The Stranger (1991)

A well-off family is paid an unexpected, and rather unwanted, visit by a man claiming to be the woman's long-lost uncle. The initial suspicion with which they greet the man slowly dissolves... See full summary »

Director:

Satyajit Ray

Writers:

Satyajit Ray (screenplay), Satyajit Ray (story)

Stars:

Utpal Dutt, Dipankar Dey, Mamata Shankar

Top Rated Indian Movies #22 | 2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Utpal Dutt	...	Manomohan Mitra
Dipankar Dey	...	Sudhindra Bose
Mamata Shankar	...	Anila Bose
Bikram Bhattacharya	...	Satyaki Bose
Rabi Ghosh	...	Ranjan Rakshit
Dhritiman Chatterjee	...	Prithwish Sen Gupta (as Dhritiman Chattopadhyay)
Subrata Chatterjee	...	Chhanda Rakshit (as Subrata Chattopadhyay)
Promode Ganguly	...	Tridib Mukherjee
Ajit Banerjee	...	Sital Sarkar (as Ajit Bandyopadhyay)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sourav Banerjee

Storyline

A well-off family is paid an unexpected, and rather unwanted, visit by a man claiming to be the woman's long-lost uncle. The initial suspicion with which they greet the man slowly dissolves as he regales them with stories of his travels, tales that are at odds with their conventional middle-class perspective on the world.

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Plot Keywords:

rubik's cube | lawyer | letter | suspicion | identity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France India

Language:

Bengali English

Release Date:

26 August 1992 (France)

Also Known As:

A látogató

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Film Development Corporation, Canal+, DD Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Satyajit Ray's final film. He was so ill during the production of it that most of it was directed from an oxygen tent.

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Connections

Referenced in Maacher Jhol (2017)

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Soundtracks

Bajilo Kaharo Bina
Performed by: Sromona Guhathakurta
Lyrics by: Rabindranath Tagore

User Reviews

Sheeer example of Genius Ray

What civilization we have created in the name of being social animal? What is the real civilization –the tribal one or the one our progressive society has been carrying from the very day of urbanization? Although these are not the questions we often dwell ourselves into; but that's what great film makers like Satyajit Ray stroke at in subtle films like this one.

What happens if any stranger becomes a part of your regular life for whom you carry a suspension of disbelief? Some times we come to know that stranger in the most intimate moment of one's life. If one thinks too deeply, this film also questions the very human notion of knowing or unknowing which always remains limited and relative in every individual case. In the name of civilization and sophisticated comfort, sometimes we forget to be human in its true sense and this film by Ray is just showing the reflection image with mild and touchy story to nourish in your film watching experience.

An unexpected and rather unwanted stranger visits the upper middle class Bengali family claiming to be the woman's long lost uncle back to Kolkota after 35 years of his roaming the world. The initial suspicion with which they greet the man slowly dissolves as he starts telling them the stories of his travels; tales which are at odds to conventional middle class perspective of Bengali family. The suspicious husband arranged an intelligent trap to nab him. The story takes an interesting turn as it progress further.

Utpal Dutt is perfect casting choice of Ray for playing 'To be or not to be uncle' who represents suave, intelligent and rational free thinker. However Dutt looks too old compared to his early films; he carried the lead role with his magnetic personality and well presence of character. The film also has some staunch Bengali art house actors like Dhritiman Chattejee, Mamata Shankar, and Deepankar De.

Ray seems so relevant even today. Yes you were right sir; we are still 'Kupmonduk' but we strive not to be one. Highly Recommended for all those who loves to watch meaningful cinema.