Being an ardent Satyajit Ray fan, any Indian film that I saw after his, never quite had the same impact on me. Needless to say when I began watching 'Meghe Dhaka Tara' (The Cloud Capped Star) I was not expecting much. The rhythm of the film, in the beginning (ironically like Ray's) is quite slow, then it increases in tempo, slowly captivating and engaging the viewer by its beautiful emotional appeal. It narrates the story of a beautiful, qualified and selfless young woman, Nita, as she attempts to hold together a family that is already 'broken'. Their financial crisis is a mere symbol for the problem that lies at the core. Each of them is attempting to transcend their own individual crisis in their own respective ways making them appear self-centered and unappreciative. It is not that they don't love her (notice the mother's apologetic plea to her daughter in one scene and her father's continuous acknowledgment of her suffering), they know their situation can't be helped. In the midst of this Nita relentlessly sacrifices her happiness to alleviate their suffering. She feels and realizes the ingratitude posed by her family, but does not protest, reiterating the fact that she knows how helpless their situation is. The continuous assault on Nita's body and mind is further enhanced by gripping musical numbers, including one score by the great poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
Tragedy is, in the Aristotelian sense, the fall of a great man due to the presence of one tragic flaw in his character (hamartia).In Nita's case, the flaw is not in her character per say, but in the situation midst of which she is placed. In that sense she is more akin to Ernest Hemmingway's Santiago from 'The Old Man and the Sea', displaying a tremendous 'grace under pressure'.
Unlike his contemporary Satyajit Ray, Ghatak remained largely unknown to international audiences.Battered by mental and emotional pain, he himself seems to embody the image of 'the cloud capped star'forever unknown (or at least shrouded) to the film world and future generations of viewers as the 2013 biographical film of the same name portrays. What a sad reality for the film industry indeed!
Tragedy is, in the Aristotelian sense, the fall of a great man due to the presence of one tragic flaw in his character (hamartia).In Nita's case, the flaw is not in her character per say, but in the situation midst of which she is placed. In that sense she is more akin to Ernest Hemmingway's Santiago from 'The Old Man and the Sea', displaying a tremendous 'grace under pressure'.
Unlike his contemporary Satyajit Ray, Ghatak remained largely unknown to international audiences.Battered by mental and emotional pain, he himself seems to embody the image of 'the cloud capped star'forever unknown (or at least shrouded) to the film world and future generations of viewers as the 2013 biographical film of the same name portrays. What a sad reality for the film industry indeed!