The Big City, the great Satyajit Ray’s first portrayal of contemporary life in his native Kolkata, follows the personal triumphs and frustrations of Arati (Madhabi Mukherjee), who decides, despite the initial protests of her bank-clerk husband, to take a job to help support their family.
Discovering Satyajit Ray’s work felt like relearning a part of my own history. His characters feel like family, as they struggle to navigate South Asian society in all its complexity. From his storied filmography, The Big City is the film I always return to—a film remarkable for its commentary on capitalism and patriarchy. In the middle of this, we meet Arati, essayed by screen legend Madhabi Mukherjee. I would say Arati’s strength and vulnerability were my single largest inspiration for the performances in In Flames. She is both innocent and world-weary, and her rich interiority can be felt with the raising of an eyebrow.
’Eating our daily bread has made us cowards,’ Arati’s husband, Subrata, whispers to her as the film reaches its tumultuous conclusion. Ray’s ability to unflinchingly scrutinize society, while still offering hope, speaks to why he is remembered as one of the greatest directors of all time. The Big City asks you to put up your feet after an exhausting day, and to share a cup of tea with old friends, knowing that it is friendship and community that make our lives just a bit easier.
Zarrar Khan, Leading Lights Curator
Supported by
Anil Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Jaya Bhaduri
India
1963
In Bengali and English with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
R.D. Bansal
Screenwriter
Satyajit Ray
Cinematography
Subrata Mitra
Editor
Dulal Dutta
Production Design
Bansi Chandragupta
Original Music
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was a renowned Indian filmmaker, born in Kolkata in 1921. His acclaimed debut feature, Pather Panchali (1955), marked the beginning of the Apu Trilogy and earned him international recognition. Ray’s films, including Charulata (1964) and The Chess Players (1977), are noted for their humanistic approach and social commentary. His contributions to cinema were honoured with an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1992, the same year he passed away.
Filmography: Pather Panchali (1955); Aparajito (1956); The World of Apu (1959); Charulata (1964); The Chess Players (1977); The Stranger (1991)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
School of Rock
With not one, but two new Richard Linklater movies at VIFF this year (Nouvelle Vague and Blue Moon), we thought it would be fun to revisit a choice cut from his rich back catalogue: the best Black and White movie ever made, School of Rock.
Boyhood
A dozen years in the making, Richard Linklater's masterpiece chronicles the evolution of a boy into a young man, from six to 18. It is the ultimate coming-of-age movie, and one of the most audacious cinematic feats of the decade.
There Will Be Blood
Paul Thomas Anderson's lacerating epic about the birth of the oil age: Daniel Day-Lewis is extraordinary as the prospector entirely consumed with his own enterprise, a Trumpian figure of naked self-assertion; Paul Dano the evangelist who may be his nemesis.
Godland
In the late 19th century, a Danish Lutheran priest is dispatched to a far corner of Iceland where a devout farmer has seen fit to build a church. The physical journey is arduous. His spiritual journey, more taxing still.
The Balconettes
In this flamboyant black comedy set in Marseille during a heatwave, writer-director-star Noémie Merlant and her two besties have to cover up the unpleasant evidence of a disastrous night partying with the hunk across the way.