Pather Panchali: A Sneak Peek into The Reality of a Rural Bengali Family

Ray’s films have always reflected the stories of reality and films like “Pather Panchali” is no less than a masterpiece as it was his debut as a film director.

The art of film making did not just happen over the night but rather has been evolving ever since with the help of different techniques and art forms. What we see today is no wonder quite contemporary but the films in the past that are made by notable filmmakers like Satyajit Ray are still no less than a treasure for the film industry. From that poetic essence to naturalism his films have got everything in them. Ray’s films have always reflected the stories of reality and films like “Pather Panchali” is no less than a masterpiece as it was his debut as a film director.

Pather Panchali and its reflection on reality

The film “Pather Panchali” depicts one family’s struggle for survival in the ancient Bengali village of Nischindipur as seen through Ray’s observations on nature, life, and death in other words the harsh reality of life. As a wandering Hindu priest, the father, the upbeat Harihar (Kanu Banerjee), leaves his weary wife, Sarbajaya (Karuna Banerjee), in charge of taking care of the family and running the home. A new brother soon joins their energetic and inquisitive daughter Durga (Uma Das Gupta). Poverty made Sarbajaya question her husband “How will he survive ?” and she even further questions “Was he born to survive?” after the birth of their son Apu.

Dreams caught up in a cage

The most beautiful and heartwarming relationship unfolds between Apu and his sister Durga, the warmth, the bond, and moreover, a sister’s love towards her younger brother is so heartwarming. Every character in Pather Panchali yearns for a better life, but not everyone gets to experience it. Despite the difficulties that Ray portrays in the lovely village, the rural way of life, and the household in poverty, these characters are defined by their dreams and their perseverance, often in devastating ways.

Death is a part of life, and that is reality

As the film moves forward the family mourns over the loss of Durga, as she succumbed to illness on a stormy night. After watching Durga perform from a distance, Apu appears to gain a worthwhile but difficult lesson but at the same time with a touch of irony, having promised his wife to get a better life and work Harihar founds a secured job in the city of Benares. Apu brings the lessons learned from the drama with him into a fresh start, having basically watched it passively for the majority of the time. The ending of this film marks the start of one of Ray’s ever-green works “Apus Trilogy”

Ray’s commendable direction in Pather Panchali

Even though it is to be noted that the primary characters remain the same as in the book itself but Ray’s elaboration and direction are quite commendable at the same time, Starting from the angles to natural scenes everything gave the film a stage. Pather Panchali has gone head to be nominated for over 20 awards and won 18 awards, which include a BAFTA and an Oscar. If you have not seen the masterpiece yet go and watch. Its available on ‘Amazon Prime’ You can say thank to us later.