Patol Babu
Exercise Questions
Part 2
Question 1: Do you agree with the statement that Patol Babu is a practical man who comes to terms with whatever life has to offer? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: Patol Babu moves to Calcutta when a better offer is available. After he loses his job in Calcutta, he begins a shop which shuts down after some years. After that, he is working hard to earn his livelihood and appears to be a content man. When the role is offered to him, he accepts the fact that he is a small actor who may not deserve a big role. He also musters enough courage to do full justice to the role he was offered. These examples show that Patol Babu is a practical man who comes to terms with whatever life has to offer.
Question 2: Why does Patol Babu walk away before he can be paid for his role? What does this reveal about his character?
Answer: Patol Babu was satisfied at the fact that he did full justice to his role. For him, getting a role and playing it to its true potential was more important than earning money from the role. Hence, he left before he could be paid for the role. This shows that Patol Babu is a true artist and a good human being.
Question 3: Do you think making a movie is an easy job? Discuss with reference to the story.
Answer: Moving making does not appear to be an easy task. The unit of a movie needs hundreds of staffs who have to carry out different tasks. Arrangements for shooting at a particular location can be cumbersome and time consuming. In case of an outdoor shooting, crowd management is another headache.
Here are some lines from the lesson. What do they tell us about Patol Babu's character? You may take help from the words given in the table below or find some of your own from the dictionary. The first one has been done for you
passionate actor diligent unassuming talented genial mercenary short-tempered introvert meticulous modest humble arrogant
- That an offer to act in a film could come to a 52-year-old nonentity like him was beyond his wildest dreams.
Answer: unassuming; modest - Indeed, there was a time when people bought tickets especially to see him
Answer: talented - 'I was with Hudson and Kimberley for nine years and wasn't late for a single day.'
Answer: diligent, passionate - It didn't matter if the part was small, but, if he had to make the most of it, he had to learn his lines beforehand. How small he would feel if he muffed in the presence of so many people
Answer: passionate, meticulous, diligent - Patol Babu cleared his throat and started enunciating the syllable in various ways. Along with that he worked out how he would react physically when the collision took place--how his features would be twisted in pain, how he would fling out his arms, how his body would crouch to express pain and surprise--all these he performed in various ways in front of a large glass window.
Answer: Meticulous, diligent - It is true that he needed money very badly, but what was twenty rupees when measured against the intense satisfaction of a small job done with perfection and dedication?
Answer: mercenary
Here are some lines from the lesson. Match the meanings of the underlined words with their meanings listed below
Answer:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (a) Then he had a job in a Bengali firm which he gave up in disgust when his boss began to treat him in too high-handed a fashion | to surrender or relinquish |
| (b) A faint memory was stirred up in Patol Babu's mind. | stimulate the imagination |
| (c) At first he opened a variety store which he had to wind up after five years. | shut down |
| (d) In Jatras, in amateur theatricals, to gain control over one's actions in plays put up by the club in his neighbourhood, Patol Babu was always in demand | staged |
| (e) Patol Babu was about to step forward when he was pulled up short by a voice shouting 'Silence!' | stopped |
| (f) Patol Babu pulled himself together | to gain control over one’s action |
Question 4: Patol Babu writes a letter to Nishikanto Ghosh to thank him for being instrumental in his getting a role in a film. He also shares his experience at the film shoot including the excitement and deep satisfaction that he derived from the same. Write the letter in about 200 words.
Answer: Dear Nishikanto,
Hope you are fine.
I thought of writing this letter just to say thanks for all your efforts in getting me a role in the film. For a person like me, it was a godsend opportunity. I never imagined that you will rekindle the fire of acting in me. When I went for the shooting, I was disappointed initially. But when I understood the significance of the role, I was very excited and highly motivated. The icing on the cake was the deep satisfaction which I derived after finishing the shooting.
Regards
Patol