Calcutta, the big city had been represented in a number of films since the advent of cinema in Bengal. Even the commercial films of the 1950s starring the legendary pair of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen depict the flight of an individual from the village to the city. These films engage the hero in city tours to help him discover the city space and, in turn, introduce him with the notions of modernity.
From the point of view of an individual positioned in the city in ‘Apur Sansar’ and ‘Mahanagar’, Ray’s characters (and his camera) started looking outward during the turbulent ’70s in the polemical ‘Calcutta Trilogy’. The individual, in these films, represents the crowd. In accordance with this change of cinematic vision, Ray devised different techniques – handheld shots, rapid tracks etc to capture the unrest that was in the city at that time.
This video lecture, looks at how the representation of the city changed and evolved in Satyajit Ray’s cinematic world.
Silhouette editor Amitava Nag explores several such interesting and unique elements of the CITY in Ray’s cinema in the SECOND episode of RAY@100 Lecture Series – Brought to you by Silhouette. Watch this space for more episodes!
