Pather Panchali

Dir: Satyajit Ray

1955

*****

Pather Panchali has got to be the most impressive directional debut of all time, by anyone's standards. It's realism makes it even more heartbreaking, and it's beauty and tenderness is unsurpassed. There are directors who are capable and know how to tell a good story and then there are directors who are capable and know how to tell a great story and produce masterpieces. Satyajit Ray is a genius and the father of modern film. Most great films are remembered for one or two great scenes, Pather Panchali is great scene followed by great scene with a central character that is as well written as he is performed. Based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same name, it is the first film in the Apu trilogy. Pather Panchali depicts the childhood of the protagonist Apu (Subir Banerjee) and his elder sister Durga (Uma Dasgupta) and the harsh village life of their poor family. In Nischindipur, rural Bengal, in the 1910s, Harihar Roy (Kanu Banerjee) earns a meager living as a pujari (priest) but dreams of a better career as a poet and playwright. His wife Sarbajaya (Karuna Banerjee) takes care of their children, Durga and Apu, and Harihar's elderly cousin, Indir Thakrun (Chunibala Devi). Because of their limited resources, Sarbajaya resents having to share her home with the old Indir, who often steals food from their already bare kitchen. At times, Sarbajaya's taunts become offensive, forcing Indir to take temporary refuge in the home of another relative. Durga is fond of Indir and often gives her fruit she has stolen from a wealthy neighbour's orchard. One day, the neighbour's wife accuses Durga of stealing a bead necklace, which Durga denies, and blames Sarbajaya for encouraging her tendency to steal. As the elder sibling, Durga cares for Apu with motherly affection but spares no opportunity to tease him. Together, they share the simple joys of life, sitting quietly under a tree, viewing pictures in a travelling vendor's bioscope, running after the candy man who passes through the village and watching a jatra (folk theatre) performed by a troupe of actors. Every evening they are delighted by the sound of a distant train's whistle. One day, they run away from home to catch a glimpse of the train, only to discover Indir lying dead on their return. Unable to earn a good living in the village, Harihar travels to the city to seek a better job. He promises Sarbajaya that he will return with money to repair their dilapidated house. During his absence, the family sinks deeper into poverty. Sarbajaya grows increasingly lonely and bitter. One day during the monsoon season, Durga plays in the downpour for too long, catches a cold and develops a high fever. Adequate medical care being unavailable, the fever becomes worse, and on a night of incessant rain and gusty winds, she dies. Harihar returns home and starts to show Sarbajaya the merchandise he has brought from the city. Sarbajaya, who remains silent, breaks down at the feet of her husband, and Harihar cries out in grief as he discovers that he has lost his daughter. The family decide to leave their ancestral home. As they start packing, Apu finds the necklace that Durga had earlier denied stealing and he throws it into a pond. Apu and his parents leave the village on an ox-cart. It is tender and utterly heartbreaking. The film took nearly three years to be completed due to funding problems. It was shot mainly on location, had a limited budget, featured mostly amateur actors, and was made by an inexperienced crew. The famous sitar player Ravi Shankar composed the film's soundtrack and score using classical Indian ragas. Subrata Mitra was in charge of the cinematography while editing was handled by Dulal Dutta with whom Satyajit Ray would work with for the rest of his career. The film has been praised over the years for its realism, humanity, and soul-stirring qualities while others have ridiculously called its slow pace a drawback with some even condemning it for ‘romanticising poverty’ which I find insulting and absurd. The film's lyrical quality and realism (influenced by Italian neorealism), portray both the poverty and the small delights of daily life, something the author Darius Cooper has termed the "epiphany of wonder". The tale of Apu's life is continued in the two subsequent installments of Ray's trilogy: Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1956) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959). Pather Panchali is described as a turning point in Indian cinema, as it was among the films that pioneered the Parallel Cinema movement, which espoused authenticity and social realism. The first film from independent India to attract major international critical attention, it won India's National Film Award for Best Feature Film in 1955, the Best Human Document award at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival and several other awards, establishing Ray as one of the country's most distinguished filmmakers. It is often featured in lists of the greatest films ever made, and I complete agree that it is.