UNDERSTANDING THE CLASSICS OF INDIAN CINEMA

Introduction: Satyajit Ray(1921-92) the first Indian to win a Oscar started his career with a trilogy which defined his career and gave birth to parallel cinema in india.it was the highly acclaimed Apu trilogy, Pather panchali, Aparajita, Apu sansar Based on two Bengali novels written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. Review: Realistic, simple, honest and straight forward these are some words you cant avoid using when you describe this trilogy. The trilogy revolves around a family and particularly our Apu (Apurba Kumar ray), an extremely simple story which is so realistic, and I wont be surprised if Im told that it actually happened, Ray impresses you with his phenomenal storytelling style. This trilogy consists of pather panchali(1955), Aparajito (1956) , Apu sansar(1959)Starting from Apus birth, it narrates his journey to being a father himself. A tale of innocence & childhood, small dreams and simple hopes, which is accompanied by a great human conflict, it is this use of extreme opposites which starts your love story with this narrative. This simple tale put forth beautifully using stunning visuals like the one in which Apu and his sister Durga run through the fields to catch a glimpse of a train, this is one of the most iconic scenes of this classic. Ray also conveys his message through some very subtle metaphors, using everything he can see in the surrounding. Ray keeps it extremely realistic with a strict NO MELODRAMA rule, in a film filled with so much of conflict you hardly see actors crying out loud the way you notice in other films of the same era. On the front of performance as well the whole trilogy excels, all the actors are in good form, and they keep it real and still manage to be charming. Some of them who deserve to be mentioned are Sarbajaya Ray (Apus mother) played by Karuna Bannerjee, she is consistently strong in both the films where she finds a very prominent role. Also to be mentioned is Chanubala Devi plays the role of Indir Thakur a rather not so close relative of Apus family who stays with them due to her old age, she is one of the star of the trilogies, one of those characters from this trilogy which youll never forget, she effortlessly manages to make her mark as a weak,& dependent lady who has hopes as high as having a new shawl and finds her happiness in something as delicious as a stolen guava, I wouldnt really say she played the role, I would say she lived it, and immortalized it. The other performances which find themselves a special mention are those of the children, Durga, Apu, and especially Kiran who is Apus son in the final instalment, he is extremely adorable, and how a boy of that age could convey so much with just a few minutes of a role and a few seconds of dialogues still remains a mystery to me. Other performances to watch out for Kanu Bannerjee (Apus father) a high born priest in a bad poverty armoured by naivety and also an immature love for tobacco, also the performance from Uma Das Gupta who plays the role of Durga, you wont totally understand her till the end of the first movie. The highlight of the star cast to me though is Sharmila Tagore who plays the role of Apus wife an adolescent from a high cast and wealthy family, a very charming performance from a veteran actress who in my opinion never looked this beautiful in her long career.

The trilogy shines also on the technical front, from the screenplay written by Satyajit Ray to the extraordinary cinematography and lighting by Subrata Mitra who uses his camera like in a magical way, especially the long shots which can be called jaw dropping even today after nearly decades of this trilogy. The lighting especially the most intense scene for instance the one in which Durga is ill, and their house is struggling against an early storm of the monsoon, also the one in which Indir Thakur is telling a story to Apu and Durga, the way the scene is handled in such a way that you can make out the how much freedom he got from his director. Subrata Mitra almost manages to steal the show. But it is finally the captain of the ship who sweeps the show stealer title; Satyajit Ray presents each and every scene like a plate of Bengali Fish curry, simple, and delicious, using everything from Smoke to crows which give every scene a feel which is tough to explain. The director tells this beautiful story in a style way ahead its time. Conclusion: While praising Satyajit Ray, veteran Film maker Shyam Benegal once said it is the characteristic of this great work to convey the particular in the general and general in the particular having watched the movie I couldnt agree more, though it will make sense to you only when you watch this cinematic masterpiece. Watch this trilogy to discover the very roots of parallel and contemporary cinema in India.