The tenth out of some forty feature films made by the Indian master Satyajit Ray, Charulata is based on the Rabindranath Tagore’s novella, The Broken Nest. Charu, suffering from her husband’s neglect, cannot resist her feelings for her brother-in-law, Amal. This magnificent portrait of a woman – and the pinnacle of Ray’s work (who himself thought it to be “my most flawless film ») – weaves the knot of nascent desire within a enclosed space. He captures with infinite grace all the subtleties of the interplay between Madhabi Mukherjee (Charu) and one of his favourite actors, Soumitra Chatterjee (Amal), who perform with stunning sensuality. If they never actually consummate their union, this is because the filmmaker prefers an exploration of bodies and emotions, which he enhances with the dimension of transcendental poetry, the lighting and the “living” literature that comes alive as we watch (his playful treatment of the Sanskrit pen).
The restored version of the film will be screened.
G.M.
