A girl to woman transition (Samapti)

There's something about Satyajit Ray's Samapti that is bound to touch the chords of a woman's heart. The last movie in the Teen Konya series (Postmaster, the first, is a superlative endeavour to project a young girl's isolation; Monihara however, is the weak link) is a brilliant romance carrying with it the whiff of rural Bengal. But even amidst all the intricacies of the human relationships heavy on the love quotient, there lies a subtle take on how a young tomboy grows and matures into a complete woman who recognises the significance of love in her life. Call it a story of evolution of Minu's personal character or how the young couple dismiss their ego and initial misunderstandings to unite, Ray's 1961 film, based on a short story by Rabindranath Tagore, is a masterpiece that will draw all and sundry. If you haven't watched it yet, you really cannot fathom what you are missing...

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Back to nature (Aranyer Din Ratri)

Can city souls really be at peace in the vicinity of raw nature? I suppose, even though we are tired of the hum drum of chaotic city life, we somehow have grown so accustomed to the din that too many hours spent in the quietude could tire us out totally. A few weeks back, when my husband and I were spending time in the backwaters of Kumarakom, accompanied only by the lush surroundings and the buzz of insects, there slowly came a moment when both of us wanted to get back to civilisation. The restlessness ultimately forced us to truncate our backwater leisure and rush to the posh surroundings of Taj Kovalam where luxuries abound and most importantly, I got to watch television!!
Yes, we city-breds can be strange. Full of paradoxes and such great subjects of study in behavioural complexities. So tired of the city, yet so very fond of it altogether.

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A Freudian romance (Baksha Badal)

Trust the genius of Satyajit Ray to turn a tiny short story by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay into a two-hour rollicking romance without stretching it to monotony. The writer in him adds certain joyful elements and a unique twist of psychology to make the romance so delectable. The characters are fun, the events absolutely credible, the music just takes the plot forward and the climax of Baksha Badal  is as full of suspense as in a Hitchcock mystery. Yes, trust Satyajit Ray...

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