Reimagining Tagore: Directorial Liberty and Feminist Iconography ‎in Chokher Bali

Abstract

Rabindranath Tagore's Chokher Bali (1902), originally published in Bengali, holds a distinguished place in his body of work. This research examines two prominent adaptations of the novel: Rituparno Ghosh's 2003 film and Anurag Basu's 2015 television series with the same title. Both adaptations offer a modern feminist reinterpretation of Tagore's narrative, particularly through their reimagined endings. This paper argues that, although the adaptations diverge from the novel’s original conclusion, they succeed in addressing the novel's limitations; specifically, the ending Tagore himself publicly expressed his regret over. By contextualizing Chokher Bali for a twenty-first-century audience, these directors adapt the text to align with contemporary feminist discourses. This study also engages with broader debates about fidelity in adaptation, challenging traditional notions of faithfulness by proposing that these adaptations enhance the novel’s thematic concerns with gender and agency. The research applies Theo Van Leeuwen’s visual discourse analysis to examine how visual storytelling in both adaptations highlights aspects of womanhood that are less accessible through the written text. Key scenes are analyzed to show how visual strategies expand the feminist potential of Tagore's narrative, thereby illustrating the transformative power of adaptation as an interpretive act.