| Mahanagar | |
|---|---|
 A poster for Mahanagar | |
| Directed by | Satyajit Ray |
| Screenplay by | Satyajit Ray |
| Based on | Abataranika by Narendranath Mitra |
| Produced by | R.D. Banshal |
| Starring | Madhabi Mukherjee Anil Chatterjee Haradhan Bannerjee Jaya Bhaduri Vicky Redwood Sefalika Devi Haren Chatterjee |
| Music by | Satyajit Ray |
Production company | R.D. Banshal & Co. |
| Distributed by | Edward Harrison (US) |
Release date |
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Running time | 131 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Bengali |
Mahanagar (lit. 'The Mighty City') is a 1963 Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray. Starring Madhabi Mukherjee in the leading role[1] and based on the short story Abataranika by Narendranath Mitra, it tells the story of a housewife who disconcerts her traditionalist family by getting the job of a saleswoman. The film marked the first screen appearance of Jaya Bhaduri, one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses.
Shot in the first half of 1963 in Calcutta, this was also the first film directed by Ray set entirely in his native Calcutta, reflecting contemporary realities of the urban middle-class, where women going to work is no longer merely driven by ideas of emancipation but has become an economic reality. The film examines the effects of the confident working woman on patriarchial attitudes and social dynamics.[2][3] Besides The Apu Trilogy, the film, according to veteran film critic Philip French, is one of Ray's greatest films.[3]
- ^ Seton, Marie (2003). Portrait of a Director: Satyajit Ray. Delhi: Penguin Books India. p. 233. ISBN 9780143029724.
The two sisters, Anime and Monisha, and Gulabi, are a distinct contrast from the more traditional Indian women in Ray's earlier films. But in Mahanagar, Arati is not only the central character but a woman, as Chidananda Das Gupta observed, ...
- ^ Robinson, Andrew (2004). Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye: The Biography of a Master Film-Maker. New York: I.B. Tauris. p. 149. ISBN 9781860649653. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
She was like someone I had seen,' says Madhabi Mukherjee of her wonderfully expressive performance as Arati in Mahanagar, which Ray shot in the first half of 1963. This is his first examination of more or less contemporary Calcutta, ...
- ^ a b French, Philip (18 August 2013). "The Big City – review". The Observer. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 19 August 2013.