Cinema - Indian films

Indian cinema: Drama

Aparajito (1956)

Satyajit Ray

After the death of their daughter, Harihar and Sarbojaya leave their ancestral village in Bengal and move to the city of Banaras, to start a new life with their ten-year-old son Apu. Whilst Sarbojaya stays at home in the family’s squalid apartment, Harihar earns a meagre income by performing religious duties... [More...]

Apur Sansar (1959)

Satyajit Ray

Apu has completed his studies but, despite being a graduate, he is unable to find work. Living in a small rented room in Calcutta, he just manages to survive by pawning his books and giving private lessons. He hopes one day to be a great writer and so he occupies himself by writing a novel based on his life experiences... [More...]

Charulata (1964)

Satyajit Ray

Calcutta, 1879. Bhupati Dutta is the proprietor of a political newspaper which is struggling to attract a readership. Whilst he buries himself in his work, his wife Charulata languishes alone in their large house, with nothing to do except give orders to servants and read books. Noticing his wife’s boredom, Bhupati invites her elder brother Umapada and his wife Manda to live with them... [More...]

The Elephant God (1979)

Satyajit Ray

Feluda, one of Calcutta’s sharpest detectives, decides to take a holiday in Benaras, the old holy town on the banks of the River Ganges. He is accompanied by his cousin Topshe and his friend Lalmohan Ganguly, a renowned writer. Feluda has barely had time to unpack his suitcase when he is invited to the house of a wealthy Bengali family and entrusted with the recovery of a stolen idol of the Elephant God, Ganesha... [More...]

Gandhi (1982)

Richard Attenborough

After being subjected to racial intimidation in South Africa, Indian lawyer Mohandas Gandhi organises a non-violent campaign of opposition to the country’s discriminatory laws. When he succeeds in getting these laws repealed, he returns to his native India, and a hero’s welcome. Gandhi is persuaded to support the campaign for Indian independence, but he does so on the understanding that there will be no violence on the Indian side... [More...]

Kapurush (1965)

Satyajit Ray

Amitabha Roy is a young screenwriter who is making a tour of rural India in search of inspiration for his next film. When his car breaks down in a remote backwater, tea planter Bimal Gupta invites him to spend the night at his home. With nowhere else to stay, Amitabha has no choice but to accept the kind offer... [More...]

Mahanagar (1963)

Satyajit Ray

In 1950s Calcutta, Subrata Mazumdar is a bank employee who earns barely enough to support his family. As well as his wife Arati and his young son, Subrata must provide for his sister-in-law and his two elderly parents, who live with him in his cramped city apartment. With little encouragement from her husband, Arati applies for a position as a door-to-door sales girl and, to her surprise, gets the job... [More...]

Nayak (1966)

Satyajit Ray

Arindam Mukherjee, a major star of Bengali cinema, is invited to Delhi to receive a prestigious award for his work. As it is too late to book a flight, he must take the train from Calcutta. Arindam is not keen to make the journey but knows he must attend the awards ceremony for appearances’ sake... [More...]

Pather Panchali (1955)

Satyajit Ray

A poor Bengal village in the 1920s. Like many of his people, Harihar Ray struggles to earn enough money to keep his family from starvation. An educated man, he has dreams of becoming a writer, but with a family to support he must put these ambitions on hold. He works as a bookkeeper for a local landlord, but his earnings are meagre and often overdue... [More...]

Pratidwandi (1971)

Satyajit Ray

Siddhartha is a 25-year-old graduate whose inability to find a job is slowly alienating him from the world around him. Since he abandoned his training at medical school, he has drifted along, not knowing what he wants from life. Siddhartha now lives in a crowded Calcutta apartment with his mother and two younger siblings... [More...]

The River (1951)

Jean Renoir

On the banks of a great river in India, an English family enjoys an idyllic existence. Father is the owner of a jute mill which employs hundreds of local people. Mother is content with bringing up her adorable children, the eldest being her teenage daughters Harriet and Valerie. Their neighbour is Mr John, an Irishman who married an Indian woman and who has a daughter, Melanie... [More...]

A-Z