Devi
About Devi
In rural Bengal, widowed zamindar Kalikinkar Roy (Chhabi Biswas) dreams that the eyes of the goddess Kali are the eyes of his daughter-in-law Doyamoyee (Sharmila Tagore). He worships her. A beggar's grandson drinks the water from her feet and recovers, which the household takes as proof. Her husband Umaprasad (Soumitra Chatterjee) comes back from Calcutta and tries to take her away. She turns back, unsure whether she is divine. When the child Khoka is brought to her instead of to a doctor, the boy dies. Umaprasad blames his father. Doyamoyee, dressed as a bride, runs into the mist.
Cast & crew
More about Devi
Satyajit Ray directed and produced the film from a short story by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay. Subrata Mitra photographed it, Dulal Dutta edited it, Ali Akbar Khan wrote the music, and Bansi Chandragupta was art director. Released 19 February 1960.
Themes
Background
A 1960 Bengali film set in a 19th-century zamindar house, released the year after Ray's Apur Sansar.
Making
Ray shot the story in a single household: the dream, the priest's ritual, and the room where Doyamoyee is made to sit as an idol.
Reviews
William Wyler and Elia Kazan described Devi as "poetry on celluloid." Francis Ford Coppola has called it Ray's best film and "a cinematic milestone."
Look
Subrata Mitra photographed the zamindar house, the dream of Kali's eyes, and the mist Doyamoyee runs into.
Music
Ali Akbar Khan composed the music.
Preservation
The Academy Film Archive preserved Devi in 1996. A 4K restoration was issued by the Criterion Collection on 26 October 2021.
Notes
- Karuna Banerjee plays Harasundari, who doubts the worship. Purnendu Mukherjee plays Taraprasad, and Arpan Chowdhury plays Khoka.
- It won the President's silver medal for Best Feature Film in Bengali at the 1960 National Film Awards.
- It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1962.
- The Academy Film Archive preserved it in 1996. Criterion released a 4K restoration on 26 October 2021.
- William Wyler and Elia Kazan called the film "poetry on celluloid." Francis Ford Coppola has called it Ray's best work.
Awards
- President's silver medal for Best Feature Film in Bengali, National Film Awards (1960)
Scenes
- Kalikinkar wakes convinced that Doyamoyee's eyes are Kali's.
- Khoka dies in her lap after the household refuses an ordinary doctor.
- She runs into the mist in her wedding clothes.
Influenced by
- Short story by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons
- Criterion Collection 4K restoration (26 October 2021)
