Today I watched the Satyajit Ray classic ‘Pather Panchali’ (Song of the Little Road) for the very first time. It is based on Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s novel of the same name. Now I know what all the hype is all about. I was on purpose postponing viewing this famed movie, perhaps building up expectations and for sure I can confess: I wasn’t disappointed. It is undoubtedly one of the best films ever made, a brilliant almost lyrical exposition of a rather poor family in a village, in the hinterlands of Bengal . Here was a film, back when it was made, with no melodrama, no violence, no romance or song and dance sequences, simple and plain. An uncomplicated, unadulterated straight-forward story, told from the depths of the heart, yet very potent and full of analogies and with a focus on the human condition of poverty. The screenplay is beautiful and evokes a sense of warmth within – for example, at times, you almost feel you want to hug Apu! The little Durga and later the grow...
In my mind is a strange attractor!