Abhijan (Masters Of Cinema)

Star Review

Diversity is a Satyajit Ray hallmark—think of Pather Panchali, Charulata and The Chess Players. Nevertheless Abhijan is a surprise, for several reasons. The central relationship is between a taxi-driver and his car, a battered old Chrysler. There is more action than reflection. Ray’s films generally have little plot, but Abhijan has a lot, some of it melodramatic, with a hero, a sidekick and a splendidly sleazy villain. There are even Bollywood touches, and the heroine is played by a famous Bombay star. At one point, there is a fight—the only fight in a Ray film.

No surprise then that Abhijan proved very popular in Bengal on first release in 1962—although it was not Ray’s “most successful” film there, as claimed on this DVD. (That was his long-running musical, The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha.) Outside India, Abhijan was never released. This superb version has been lovingly restored by the Film Archive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from a severely damaged original picture negative. Both image and soundtrack (including Ray’s own excellent music) are almost magically clear. An accompanying booklet includes Ray’s sketches for the film.

Andrew Robinson on 3rd May 2006

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Film Description

Narsingh is a disillusioned, frequently drunken, warrior caste Rajput reduced in status to an ill-educated taxi driver. Proud and hot-tempered, and with a passion for his 1930s Chrysler, Narsingh is offered work transporting tins of ghee for shady merchant Sukhanram, and finds himself drawn against his better judgement into trafficking opium. Having failed in everything honest, he has to decide whether or not he will engage in criminal activity to make money. Abhijan was Ray's most popular film in Bengal.

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DVD Extras

• New progressive transfer restored by AMPASA
• 20-minute video interview with Prof. Dilip Basu, head of Ray FASC
• New and improved optional English subtitles
• 36-page colour booklet with reprints, essays, sketches + more.

Film Details

Cast

Soumitra Chatterjee, Waheeda Rehman, Robi Ghosh

Technical Details