Two city views: Ray and Ghatak – Ruchir Joshi (Kolkata)
Made three years apart, Ray’s Mahanagar (The Big City, 1963) and Ritwik Ghatak’s Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud-Covered Star, 1960) both tell stories of women in professional life. The two films show intersecting but radically different views of Calcutta after independence and the division into India and Pakistan. Ghatak’s approach to cinema and Bengal sheds a different light on Ray’s artistic practice and worldview.
Ruchir Joshi is a filmmaker, columnist and writer based in Kolkata.
Film: MAHANAGAR (The Big City), India 1963, 128 min.
Film at 6 p.m.: MEGHE DHAKA TARA (The Cloud-Covered Star), India 1960, 127 min.