About

Satyajit Ray's debut film, Pather Panchali, takes place across a number of years within a poor household in rural Bengal. Based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's novel, it is a sensitive and poetic story, that explores poverty, class and gender roles with delicate humanism. The first in what would become known as 'The Apu Trilogy', Pather Panchali, introduces the young, inquisitive Apu while focussing on the three women who shape his life: his elder sister Durga, his frustrated mother Sarbajaya and his impish, elderly 'auntie' Indir.

Ray's characters have a sharp ring of authenticity and each of their relationships is given space on screen to breathe and develop as he affords them complex desires and motivations. The rhythm of daily life has a deliberate slowness and small events, such as a sweet seller passing by the house, fruit stolen from a nearby orchard or the promise of better employment, shapes the lives of the three women. Spread across three generations, they each face challenges unique to their stage in life. While the family ekes out a meagre existence, the forest they live within provides a deep richness to their lives which is characterised by glorious cinematography capturing images of Apu running through the dappled light and later an almost transcendent play of light across the resting body of Apu’s grandmother. The film won India's National Film Award for Best Film in 1955 and Cannes Film Festival awarded the film the Best Human Document in 1956.

PG | Mild themes