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8# At first exposition, then comes development. Finally, the main threads of the exposition come back
in a new form in the light of the development i.e recapitulation. Here the subject of exposition is the
loneliness of Charu. She comes back to that loneliness after going through various events of
development. Though the loneliness of the exposition part and that of the recapitulation part are not
same. Before she was loveless and love seeker. Later we see that Charu who is lovelorn loosing her
love. The middle of the development episode is actually the development of Charu’s love.

9 # The night of the second scene comes just after the scene of the lonely afternoon. At the first part of
this scene we see Charu’s husband Bhupati taking his dinner . He informs Charu his wish to appoint
Umapada, her elder brother, as the manager of his press.

And at the last part of the night scene we see it is late night. Bhupati is busy with his editorial work.

Charu comes. Embroidered handkerchief for Bhupati is in her hand. Charu hands over it to Bhupati.
Then she goes to the adjacent room giving a slight hint of her loneliness. Satyajit didn’t want to show
any sulk of her in the very beginning of the exposition episode.

10# Satyajit writes, “ In the film, the afternoon shown in the opening sequence and the night that
followed in the second scene were supposed to reflect a typical day in the lives of Bhupati and Charu.
The audiene is bound to feel curious about how a busy man who neglects his wife when he is working
might treat her when he is not. For that reason, too, the first night scene became necessary.”

11# At the end of this night scene we see , Bhupati moves Charu towards their bedroom keeping his
hand on her shoulder and we hear his dialogue, “ I’ll do one thing. I’ll tell your brother to bring your
sister-in-law with him. Then you won’t lack company, will you?”

This is where the first half of the exposition episode of the film comes to an end.

12 # The second half of the exposition episode starts with another afternoon. Manda, Charu’s sister-in-
law, is lying on Charu’s bed and playing a card game with her. In the afternoon of the first phase Charu
was totally alone. Although Manda accompanies her in the afternoon of the second phase, it is not
posiible for her to eliminate Charu’s loneliness.

A little later comes the Kaalbaisakhi storm. And with this storm Amal hurriedly enters there. It
prognosticates that Amal will bring another type of storm in Charu’s life.

Then we see, Amal runs off to look for his cousin, Bhupati.

There Amal also meets with Umapada, Charu’s elder brother.

Then we see Amal and Charu in Amal’s room. There is not even a hint of anything more than the simple,
sweet, normal relationship between a brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
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The night scene that follows brings the film’s exposition to an end. Here we see , Bhupati requests Amal
to give a little encouragement and time to Charu’s literary cultivation.

Thus Ray brings together all the main characters who would eventually go through the stresses and
strains of a pentagonal relationship before taking the story to it’s end.

1 # CHARULATA is one of the best romantic films in the world and one of the best movies of Satyajit
Ray. According to Ray, CHARULATA is his most perfect film. Few days ago of his death, he had said, “ If I
remake the film today, I will make it in the same way.”

2 # CHARULATA is baed upon the novella NASTONEER or THE BROKEN NEST written by Rabindranath
Tagore. The film is a quite addition-alternation of the novella but the main theme was never disrupted.
There are a lot of controversies on this matter but we are not here to do any comparative discussion.
Our only focus is on Ray’s CHARULATA.

3# Made in 1964, the movie is set in 1879 and it has a span of almost one year. Made up by about 500
shots , the movie is like a unique poem or music with visual rhythm. It is built on the seemingly simple
melodic music of Mozartian music. It is made a lot on the basis of the sonata form.

4# In her famous biography PORTRAIT OF A DIRECTOR : SATYAJIT RAY, Marie Seaton ( mari-siton)
writes, “ Ray has claimed that all his films have been influenced in their structure by musical forms, the
dominant being the sonata and the symphonic . He told the late Georges Sadoul that he thought
endlessly of Mozart in connection with CHARULATA.”