Wonderfully enjoyable, with the scope and density of a richly absorbing novel, Satyajit Ray’s tale of family and city life is set in mid-50s Calcutta, a society still adjusting to Independence.
Subrata Mazumdar (Anil Chatterjee), a young bank clerk struggling to support his entire extended family on a meagre salary, is horrified when his wife Arati (Madhabi Mukherjee) dares to challenge his cherished belief that ‘a woman’s place is with her cooking pots’.
She not only takes a job but proves a huge success in the workplace, relishing her new-found independence and thoroughly upsetting the family dynamic.
Back in cinemas as part of the BFI’s delayed Satyajit Ray centenary celebration.
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