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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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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