and "Bhalobasha Bhalobasha" went on to attain cult status .Through the Eighties, he ruled Bengali mainstream cinema along with Prosenjit, who eventually surpassed him in popularity and star status. But Tapas Pal wasn't quite dislodged from stardom as he moved on to character roles, but he was very conscious of his image. Until the fateful day of June 14, 2014.
Veteran director Goutam Ghose was worried that such comments were not expected from an MP and said, “If this is how an MP speaks, then people will lose faith in politicians. Unfortunately this seems to be the mainstream culture now. It could also be the result of instigation by sycophants. Our stars are always surrounded by them and they egg them on. I find this utterly disgusting,“ .
Aparna Sen said: “Is this what politics does to you? The Tapas I knew was different. It is sad to see him making such violent comments.“
Actor Biplab Chatterjee, who has played the villain in several Tapas Pal-starters, said this was the result of the `Poribartan' that has come about in the state. “He is a product of this change and the new order. I find his comments filthy and in bad taste.I also feel ashamed to say that he has been my professional colleague,“ .
The veteran stage actor Rudraprasad Sengupta felt that Pal has embarrassed the artist community , and said, “It is shameful and unpardonable. Even his party colleagues have been scathing in their criticism. He should apologise,“.
Veteran filmmaker Prabhat Ray , who has seen Pal flower as a star, called the hate speech “disheartening and shocking“. He said,“He was always sober and sweet-natured, much like the characters he played. This sudden transformation is shocking,“ .
Fellow MP and his co-star in hits like `Gurudakshina' and ` Antaranga', Satabdi Ray condemned the comments and said, "As a woman and a colleague, I denounce this. What he has said is wrong and objectionable. I guess he has realized that it was a mistake. Tapas is not given to such foolish outbursts. So, he should be given a chance to apologize,“ .
Others like Actor-director Biplab Dasgupta were less forgiving on Pal's comments, as those were insensitive, inciting and violent, he added, “It can't be justified in any way . I find it even more unacceptable since Tapas is an artiste. I knew him to be a perfect gentleman who would never say such things. So, I was taken aback by what I saw on TV ,“ .
Only filmmaker Haranath Chakrabarty felt some pity on Pal that he must have been provoked by circumstances and said, “I have not seen a more down-to-earth individual than Tapas. I guess he acted under provocation,“.
Actor and MP Debosree Ray called it `unfortunate'. Former Trinamool MP Kabir Suman said he found the comments “filthy“. Trinamool actor-MLA Chiranjit said Pal shouldn't have used such words. “I didn't like what he said.“
INDIA HONEST agrees that the gravity of the horror spread by Tapas Pal has reached all the corners including to his own party leadership and it was felt by them to urgently douse the fire and accordingly Pal was asked to apologise, but Pal's apology letter came only a day before Mamata meets Trinamool MPs to decide the party's strategy in Parliament. Obviously Mamata is furious that Pal shamed a woman-ruled state before the country . The actor, handpicked by her has also smeared Didi's image at the national level.
It was a shock on the eve of the new parliament's first important budget session and it has definitely put Trinamool on the back foot. It is to be seen now how Trinamool deals with Tapas ? Can Mamata spare Pal while risking to face loss of her urban support base ahead of the civic polls next year.
Trinamool leader Mukul Roy said, “Our party chief is shocked and pained " but the bigger question is will merely uttering apology and being saddened solve the "item" MP.Tapas Pal's “blunder“ ?