The movie is set in post-independence Calcutta, where a lower-middle class family undergoes a crucial transformation in the city. Ray made this movie in 1963 and for the first time we see a woman awakened to the sense of the self and a kinship beyond husband’s family. Subroto, Arati’s husband himself encourages her to take up a job to meet the ever-rising family expenses. Arati is confused at first but agrees to it as she feels that why should her husband alone bear the burden of providing for the family. She gets the job of a salesgirl and starts earning, but her father-in-law and mother-in-law do not approve of the housewife as a working woman. Things get complicated when Subroto isn’t sure any more of his decision of letting Arati work. He feels that Arati’s changing, she’s no longer the same person with the same priorities. Her new found independence bothers him and he decides to make her resign, but on the same day he himself loses his job at the Bank and Arati has to continue working. The boss Himangshu Mukherjee is impressed by Arati and even offers her a raise when he comes to know that her husband has lost his job. But as it turns out, when he fires the Anglo-Indian girl Edith for being absent a few days and even insults her, Arati feels bad for her colleague and argues with her Boss. Finally when Boss disagrees to apologize to Edith, Arati resigns of her own will knowing that it can cost her family dearly.
In the movie, breakage of cliché’s associated with women is shown. The idea of housewife so imbued in the social fabric is being modified and the she is free to explore the self in an independent manner. With the idea of working women, a paradigm shift in the family structure comes along. New roles for her emerge and the old ones associated with her assume newer meanings. Arati, the protagonist is shown to be impulsive but strong and having a sense of righteousness. She encounters new relations being a working woman. The circle of “who does she care for?” changes with the new role she undertakes. Her husband Subroto is a very “real” character. He likes the idea of liberating women and their being equal in all respects to men, but things turn out to be more complex than he’d imagined. He’s no longer confident and sure of his decision. Father-in-law is a very peculiar character. He’s been a teacher all his life and feels betrayed that his life has stagnated while several of his students went on to become rich and famous. He doesn’t approve of Arati working for the family though he admires her as housewife. He also has this strange hope of winning money by solving crosswords. Mother-in-law of Arati is very friendly ad helping but she also doesn’t approve of Arati as a working women. But her opinion changes as Arati bring money and happiness home. She’s also very dedicated to his teacher husband.
There is peculiarity about Ray’s characters, he never portrays them in absolute while or dark shades of behavior. There are shades of the two, with a natural element in them. For example the Boss, who has a strong sense of nativity of being a Bengali is a person cannot be classifies into white or dark. He didn’t seem negative at all. He has his own biases regarding Anglo-Indians and acts accordingly. On some accounts he even seems right and experienced.
The movie is cinematographically flawless except for the reconciliation of husband and wife at the end which seemed a bit abrupt and dramatic when they both decide to look for jobs hoping that the big city surely has opportunities enough to sustain them. Apart from that, I liked every bit of it. Particularly the acting of Anil Chatterjee as Subroto seemed very impressive and real. His confusions and uncertainties seem very justified. I look forward to watching Devi and Charulata soon.
