Ray, Satyajit (Director), Ka Purush Maha Purush, 1965 | Photographic Still

Scene Description Ray made a double bill under the title Kapurush O Mahapurush. Two quite distinct films in their assessment of human nature, Kapurush is set in the tea estates of North Bengal. Succinctly put by one of the characters in the film, the drama follows the formula: boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl. And there is no happy ending because girl refuses when the boy tries to get her back. More than plot, greater importance is given to the notion of human nature. There are only three characters of importance- Karuna Gupta with her consummate restraint, overriding strength and charm, her husband Bimal Gupta who is a boorish snob but sometimes endearing and Amitabha Roy - the kapurush - or coward, significant for his abject lack of character. Amitabha says very little. His reticence stems from the fact that his hostess was his lover and the woman he could have married, if he hadn't been a coward once. (1/17)