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Jalsaghar (The Music Room), 1958 |
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Production: Satyajit Ray Productions |
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Screenplay and Direction:Satyajit Ray |
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Based on a short story by Tarashankar Banerjee |
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Music:Ustad Vilayat Khan |
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Photography: Subrata Mitra |
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Art Direction: Bansi Chandragupta |
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Editing: Dulal Dutta |
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Sound: Durgadas Mitra |
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Duration: 110 mins |
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Date of release in India:10th October, 1958. B&W |
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| The solitary and isolated zamindar contemplates reprisal against the rising merchant by organizing at home a grand musicial soiree. |
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| A nostalgic moment : the wife speaks with the zamindar who plays the essraj, a musical
instrument. |
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Cast: Chhabi Biswas (Biswambhar Roy), Padma Devi (Mahamaya, his wife), Pinaki Sengupta (Bireswar, his son), Gangapada Bose (Mahim Ganguly), Tulsi Lahiri (Taraprasanna, manager of Biswambhar’s estate), Kali Sarkar (Ananta, cook), Wahed Khan (Ustad Uzir Khan), Roshan Kumari (Krisna Bai). |
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| Awards |
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President’s Silver Medal, New Delhi, 1959 |
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Award for Best Music, Moscow Film Festival, 1959 |
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| The Story |
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The 'magnificent' days : The zamindar
in his feudal gown and silk turban |
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The action takes place in a palace in Bengal at the beginning of the 20th century. On his terrace, smoking a hookah, the zamindar has his memory stirred by the sound of some music from the coming of age ceremony of his neighbour’s son. He recalls his own son’s initiation and the recitals in his salon to which he invited the finest musicians, the most beautiful singers, the greatest dancers.
Now his wife and son are dead, and his status as an important landowner has declined. Goaded by his neighbour, an arrogant pretender who boasts of his taste for music, the zamindar opens his salon again and ruins himself with a final recital. He savours the music. He savours his victory and toasts his ancestors. At dawn, he departs on his horse and leaves this elegant world behind.
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| View Clips |
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| Contributed by DKB and AKD |
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