Mahanagar (1963)

 ●  Bengali ● 2 hrs 11 mins

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This film chronicles the shift from feudal social arrangements to Independent capitalism and urban mass culture. Middle-class clerk Subrata Majumdar (A Chatterjee) persuades his wife Arati (Mukherjee) to take a job as a saleswoman. The large joint family, including his sister (played by Bhaduri in her debut) is horrified at the thought of a working woman in their midst. For Arati, going door-to-door selling knitting machines opens up a new world which includes an Anglo-Indian friend, Edith (Redwood), and her employer Mukherjee (Bannerjee). Earning money changes Arati's status in the family, causing further problems, especially when her husband loses his job. When Edith is unjustly sacked for racial reasons, Arati resigns in protest and throws the family into crisis. Different characters stand in for the conflicting ideologies: the father-in-law expects feudal loyalty from his former students; the entrepreneur Mukherjee espouses ruthless business ethics and the salesgirl Edith exemplifies the orthodox bias against working women as ‘Westernised’ and with loose morals. The film ends with an almost socialist-realist idiom, as the couple stride with determination into the teeming proletariat on the street.

Cast: Anil Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee

Crew: Satyajit Ray (Director), Subrata Mitra (Director of Photography), Satyajit Ray (Music Director)

Rating: A (India)

Genres: Drama

Release Dates: 27 Sep 1963 (India)

Bengali Name: মহানগর

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as Subrata Mazumdar
as Arati Mazumder
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor
as Himangshu Mukherjee
as Priyogopal
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actress
as Pintu
Supporting Actor
as Sarojini
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actress
as Edith

Direction

Director

Production

Producer
Production Company
Production Manager

Writers

Story Writer
Screenplay Writer

Camera and Electrical

Director of Photography

Music

Music Director

Art

Art Director
Production Designer

Editorial

Editor
Assistant Editor
Film Type:
Feature
Language:
Bengali
Colour Info:
Color
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.39:1 (Scope)
Stereoscopy:
No