| The World of Apu | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Satyajit Ray |
| Produced by | Satyajit Ray |
| Written by | Satyajit Ray, from a story by Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee |
| Starring | Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty, Swapan Mukherjee |
| Cinematography | Subrata Mitra |
| Release date(s) | 1959 |
| Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Bengali |
Apur Sansar (Bengali: অপুর সংসার Opur Shôngshar, yr. The World of Apu), also known as The World of Apu, is a Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray. It is the third part of The Apu Trilogy, about the childhood and early adulthood of a young Bengali named Apu in the early twentieth century Indian subcontinent. The film is based on the last two-thirds of the 1932 Bengali novel, Aparajito, by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay.
Released in 1959, The World of Apu focuses on Apu's adult life, and also introduces the actors Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore, who would go on to appear in many subsequent Ray films. The film won the National Film Award for Best Film and several international awards, including the Sutherland Award for Best Original And Imaginative Film and National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The World of Apu has been influential across the world and is frequently listed among the greatest films of all time.[1]
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A large part of the story unfolds in Calcutta. Apu Roy (Soumitra Chatterjee) is an unemployed graduate living in a rented room in Calcutta. Despite his teacher's advice to go to University, he is unable to do so because he can't afford it. He tries to find a job, while barely getting by providing private tuition. His main passion is writing a novel, partially based on his own life, hoping to get it published some day. One day he meets his old friend Pulu, who coaxes him to join him on a trip to his village in Khulna to attend the marriage of a cousin named Aparna (Sharmila Tagore).
On the day of the marriage it turns out that the bridegroom has a serious mental disorder. The bride's mother cancels the marriage, despite the father's protests. He and the other villagers believe, according to prevalent Hindu tradition, that the young bride must be wedded off during the previously appointed auspicious hour, otherwise, she will have to remain unmarried all her life. Apu, after initially refusing when requested by a few villagers, ultimately decides to take Pulu's advice and come to the rescue of the bride by agreeing to marry her. He returns with Aparna to his apartment in Calcutta after the wedding. He takes up a clerical job, and a loving relationship begins to bloom between them. Yet the young couple's blissful days are cut short when Aparna dies while giving birth to their son, Kajal. Apu is overcome with grief and holds the child responsible for his wife's death.
He shuns his worldly responsibilities and becomes a recluse – travelling to different corners of India, while the child is left with his maternal grandparents. Meanwhile, Apu throws away his manuscript for the novel he had been writing over the years. A few years later, Pulu finds Kajal growing wild and uncared for. He then seeks out Apu, who is working at a mining quarry and advises Apu one last time to take up his fatherly responsibility. At last, Apu decides to come back to reality and reunite with his son. When he reaches his in-laws' place, Kajal, having seen him for the first time in his life, at first does not accept him as a father. Eventually he accepts Apu as a friend and they return to Calcutta together to start life afresh.
At Rotten Tomatoes, The World of Apu has a 100% fresh rating based on an aggregate of 16 reviews.[2] In 1992, Sight & Sound (the British Film Institute's film magazine) ranked The Apu Trilogy at #88 in its Critics' Poll list of all-time greatest films.[3] In 2002, a combined list of Sight & Sound critics' and directors' poll results ranked The World of Apu at #93 in the list.[4] In 1998, the Asian film magazine Cinemaya's critics' poll of all-time greatest films ranked The Apu Trilogy at #7 on the list.[5] In 1999, The Village Voice ranked The Apu Trilogy at #54 in its Top 250 "Best Films of the Century" list, based on a poll of critics.[6] The film was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 32nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[7]
In 1996, The World of Apu was included in Movieline Magazine's "100 Greatest Foreign Films".[8][9] In 2001, film critic Roger Ebert included The Apu Trilogy in his list of "100 Great Movies" of all time.[10] In 2002, The World of Apu featured in "The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made".[11] In 2005, The Apu Trilogy was included in Time magazine's All-Time 100 best movies list.[12]
The World of Apu has been influential across the world. In Gregory Nava's 1995 film My Family, the final scene is duplicated from the final scene of Apur Sansar. The film's influence can also be seen in famous works such as Martin Scorsese's 1976 New Hollywood film Taxi Driver, several Philip Kaufman films,[1] and Key's 2004 Japanese visual novel Clannad.[13] References to The World of Apu are also found in several films by European filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard,[14] and in Paul Auster's 2008 novel Man in the Dark where two characters have a discussion about the film.[15]
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