Charulata review

Often rated India auteur Satyajit Ray’s finest film, and his own personal favourite, this 1964 adap of a novella by Rabindranath Tagore is set in a stuffily respectable 1880s Calcutta household. Preoccupied editor Bhupati (Shailen Mukherjee) has no idea how bored his lovely wife Charu is – but when his lively young cousin Amal arrives for a visit, suppressed emotions start to churn.

As Charu, Madhabi Mukherjee gives a performance of subtlety and humour, perfectly matched by Soumitra Chatterjee as Amal. So little’s openly stated, so much implied – as in Ray’s own wistfully romantic score.