Pather Panchali Is Exactly What Every Gen-Z Cinephile Should Begin With!

I am a creative head and films are my passion.…

Pather Panchali is Satyajit Ray’s first directorial debut and undoubtedly his one of the best films. He was a long-lasting admirer of cinema. Ray took plenty of motivation from Italian neorealism (especially Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thief) before creating this masterpiece.

Satyajit Ray made films about how individuals in India adapt to their circumstances and culture. His infinite humanism depicted could be seen in his work. This representation was started in 1955 with the film Pather Panchali (Song of the tiny Road), the primary path within the universal Apu Trilogy, trailed by Aparajito (1956, The Unvanquished) and Apu Sansar (1959, the kingdom of Apu).

The Story Of Pather Panchali

Set in the village of Nischindipur (Bengal), Pather Panchali shows a family’s survival. Ray’s take on life, nature and death are the subplots of the film.

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The father of the family is a positive man, Harihar (Kanu Banerjee). He turns into a travelling Hindu priest, leaving behind his wife, Sarbajaya (Karuna Banerjee). Thus, the wife is left to fulfil her duties as a “wife,” that is, to take care of his family while he is far away. Their elder daughter, Durga (Uma Das Gupta), is an intriguing and animated character. The couple is soon blessed with a newly born, Apu.

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As the years pass, Apu (Subir Banerjee) grows into a young boy. The family is stricken with poverty and hunger. Harihar keeps on assuring his wife for a better life, and all Sarbajaya wants is to run away with her son.
Will she run away and seek a better life? Will Harihar ever find a job and stop being selfish? What will happen to Durga? My fellow, Gen-Z–not too soon! You’ll have to watch the film Pather Panchali to find answers to these questions.

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The Characters In Pather Panchali

Sarbajaya is a matriarch who has dreams of her own. She is stuck in poverty and with the obligation to live without food, clothes and a proper shelter. She barely smiles in the film and is overburdened by the needs of her entire family.
Harihar is entirely positive throughout the film Pather Panchali. He believes something good will happen to the family and has faith in God’s plan. However, by the end, his expectations are tarnished.

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Durga is inventive with great potential. She isn’t hard working when compared to her mother. She enjoys small things in life and is very close to Apu.
Apu is the youngest child of the family, and the entire hopes his family relies on his shoulder. He is visionary and wants to take his family out of scarcity. He wants to be a writer. He is deep and an observer.

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The Direction Of Pather Panchali

Ray was influenced by European cinema and always wanted to create a cinema the world acknowledges.
Ray’s perspective and belief made what was called a “dull and slow” story into life.

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The Cinematography Of Pather Panchali

Filtering and contrast of the frames took to French and Italian cinema.
Subrata Mitra–who never operated a camera before the film Pather Panchali–established such scenes that gave rise to theories, changing the course of filmmaking!

via business-standard

Did You Know?

Ray never directed a film and faced funding issues in the entire shooting of the film.
The crew was inexperienced, and that turned out to be in the process’s favour. There was no creative limitation!
It took three years for the film Pather Panchali to finally release on the big screen.