Tag: Satyajit Ray

Film by Waqas Jani
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A still from Satyajit Ray's film "Devi," as reviewed by rural Pakistani poet and critic Waqas Jani, depicting the would-be goddess (Sharmila Tagore) being worshipped as a devi.

Idolatry of the Fragile: on Satyajit Ray’s “Devi” (The Goddess)

There is a brief scene in the string of scenes that open Satyajit Ray’s Devi. In it, the character of Umparasad (Soumitra Chatterjee) reacts with shock to what is likely an animal being slaughtered as a sacrifice at Durga Puja. Prior to this scene none of the characters is ascribed any individuation, and yet Umparasad is lent this highlight, most likely as his weakness, for later in the story we learn his weak constitution as a man, and how because of it he fails to prevent a tragedy that befalls his family and wife Doyamoyeee (Sharmila Tagore).

Now, it would not be fair to lay all the blame on Umparasad’s shoulders, as there are multiple factors that lead to denouement of Devi, but his culpability prevails. The fact that it has gotten little attention from the critics once again showcases how deeper aspects of Ray’s films have been overlooked for their more overt counterparts, since Devi’s premise, too, lends itself well to the loud debates of its native land. […]

Film by Waqas Jani
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A shot from Satyajit Ray's nuanced family drama "Mahanagar", depicting a husband and wife (not the main character) discussing why they can't take a loan from another couple.

Routine Overwhelms: Reviewing Satyajit Ray’s “Mahanagar” (1963)

Too often a work of art is reduced to a single theme or narrative. While I cannot fully explain why this happens, the most obvious reason is that the obvious reaps attention. Such is the case with Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar (The Big City), a film that, despite receiving rave reviews since its release, seems to have received deeper critical attention.

Set in 1950s Kolkata (then Calcutta), an extremely volatile decade following the partition of India, Mahanagar is a drama about a struggling middleclass family. No longer can the man of the house be the only earner and support a family that also includes his parents and sister.  The woman also has to step out, even at the cost of upsetting the tradition. While a premise like this might seem straight out of a Bollywood snoozer, Mahanagar is the work of an accomplished artist, where things are never quite predictable, nor do the characters go through sweeping transformations due to a single event or revelation. Instead, revelations are implicit in how the characters respond to their circumstances.

Take, for instance, the scene where Subrata (Anil Chatterjee), after allowing his wife Arati (Madhabi Mukherjee) to work—much to the disapproval of his parents—has her sign a resignation letter just because his ego is hurt seeing her thrive in her work. The scene is swift and there is no protest on part of Arati; for her, it’s just a part of her accepted reality. Moreover, she had taken the job because she wanted to support her husband, even as she grew to love it in the process. This is an important distinction, for a conventional feminist portrayal would have showcased this job as a symbol of freedom existing outside of Arati, as a totalizing reality, rather than a newfound reality that was co-created by her—one that had, in fact, become a part of her. […]