Two: The Apu Trilogy

The Apu Trilogy is the series of 3 movies made by Satyajit ray during 1951 to 1959. It tells the story of Apurba, who grows up from being a small boy in the first to father of his own child in the third. These three movies made almost amateur-isihly have come to define Ray's cinema and more importantly Bengali & Indian cinema. They still remain the most admired and arguably the greatest work to come out of India. The character became so famous that the 'The Simpsons' character 'Apu Nahasapeemapetilon' is named as a tribute to Ray and his Apu.


When the first shot of movie was shot, Ray hadn't directed, Subrata Mitra, his cameraman hadn't photographed, child actors hadn't acted, one of the actresses hadn't acted in 15 years and the music was given by a certain Ravi Shankar who in those days had no name or fame. Yet or maybe because of it the movie was all too natural. When you watch the movie you become a part of it.

My first experience of Ray was with 'Gopi Gayan Bhaga Bayen'. After the death of Satyajit Ray on Doordarshan aired a lot of Ray's movies and I saw some of them then. Then in 1996 I was at Rolla, Missouri. One evening at the film school they were showing, 'Teen Konya', when I reached there the whole auditorium was full and the Dean stood up to introduce the movie. He raved about Ray's movies and it made me realise how famous he is outside India.

Martin Scorsese who has been heavily influenced by Ray had seen 'Pather Panchali' in mid 1950s on television and fell in love with it. Living in 50s America he couldn't believe that a culture so different from his could still hold such attraction for him. The movie transcends cultures as the basics of human values remain exactly the same. He kept seeing it again and again over the years, he had once said that when you see 'Pather Panchali' every 20 years it becomes better and better. I have a very similar feeling. The first time I had seen it I was struck by the sadness, maybe I was young and hadn't seen life enough to feel the beauty in it. This time around it blew me away.

These movies were made with utmost difficulties. Amateur actors, no fancy equipment, rustic location and have totally been shot on locations and no sets have been used. At one point Ray ran out of money and the shooting couldn't start for almost 2 years before West Bengal government stepped in to help him.

The movies are based on a novel by 'Bibutibhushan Bandopadhya'. Its inspiration was autobiographical 1920s India. Any coming of age 'Bildungsroman' novel needs to tread carefully as the essence of a person doesn't change and yet the change has to be evident. The good and bad instances which form us have to be subtle and yet stark enough to be relayed to the audience. The magic of Bibutibhushan and Satyajit Ray are seen both in the novels and the movies.

The first of the lot is Pather Panchali, 'The song of the little road'.

It starts with a young girl stealing mangos and fruits and sharing them with an old lady, to the horror of an ever struggling mother Sarbojaya (Played brilliantly by: Karuna Banerjee). You immediately feel a part of this little village and realise the small community's life is confined to trivial of their existence and not on the world outside. It is a close knit community where the fights and help are just an arm's length away. The relationship between Sarbojaya and Indir Thakrun is a complex one, Sarbojaya oppressed with poverty seems to be cruel towards the old woman.

(Indir Thakrun was played by Chunibala Devi, who was an old theatre actress and hadn't acted in 15 years. When Ray started to look for her, he found her living in a red light area. As he approached her she thought that Ray was there looking for a girl.)

On the other hand Harihar Ray, the father seems to be an idealist and optimist. As the time moves on a new member in the family is added, it's our protagonist, Apu. Apu and Durga's relationship flourishes, they become best of buddies. The life is set to move slowly, the stealing of the mango, the kids following the sweet vendor, the band at a wedding party and of course after the fight for trinkets the running and the eventual discovery of train.

(Here it is important to mention that the train scene was the first shot that Ray had shot and the only one when he showed it to the great John Hurst, he wrote back to America that he had just seen the work of the next great filmmaker.)

All along you are treated with the importance of education in the family, the struggle for money and of course the optimism of the father. Harihar has to leave the village in search of money and this is when the hardships turn into a burden for Sarbojaya. Each letter brings more unhappiness for her and then the true tragedy strikes.

My favourite scenes: Too many to mention

1. Durga hears the sweets vendor and asks Apu to ask for money from their father. As Apu is unsuccessful in procuring it they follow the vendor and a dog decides to follow them too.
   
2. The love and devotion that Indir has for the girl, especially when Sarbojaya beats her up.
   
3. The music depicting the agony of father when he realises his loss and the wailing after it.
   
4. The spider crawling out of the Durga's box with beads in it.
   

My favourite quotes:

1. Indir singing a song:
   

   "Those who came before are gone,
   

   I am left behind, a penniless beggar,
   

   Day draws to it close, night's mantle descends,
   

   Row me across to the other side."
   

2. Right at the end when the family is leaving,
   

   Sarbojaya: "I don't know what we would have done if you and your husband hadn't helped us."
   

