Mitra, Subrata (Cinematographer), Devi, 1960 | Photographic Still
CinematographerSubrata Mitra
Document TypePhotographic Still
Film TitleDevi (The Goddess), 1960, India, Bengali
Scene DescriptionDevi is part of Ray's Chabbi Biswas trilogy. Ray uses the decadent figure of the actor to represent the old feudal-patriarch, Kalikinkar Roy, a devout Hindu who clings to orthodoxy and refuses to confront contemporary reality. The zamindar Biswas portrays, is only a symbolic figurehead in the rapidly shifting paradigms of colonial Bengal where social and political revolution is fast afoot. Unable to reconfigure his role, Kalikinkar desperately grasps on to the vestiges of power, trying to control the divine energy of the Goddess, by containing it in the human-form of his younger daughter-in-law, Doyamoyee. His desperation almost degenerates into a psychosis. (2/30)
ProducerSatyajit RayDirectorSatyajit RayBannerSatyajit Ray Productions