The World of Apu (1959)
"Apur Sansar" (original title)

Apu is a jobless ex-student dreaming vaguely of a future as a writer. An old college friend talks him into a visit up-country to a village wedding. This changes his life, for when the ... See full summary »

Director:

Satyajit Ray

Writers:

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (original story "Aparajito"), Satyajit Ray (screenplay)

Stars:

Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Soumitra Chatterjee	...	Apurba Roy (as Soumitra Chattopadhyay)
Sharmila Tagore	...	Aparna
Alok Chakravarty	...	Kajal (as Shriman Alok Chakraborty)
Swapan Mukherjee	...	Pulu (as Swapan Mukhopadhyay)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tushar Bandyopadhyay
Gupi Banerjee	...	(as Gupi Bandyopadhyay)
Panchanan Bhattacharya
Shanti Bhattacherjee	...	Office Associate
Jiten Bhons
Abhijit Chatterjee	...	Aparna's Brother (as Abhijit Chattopadhyay)
Jogesh Chatterjee	...	(as Jogesh Chattopadhyay)
Asha Devi
Belarani Devi	...	Apu's Neighbor (as Belarani)
Sefalika Devi	...	Shashinarayan's wife
Biren Ghosh

Storyline

Apu is a jobless ex-student dreaming vaguely of a future as a writer. An old college friend talks him into a visit up-country to a village wedding. This changes his life, for when the bridegroom turns out to be mad, Apu's friend asks him to become the husband! After initial revulsion at the idea, Apu agrees. Apu takes his exquisite bride, Aparna, back to Calcutta. But Aparna dies in childbirth, Apu leaves Calcutta, crazy with grief, and his son Kajal is left abandoned with his wife's parents. Only after a long period of total indifference to worldly responsibilities, does Apu become capable of returning to the world.

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Plot Keywords:

grief | father son relationship | calcutta india | redemption | insanity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

India

Language:

Bengali

Release Date:

4 October 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The World of Apu

Filming Locations:

India

Box Office

Gross:

$16,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Satyajit Ray Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was completely dubbed into English in New Tork City at Titra Sound Studios.

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Connections

Follows Aparajito (1956)

User Reviews

A picture says a thousand words

This movie is Ray at his best. Its sublime. Its distilled to perfection. You need not hear the dialogs or read the subtitles to follow and appreciate it. The visuals and background score tell the store more eloquently. The movie has a soul which will get destroyed if you make even the slightest change to the story, acting, cinematography, music etc. Ray has brought out the best in his actors. They are not experienced actors though both of the leading pair later go on achieve mega success as movie stars. If you blink an eye, you will miss out on the emotions captured. For example, when Aparna is brought to her new home, there is moment in which she matures – from a girl to a woman – while gazing out of the torn curtain. There are several such brief moments. The dialog is minimalist but enchanting. The letter from Aparna to Apu captures love in all its glory – longing, desire, concern and trust. Its movie-making at its best.