   Nilmoni's wife: "If we had done more perhaps you would have stayed".
   

Disappointment:

1. The only one was that my two favourite characters will no longer be seen in the following parts of the trilogy.
   

Rating:

The Second of it is Aparajito, 'The unvanquished'

A lot of people consider this as the best of the three. However, it's a true growing up melodrama. It starts when the family has reached Kashi. Here you find Apu growing up at the banks of Ganga where his father is a priest and prescribes herbal medicines to the needy. From the dilapidated home and surreal surroundings of the village the town life seems to be doing well for the family. Apu has friends and Sarbojaya seems to be happier here. It lasts until the tragedy strikes again. Now left with a bitter choice of going back to a village with an old uncle, Sarbojaya decide to work in a rich family's home as a maid. Apu's life seems to have taken a little twist as now he is helping the family too with small odd-jobs. However, when Sarbojaya realises that she can lead that life but can't let her son into it she again returns to Bengal to the confine of a small village. Here Apu is being groomed to be a priest but his yearnings for school take him to the one nearby. He excels at studies. Then the adolescent Apu passes school and now wants to go to college in Calcutta. The dilemma of the mother is evident as Sarbojaya is not able to decide between the desires of his son and the fear of losing him when he goes away.

However, Apu persists and moves to Calcutta to his new college and his new life. This part ends as Apu finally is leaving the village life. The catharsis of life is gut-wrenching in it.

My favourite scenes:

1. Sarbojaya waiting to hear from the guest on how the tea is made.
   
2. Apu feeding monkeys at the temple.
   
3. Sarbojaya looking at Apu filling the hookah and taking a hard decision in that instant.
   
4. Apu sitting at the railway station.
   

My favourite quotes: (I am biased towards the few which I might have heard in my own childhood.)

1. Don't you have any money, Ma, don't you?
   
2. Do you like reading? And I don't mean textbooks.
   
3. We may live in remote corner of Bengal but that does not mean our outlook should be narrow.
   

Rating:

The Third of the lot is Apur Sansara, 'The world of Apu'

Having lost everyone around him Apu (played by 'Soumitra Chaterjee') is left with his only friend Pulu ('Swapna Mukherjee') with him. The protagonist has grown up and now we know that all that has proceeded in the last two movies will come into foray. What life holds for Apu now? Pulu is whisked away from the tormenting landlord by Pulu for his cousins wedding. At the wedding when the family finds out that the bridegroom is mad Apu is asked to be his substitute and marry the girl. Apu with money and no source reluctantly agrees, though he is not ready to be tied down he still accepts the fate. He marries a young shy girl from a rich family is uncertain about it. A 14 year old 'Sharmila Tagore', plays Aparna. Moving back to Calcutta the life slowly settles down and the love flourishes between them. Apu himself is amazed at his devotion for his wife and it shows in every aspect of his life. When Aparna passes away in child birth Apu's life is devastated too. He runs away to hide from himself and the world.

There is only one man who can save him and that is Pulu. Of course Apu needs to redeem himself and go back to claim his son. His son, 'Kajal', without is father is growing up to be a prankster and naughty boy.

My favourite scenes:

1. Apu & Pulu sitting in the cafe.
   
2. Newly married Aparna looking out of window through a torn curtain.
   
3. Of course the last scene.
   

My favourite quotes:

1. You must lend me a shirt and I must have a shave.
   
2. Apu: Aparna, Can you live with a poor husband? Aparna: Yes
   
3. Kajal: Who are you? Apu: Your friend
   

Rating:

The visual imagery of these movies is beyond comparison. Each shot keeps you engaged and makes you realise the beauty of the world we live in. Every time you watch them you realise that the beauty exists in small little things that are all around us. Subarta Mitra was facilitated in mid 90s for his work and he did not thank Ray or anyone else, he thanked his camera.

There was this Canon's advertisement hoarding in Gurgaon where a guy is sitting at almost an unreachable place on a mountain. My brother used to see it and always said 'What a great place he is sitting at.' I always replied, 'But you don't see how hard he must have worked to get there', He always retorted, "Why do have to say it every time?" Apu Trilogy and especially 'Pather Panchali' is like that. Satyajit Ray was a genius; he was not only a great filmmaker, great writer, great cameraman both with still and moving, great artist and a great musician and yet no one cares how hard Satyajit Ray and his team must have worked to make it, How many times he might have felt like quitting? How many times people may have discouraged him? How many time he must have felt hopeless. But finally, like most masterpieces of art he gave the world a movie which would remain in top 100 movies of all time for all time. Like the movie it tells us that great things only come out when they are not done for the money but only for love of it.

To end it: ""Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.": Akira Kurosawa.