![]() From enjoying a theatre and witnessing a marriage for the first time to discovering a train while running amidst the field of white ‘Kash’ flowers, the iconic scene which has inspired references to be drawn for many a work of art, worldwide to experiencing the grim reality of death when they discover the lifeless body of Indir Thakrun, the most lovable character in the film, the old, loving, “Hari din toh gyalo, shondha holo, paar koro amare” (Oh Lord, the sun has set, dusk is upon us, pray take me with you) – singing at times cynical, free willed aunt of Apu and Durga. The music of Ravi Shankar gives the scene, quite like the entire movie, a feel that just cannot be described in words but needs to be felt through the heart. Having a universal humanist appeal, ‘Pather Panchali’ makes us envision the intimate bond between the brother-sister duo of Apu and Durga, where at times, Durga was almost a second mother to Apu through their daily inquisitive child lives, exploring the world, ‘their world’, which we get to witness throughout the film, a world through their eyes, in which they discover joy in ‘their’ highest of highs, like recognizing the faintest of noises of the sweetmeat seller, music to their little hearts, treasure in those pots he carries that they so long for, yet cannot afford, gazing at those pots of treasure longingly and finally succumbing to their senses and ending up following their treasure-man, accompanied by a stray dog as their companion along the narrow, winding road running beside the pond. ‘Pather Panchali’ was the first film of his ‘The Apu Trilogy’ as popularly known, the remaining two being, ‘Aparajito’ and ‘Apur Sangsar’, which follows Apu as the son, the man and finally, the father. He was invited to a special screening by Satyajit Ray himself and was left so spellbound that he personally recommended for the film to be sent to the Cannes Film Festival that year, where ‘Pather Panchali’ received applauds and praises from one and all and received the accolade of being the ‘Best Human Document’ at the festival, thereby becoming the first film in independent India to receive major critical attention internationally, placing India on the map of world cinema. And they would have succeeded if not for Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India. And quite justifiably, as one might say, the film had scores of paranoid and apprehensive critics, mostly government bureaucrats, who tried their very best to shackle the film within the confines of the nation, so that the world would not get to know. A traditional mother of orthodox times trying to cage the free bird in her daughter to mold her to suit for her life with, or more prominently, life under the strict, authoritative eyes of her future in-laws, besides her daily chores, while at the same time, taking great care of her boy-child, who she sees growing up, well-educated, into a civilized man, highlighting the patriarchal condition of the society which is still widely prevalent in the nation, 61 years after this film was set, giving the world a real taste of it. Set in Nischindipur, a fictional hamlet in rural Bengal, ‘Pather Panchali’ is a coming of the age film, narrating the tale of poverty in rural India. A Brahmin priest Harihar, struggling to provide for his family, his wife Sarbajaya, their mischievous daughter Durga and her partner in crime, often unknown of his participation due to his tender age, Durga’s little brother Apu, the aged cousin of Sarbajaya, Indir Thakrun and their tale of indigence, misery, adversity and the power of life emerging through their daily struggle of making ends meet. ![]() As the two-line preface at the very beginning would suggest, the story is remarkably simple. Yes, we are talking about Satyajit Ray and his début film ‘Pather Panchali’.īased on Bibhutibhusan Bandopadhay’s 1929 novel of the same name, ‘Pather Panchali’, which roughly translates in English to ‘Song of the Little Road’, the film is all about the rainbow of life making its way through the dark and grim clouds of misery, by the appreciation of the gift called life, a privilege and the treasure at the end of the rainbow, treasure, which in words, will never be good enough to do any justice to appreciate this gem. ![]()
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