FREE ON YOUTUBE Satyajit Ray - The Home And The World

The very first thing we learn in Satyajit Ray's The Home And The World is that Bimala has traded her parents' house for her husband's house. Noticeably, in the interiors of his palace, because Nikhil, the Maharajah, is the only man Bimala has ever seen. Bimala lives in Purdah. She is satisfied with this life. She never has the desire to follow the long corridor, past the outer houses of the palace into the sunlight. But Nikhil has other plans. He is a modern Indian, educated in London. Although his wife loves him, he believes that this love has no value, since she only knows him - Nikhil! At his request, she is taught by an English governess to finally follow the corridor out into the open. Bimala is to meet Nikhil's friend Sandip, the great nationalist leader. Sandip leads the boycott of imported goods and is against the British division of Bengal. Sandip is also an impostor who borrows money from Nikhil and soon also the affection of Bimala. Sandip acts like a storm on Bimala - the exact opposite of her prudent husband. Everyone, including Nikhal, feels; the two are in love. But he does nothing, observes everything through his quiet reason. Sandip's revolution he basically distracts and yet he lets him live in the palace. He also understands that the boycott of foreign goods is primarily intended to drive a wedge between Hindus and Muslims. He lets all this happen... But the actual story takes place deep inside Bimala. Between heart and mind. Over a period of five years it outgrows the fetters of the Purdah. Her most formative time takes place in seclusion. She is fascinated by Sandip and even steals money from her husband's safe (who in turn only watches). For me, Nikhil's distance is the greatest fascination of the film! The Home And The World is based on the novel of the same name by Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore. Ray turns it into a slow film, whose tension results from the change of Bimala's character. In total seclusion, she develops the ability to act ruthlessly and courageously. She is played by the beautiful Swatilekha Chatterjee with a fiery look and full lips. Soumitra Chatterjee, whom we know from numerous works of Ray, gives the revolutionary. Finally, Victor Banerjee embodies the turned husband. Within these three persons, everything takes place that would once change India as a nation.