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IMDbPro

The Big City

Original title: Mahanagar
  • 19631963
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 2m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
Madhavi Mukherjee in The Big City (1963)
Drama
Life at home changes when a house-wife from a middle-class, conservative family in Calcutta gets a job as a saleswoman.Life at home changes when a house-wife from a middle-class, conservative family in Calcutta gets a job as a saleswoman.Life at home changes when a house-wife from a middle-class, conservative family in Calcutta gets a job as a saleswoman.
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
    • Satyajit Ray
    • Narendranath Mitra(short story: Abataranika)
    • Satyajit Ray(scenario)
  • Stars
    • Anil Chatterjee
    • Madhavi Mukherjee
    • Jaya Bachchan
    • Satyajit Ray
    • Narendranath Mitra(short story: Abataranika)
    • Satyajit Ray(scenario)
  • Stars
    • Anil Chatterjee
    • Madhavi Mukherjee
    • Jaya Bachchan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 35User reviews
    • 70Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Photos68

    The Big City (1963)
    The Big City (1963)
    The Big City (1963)
    Anil Chatterjee and Madhavi Mukherjee in The Big City (1963)
    Anil Chatterjee and Madhavi Mukherjee in The Big City (1963)
    Anil Chatterjee and Madhavi Mukherjee in The Big City (1963)
    Madhavi Mukherjee in The Big City (1963)
    Haradhan Bannerjee in The Big City (1963)
    Haradhan Bannerjee in The Big City (1963)
    Madhavi Mukherjee and Vicky Redwood in The Big City (1963)
    Anil Chatterjee in The Big City (1963)
    Madhavi Mukherjee in The Big City (1963)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Anil Chatterjee
    Anil Chatterjee
    • Subrata Mazumdar
    Madhavi Mukherjee
    Madhavi Mukherjee
    • Arati Mazumder
    • (as Madhabi Mukherjee)
    Jaya Bachchan
    Jaya Bachchan
    • Bani
    • (as Jaya Bhaduri)
    Haren Chatterjee
    Haren Chatterjee
    • Priyogopal (Subrata's father)
    Sefalika Devi
    Sefalika Devi
    • Sarojini (Subrata's Mother)
    • (as Shephalika Devi)
    Prasenjit Sarkar
    Prasenjit Sarkar
    • Pintu
    Haradhan Bannerjee
    Haradhan Bannerjee
    • Himangshu Mukherjee
    • (as Haradhan Banerjee)
    Vicky Redwood
    Vicky Redwood
    • Edith Simmons
    Bibhuti Banerjee
      Manisha Chakraborty
      Tapan Chatterjee
      Tapan Chatterjee
        Arun Chowdhury
        Pritish Dey
        Shailen Ganguli
        Shyamal Ghoshal
        Shyamal Ghoshal
        Anuradha Guha
        Jyoti Kripalani
        Samir Lahiri
          • Satyajit Ray
          • Narendranath Mitra(short story: Abataranika)
          • Satyajit Ray(scenario)
        • All cast & crew
        • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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        Storyline

        Edit

        Did you know

        Edit
        • Trivia
          Fifteen-year old Jaya Bhaduri's (later known as Jaya Bachchan) film debut and her only film with Satyajit Ray.
        • Goofs
          When Priyogopal (Subrata's father) goes to visit his student Anupam Roychowdhury to ask for money he is shown having a conversation with Anupam in his office. When he is explaining his circumstance the camera shows him only sitting on a chair with his walking stick. In the very next scene when all the three characters are shown (third one being Anupam's wife ) the top of his walking stick has changed direction. The round bit on top was towards the right before and is turned to the left in the very next scene.
        • Quotes

          Arati: You wouldn't recognize me on the job.

          Subrata Mazumdar: What about at home? Would I recognize you at home?

          Arati: You don't recognize me? Tell me honestly.

          [Subrata shakes his head no]

          Arati: Why not?

          Subrata Mazumdar: It all feels a bit unfamiliar. It feels a bit...

          Arati: What about this?

          [points at her cheek]

          Arati: You don't recognize my mole? I'm still the same housewife.

        • Connections
          Referenced in Creative Artists of India: Satyajit Ray (1964)

        User reviews35

        Review
        Review
        Featured review
        9/10
        Thoughtful Filmmaking From One of India's Masters
        How does Satyajit Ray manage to evoke such a set of complex emotions with such simplicity? Madhabi Mukherjee delivers a amazingly nuanced, sensitive performance in this tale of personal empowerment. In an odd way, the story of personal triumph reminds me a bit of American films in the 1930s, when the hero struggled against odds and won; this time its 1960's India, at a time when women began to assert themselves simply because men failed to move with the times. I can just imagine a modern Hollywood remake of this film, with sex situations aplenty, lots of screaming and perhaps a stabbing or two! This worthy film about a struggling family attempting to maintain tradition in the face of modernity is subtle, and if you stick with it, involving. That said, this two different DVD versions I could find were hard to stick with, -the subtitles often did not match the picture, were often poorly translated, and the print itself, like so many Satyajit Ray films available in the U.S., looks like an old television print, grainy and too often dark, missing the subtle shades that typify his work. Whoever is in charge of this important film legacy needs to get on the stick and provide the clarity Ray deserves. Invest in the future of this important world filmmaker!
        helpful•8
        0
        • museumofdave
        • Mar 2, 2013

        Details

        Edit
        • Release date
          • September 27, 1963 (India)
          • India
          • Satyajit Ray (India)
          • Bengali
          • English
        • Also known as
        • Filming locations
          • RN Mukherjee Rd, Calcutta, West Bengal, India
        • Production company
          • R.D.Banshal & Co.
        • See more company credits at IMDbPro

        Technical specs

        Edit
        • 2 hours 2 minutes
          • Black and White
          • Mono

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