Hirak Raja – A Character Biopsy
Any ardent fan of Ray or his Gupi Bagha trilogy is no stranger to Hirak Raja. He is the epitome of a shrewd politician handcrafted by Ray for a timeless reference in any era to describe an oppressive political force across geographies. Let us indulge in taking a deep dive to explore the diverse layers of this immortal malevolent fictional figure. Hirak Raja is an expert in maintaining a benevolent image globally. He is meticulous in sending invites to neighboring rulers to attend his ‘Borshopurti Utsob’ which portrays his kingdom as a welfare state and his reign as a paragon of monarchy. He also seems to have a good taste for music initially. So, he particularly invites Gupi and Bagha knowing about the accolades they received worldwide for their musical endeavors which magically petrifies the audience. He is so overweening that he fails to realize that this very power of the musical duo will eventually lead to his downfall. Just like politicians who enjoy the music till the music...