The Hero

I have never seen an Indian movie quite like Nayak. Ray has forayed into parallel story telling, like Kurasawa's Rashomon and into dream logic like Bunuel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. I would personally rate it above Bergman's The Magician which also dealt with a similar theme of an actor's reality and people's acceptance of him as a super human and their reluctance of considering him as a human being. Between the two of them, Nayak is more easy to understand whereas The Magician puts its characters in various shades of good and evil throughout its running time.

No such dramatics here and this movie is as good as it gets. I would rate it as one of his best movies amongst Pather Panchali and Charulata. The dream sequences were very well produced and were relevant to the storyline on a sub-conscious level.

The subtitling on the Angel DVD wasn't very well done and the dialogues sometimes whizz by without us being able to read them in time. For people who are familiar with Indian languages, it may not be such a big deal since several of the Bengali words can be understood by them; however for non-Indian speakers this may come across as irritating.

On a personal note, I am sometimes glad that not many people know about Ray because then I am able of recommending him to people who are in the know of the movie industry.

A movie at par with Citizen Kane and Rashomon and IMO even better than them in some ways. Impeccable direction and superb acting. Makes you wonder why these two - the actor and director not get together more often in Satyajit Roy films. The angst was so real it seems the guy is not acting any more - just telling his story as it is. The dream sequencewas outstanding as was the ending. The characterisation had on occasion skirted around the burlesque with the older actor in his first interaction with the protagonist but that made the scene all the more poignant. The underlying philosophy is not too deep but something that one can deeply empathise with. The greatness of this movie is how perfectly the story is told. There is an aura of dramatic tension throughout, not between the characters but within the protagonist himself. I would sincerely recommend this movie to anyone who loves what cinema is all about.

Satyajit Ray's Nayak tells the story of a film star. Of course, in mainstream Indian cinema, leading men are known as heroes, and the interesting paradox about the star of this film (which is probably true of most film stars who enjoy great public adulation) is that beneath this fake façade of stardom, fans, and fame, lies a man with a truly wounded soul, someone who has seemingly accomplished everything in his career but has actually accomplished nothing of what he would have probably wished for, both a person and and as an artiste. A very interesting concept of course which is adapted onto the screen in a most authentic and engaging picture. The film might not be Ray's best film, but it's still Ray's film after all, so how can one even expect anything less than that.

Satyajit Ray is, needless to say (sometimes even embarrassing to have to say that), a master director, a master storyteller, and this film is no exception in the illustrious list of evidence to his talent. Nayak is meaningful, highly absorbing, and to me it's a visual treat. The camera work and lighting are spectacular for a black-and-white film, and the setting of most of the story within a train makes for a delightful watch not only visually but culturally. Culturally because the decorative elegance, the restaurant, the order, as well as the crowd of passengers, wouldn't normally be associated with Indian trains of that period and might raise several eyebrows among non-Indians. The moving train demonstrates breathtaking views as the script moves through its conversational episodes.

Nayak works as a story, as a film, but in many ways as a poem, full of hidden, thought-provoking messages, and as a psychology textbook full of interesting insights of the human soul. The film also provides the viewer with a glimpse into the world of filmmaking from the actors' standpoint. While the story of a film hero who is actually nothing of the sort in real life is actually not big news to anyone nor is it a terribly original idea for a film, Ray makes it into such a personal story that the lead character's being an actor becomes just a random plot element. Ray takes us into his troubled world and does so with extraordinary symbolism. Take the dream sequences just as an example of Ray's profound mastery.

Naturalistic acting is to be expected in Ray films. Uttam Kumar is excellent in this author-backed role. Very few films of that era, not only in India, allowed this much of character depth and complexity, in fear of confusing the moviegoing public, but Ray knew how to balance it well, and Kumar plays the mix of Arindam's stylish appearance and inner conflict exceedingly well. Sharmila Tagore is luminous as the young, morally upright and compassionate journalist who learns to see the person behind the star and the story behind the item. She is grace personified with her elegant demeanor and restrained delivery. These two make this film what it is, and their interactions give the film its intellectual weight. The conclusion of the story is more than optimistic thanks to Ray's keen, optimistic vision.

Though Uttamkumar is not the favorite of the class audience as opposed to Saumitra Chatterjee, the favorite of Satyajit Ray himself, this movie is one of the two occassions where Uttam and Satyajit came together and the outcome is a masterpiece. To me, this is the best creation of Ray. Satyajit rightly chose one and only Uttam as the 'Nayak'.Undoubtedly, Uttam,whose movies are intimately woven to every bengali's life even after 24 years of his death, is the alltime silver screen idol of all generations of Bengali film lovers. Though Uttam didn't get the much blessings of the classy directors compared to his arch rival Soumitra, this is one of the few occassions where Uttam got the chance to prove his acting skill and explioted to the fullest extent.

The story starts when there are two news regarding Arindam, played by uttam, published in the news papers - one is the fighting in a night club and the other that he has been nominated for a prestigeus award. In a train journey to delhi, he reveals himself to a lady reporter played by Sharmila. It was a self digging in a form of informal interview. The movie shows the public life and the personal life of a celebrity and all within the time span of a train journey and the flashbacks.

Finally, whoever likes good movie and haven't seen it already, its should be a must-see one.

'Nayak' starts with two news headlines about movie star Arindham (Uttam Kumar). One headline states that Arindham got involved in a brawl and the other states his nomination for a prestigious award. While travelling to Delhi by train (in order to receive the award) he comes across various people including a young simple but modern journalist Aditi (Sharmila Tagore) to whom he confides his inner thoughts. In the process, the actor further discovers himself and his fear. Aditi too is moved as her prejudice against the cocky pompous movie star changes while she discovers the man behind the name.

Ray cleverly tells Arindham's story about how he made it to stardom, his sacrifice of his art, loss of friends leading to isolation, fear of failure, seeking comfort in alcohol, his inner conflict...He weaves it all into a screenplay that takes place during a train trip from Calcutta to Delhi. A lot of it is shown in flashback mode. The dream sequences are another example of fine writing and execution. We're also given a brief view of the corrupt world of cinema, how art is long lost and how it's become all about money, fame and name...very relevant and applicable to today's Indian film industry.

Uttan Kumar, being the biggest star in Bengali Cinema perfectly fits the part. One wonders how much of the character resembles Kumar in real life. Though Ray is known to cast Soumitra Chatterjee (who happened to be Kumar's arch rival) in most of his films, he made the correct decision by casting Kumar for I cannot imagine anyone else play the part. Sharmila Tagore is wonderful. The actress has an amazing presence and with her grace, simplicity and sincerity, she shines. 'Loved her scenes with Uttam.

Like most of Ray's powerful work, 'Nayak' is a rather less known but remarkable film. One of my favorites!