Tuti Futi: Infinite impact through Infinitesimal presence of a Father.

Indian Cinema in the last two decades has two distinct ways of portraying a Father- The disapproving father and the ‘with you in thick and thin’ father. While the later has been mostly seen in a Girl’s coming of age dramas courtesy to the gracious smile of Pankaj Tripathy, the former has been a stereotype dating back to the typical Bollywood dramas of 70s- a father who would never approve of children’s Romantic partners- a trope immortalized by Amrish Puri- and later found its way in the Anupam Khers and Paresh Rawals. In recent years, Farookh Sheikh in YJHD and Akash Khurana in Barfi has been two of my favourite Father characters from a Boy’s coming of a age drama where you could explore the other side of fatherhood of being a silent mentor- an aspect that is perhaps not very theatrical to cater to Masala sensibilities. Tuti Futi is one such silent guiding light for Jagga whom he is not obliged to love from an undying sense of duty, but whom you can’t do anything but love.

Tuti Futi aka Badal Bagchi, a Chemistry Professor from Kolkata, is an endearing Father character- almost a breath of fresh air in Bollywood’s eternal struggle with tumultuous Father-Son relationships that invariably turn toxic. Tuti Futi is an “absent father”. Not in the popular sense of the term, but in the very literal sense. He is absent. And through the entirely of Jagga’s growing up years, he is physically absent from his life, but never from his consciousness. His presence in Jagga’s life is infinitesimal but he creates infinite, life-altering, durable impact on Jagga’s naïve heart and literally becomes the larger than life figure that a child expects their father to be- a hero to idolize. But most importantly Tuti Futi stays a hero for a rather ‘lucky’ Jagga unlike most of us unlucky kids.

Tuti Futi isn’t Jagga’s biological father. They both stumble upon each other (in the red circle) and Jagga saves his life. Tuti Futi soon becomes fond of the kid and adopts him. In most films, adopting someone would be more an act of showing gratefulness, less giving a new lease. But this isn’t that film. Tuti Futi teaches a stammering Jagga how to communicate through songs and thus gives him a new life, just like Jagga gave him one by saving him. Thus this becomes a partnership of equals as the narration says: “Ulte ko mila pulta rahoon mein/ ban gayi ek Jodi teri meri si/ ek kehta hai gaa ke dil ki baat saari/ aur dusre se badluck hai chipki banke bimaari”.

Tuti Futi is a man of Badluck- tuti tang, futi kismaat-so naturally happiness and stability are just some annoying guests for him. Invariably he had to leave Jagga behind once again to go about his expeditions. Jagga is alone again, but no orphaned. This time he has an “absent father” to mentor him through a CD that he sends him every Birthday from wherever he is in the world. Tuti Futi thus is omnipresent in Jagga’s life, because he never hesitated to show him his love. And for Jagga, it isn’t a biological agreement that you have to abide by throughout your life- it is a mentor-protégé relationship- a place of love and respect that Tuti Futi has earned. Tuti Futi infused him with an undying spirit of life. He taught him basic life lessions and life skills, thus he always investigates his memories with Tuti Futi to come up with a solution for his cases. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said that she prefers being “left with enough for myth, if not for memory”, in a similar way Jagga never asks Tuti Futi the reason of his apparent abandonment but chooses to live with his perception of Tuti Futi and his philosophies. He is never disheartened because he learnt to view this world from Tuti Futi’s eyes- a philosophy that is as funky as his own. He never expects him to come back but thus their relationship is more about shared conscience and consciousness.

When he receives the news of Tuti Futi’s supposed death it hits him like a vicious uprooting and he is yanked away from their own dream world that Jagga has known since Childhood. Jagga loved his father so fiercely and tenderly, that at the back of his mind he always feared this day but is also prepared to rationally investigate. Tuti Futi carried the heavy weight of a trauma that was handed down, in part, to his son, Jagga. That’s how human connection and history works by passing it down to succeeding generations. He never spoke of his war-like experiences, but found this compelling need to channelize the survival instinct to fight this cruel world in Jagga, even if that meant to open a wound for both of them to carry for the rest of their lives. He says, “Musiwaat aur Googli- pehle se padh liya to Chakka, warna okka”.

Most of us wish to continue seeing our fathers as a hero as we grow up, but that hardly happens. Here Tuti Futi remains a hero for Jagga. Perhaps because Tuti Futi is a enabler for the hero of the movie, Jagga. Or perhaps because the absence of Tuti Futi is a boon to him, and he could always imagine his presence with him the way he wanted. Tuti Futi gave him Feluda, Sherlock and above all his- unique Tintin hair, that's all Jagga needs. Maybe just like an absent father messes up in movies, a present father can also mess up in life. That’s why Tuti Futi, the non-quintessential “absent father” makes a case for himself- everytime you see Jagga missing him, you can invariably feel that Tuti Futi sitting in some corner of the world is also missing Jagga- and Jagga knows that. Jagga trusts that feeling. And perhaps the absence in the paternal bond is what drives the film as well as Jagga’s growth: “Tum ho yehi kahi, ya phir kahi nahi".

Earlier published on Humans of Cinema