The Big City
Satyajit Ray / IN, 1963 / 135 min.
One of the Satyajit Ray finest films – a multi-layered, subtly political and hugely enjoyable cinematic tapestry tracking one woman’s quiet fight against a society that would rather she remained seen but not heard. Digital restoration.
Subrata (Anil Chatterjee), a young bank clerk, might be struggling to support his extended family on a meagre salary – but he’s horrified when his wife Arati (Madhabi Mukherjee, Ray’s longtime muse) dares to challenge his cherished belief that ‘a woman’s place is with her cooking pots’.
Arati takes a job just as her husband appears at risk of losing his, upsetting the family dynamics at a moment of tremendous change in what was then a newly independent country. A hugely absorbing feature from a true master and the first Satyajit Ray feature to be fully set in his native Kolkata.
Special screenings
Details
Director
Satyajit Ray
Production year
1963
Country
IN
Original title
Mahanagar
Length
135 min.
Language
Bengali, Bangla
Subtitles
ENG
Format
DCP
Part of
Restored & Unseen
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