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Listen "Satyajit Ray's Calcutta Trilogy w/ Anisha Roy | Pratidwandi | Seemabaadha | Jana Aranya #063"
Episode Synopsis
In this very special episode, Dhruv and Amartya welcome another Filmstagrammer they have long admired - Anisha Roy, creator of the Instagram handle Maze of Mumblings - to discuss a specific, less talked about part of a filmmaker's filmography whose other work is otherwise consistently discussed.
Post-setting up the political context of 1970s Calcutta, all three speakers discuss Ray's "oblique" approaches to the burgeoning revolution in his three films that make up the "Calcutta" Trilogy. Taking up the perspectives of an unemployed youngster caught between tradition and revolution in Pratidwandi, an upper-class executive seeking to transgress personal and professional boundaries in Seemabaadha, and a "middle-man" literally caught between the upper and lower classes in Jana Aranya, Ray's films are not about the revolution or revolutionaries. They are about the ordinary people who witness but don't take action.
While this implies neorealism - a tag often associated with Ray - all three films move beyond the limitations imposed by that particular style. Drawing from the French New Wave and Soviet Montage, these films feature astonishing sections of formal ingenuity demonstrating Ray's malleability.
Listen to the full episode to hear more championing of his cinematic prowess in the "Calcutta Trilogy," our introductions to Ray, and the potential sequel to this episode promised by Amartya & Anisha!
NOTE: SPOILERS FOR ALL THREE FILMS IN THE "CALCUTTA" TRILOGY
Anisha's Essays:
1. The Woman's Mind: Satyajit Ray and his Feminist Storytelling - https://indigenousweb.com/blog/satyajit-ray-and-his-feminist-storytelling/
2. Goynar Baksho: Aparna Sen's Tale of Generational Empowerment of Women - https://www.womensweb.in/2021/08/goynar-baksho-aparna-sens-tale-of-generational-empowerment-of-women/
Anisha & Dhruv's Collaboration Post on Scorsese's "Holy Trifecta": https://www.instagram.com/mazeofmumblings/guide/faith-trilogy-of-scorsese/17965133281632304/
Time Codes:
[00:00 - 28:07] - Intro, 70s Context, Introductions to Ray
[28:08 - 1:03:55] - Pratidwandi
[1:03:56 - 01:27:20] - Seemabaadha
[01:27:21 - 01:51:29] - Jana Aranya
[01:51:30 - 01:56:41] - Obsessions with Ray, Outro
Follow our Instagram page: https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast
Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!
You can also follow us on Instagram:
Anisha - https://www.instagram.com/mazeofmumblings/
Amartya - https://www.instagram.com/amartya25/
Dhruv - https://www.instagram.com/terminalcinema/
Follow us on Letterboxd at:
Amartya - https://letterboxd.com/amartya/
Dhruv - https://letterboxd.com/aterminalcinema/
Post-setting up the political context of 1970s Calcutta, all three speakers discuss Ray's "oblique" approaches to the burgeoning revolution in his three films that make up the "Calcutta" Trilogy. Taking up the perspectives of an unemployed youngster caught between tradition and revolution in Pratidwandi, an upper-class executive seeking to transgress personal and professional boundaries in Seemabaadha, and a "middle-man" literally caught between the upper and lower classes in Jana Aranya, Ray's films are not about the revolution or revolutionaries. They are about the ordinary people who witness but don't take action.
While this implies neorealism - a tag often associated with Ray - all three films move beyond the limitations imposed by that particular style. Drawing from the French New Wave and Soviet Montage, these films feature astonishing sections of formal ingenuity demonstrating Ray's malleability.
Listen to the full episode to hear more championing of his cinematic prowess in the "Calcutta Trilogy," our introductions to Ray, and the potential sequel to this episode promised by Amartya & Anisha!
NOTE: SPOILERS FOR ALL THREE FILMS IN THE "CALCUTTA" TRILOGY
Anisha's Essays:
1. The Woman's Mind: Satyajit Ray and his Feminist Storytelling - https://indigenousweb.com/blog/satyajit-ray-and-his-feminist-storytelling/
2. Goynar Baksho: Aparna Sen's Tale of Generational Empowerment of Women - https://www.womensweb.in/2021/08/goynar-baksho-aparna-sens-tale-of-generational-empowerment-of-women/
Anisha & Dhruv's Collaboration Post on Scorsese's "Holy Trifecta": https://www.instagram.com/mazeofmumblings/guide/faith-trilogy-of-scorsese/17965133281632304/
Time Codes:
[00:00 - 28:07] - Intro, 70s Context, Introductions to Ray
[28:08 - 1:03:55] - Pratidwandi
[1:03:56 - 01:27:20] - Seemabaadha
[01:27:21 - 01:51:29] - Jana Aranya
[01:51:30 - 01:56:41] - Obsessions with Ray, Outro
Follow our Instagram page: https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast
Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!
You can also follow us on Instagram:
Anisha - https://www.instagram.com/mazeofmumblings/
Amartya - https://www.instagram.com/amartya25/
Dhruv - https://www.instagram.com/terminalcinema/
Follow us on Letterboxd at:
Amartya - https://letterboxd.com/amartya/
Dhruv - https://letterboxd.com/aterminalcinema/
In God we trust