I
n the last shot of the family leaving Nischindipur on a bullock cart, every member of the family has a different expression on their face. The father wears a blank expression; he knows that he has lost the game of life and is simply moving out without any hope ahead. The mother is teary-eyed and devastated at her loss; her dream of moving out of debt and poverty to KAshi is finally coming true but she knows she could have saved her daughter. The little boy is all innocent and wide-eyed but you can see that the discovery of the stolen necklace is playing on his mind. You know that there's a maestro at work when every scene, every shot and every character is portrayed in the way it was meant to be. This is the work of perfect clarity - every scene was visualised and translated onto film with complete control on the execution. And that is why it remains a masterpiece a whopping 66 years after its release!
Time to let go of that wretched remote. Lets review #SatyajitRay’s 1955 film #PatherPanchali (Song of the Road). Based on the work of #BibhutiBhushanBandopadhyay, the film won the ‘Most Human Document Award’ at the 1956 Cannes film festival. More importantly, it took Indian cinema to the world stage. Critics have described it as slow and meandering as also exploiting abject poverty, but the sheer visual poetry of the film reigns supreme. Not to mention, the basic message that poverty does not nullify love and that you can continue to find pleasure in everyday small things. A theme that is not just relevant today but is perhaps more important ! The movie is featured on #AppleTV+.
Some of the best scenes in the film are delivered by first-time actor children. #UmaDasGupta as Durga and #SubirBanerjee as Apu are fabulous as the wide-eyed children growing up in a Brahmin family in the small village of West Bengal. They are completely immune to the poverty all around them as they run around the house and the fields, finding joy in the train that chugs past in the distance, or the bioskope vendor or even just running behind the sweet vendor, not in the hope of buying anything but in the delight of staying in close proximity to the mouth-watering goodies! They share a very special relationship and Apu’s life and persona are clearly shaped by his relationship with his elder sister. During their run around, they come across the dead body of their aunt, face accusation of stealing from neighbors and experience the rains and the rivulets. It is difficult to digest the fact that this is the work of first time cameraman #SubrataMitra. The haunting music by the legendary #RaviShankar is a perfect compliment to the scenes.
The other hallmark of #PatherPanchali is how the characters are presented with a deft touch here and there. The father is played by #KanuBanerjee, a weak man who writes plays and poetry and cannot stand up and demand his wages. He means well and is the eternal optimist and yet is lost in his own world. He forgets to stay in touch with his wife and the scene when he hears about his daughter’s demise on his return is devastating. His wife, played brilliantly by #KarunaBanerjee is the opposite - wordly wise, materialistic and more practical. She nurtures dreams of moving away to Kashi and living a better life.
The Western audiences were struck also by the eighty year old #ChunibalaDevi who plays the Pishi or father’s sister to Apu and Durga. Although the scenes featuring her are outright melancholic as they reek of poverty and the haplessness of old age, Ray’s ability to manager her performance deserves special mention.
There are two scenes that one must call out for special mention. One is the rather long scene where Apu and Durga are running around amidst the Kaash grass where the camera just dwells on the landscape. The obvious metaphor is that the children are seeking to escape from the truth of the impoverished existence. Ray was said to have been influenced by the Italian neorealist movement and this resulted in the rather long and realistic shots.
The other scene is one that does not stand out in a pronounced manner. It is the kind of blink-and-you-may-miss one. The mother breaks up a fight between Apu and Durga and admonishes Durga saying she is too old now for dolls. In that one scene, the mother draws a chasm between Apu’s innocence and Durga’s adolescence.
#PatherPanchali sets up the Apu trilogy and to that extent, the first in the series is actually a coming of age film where Apu’s character is shaped and he ventured out into the world that his father could just never manage!
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