BUY TICKETS Saturday, 13 December – 5.00pm – The Australian Cinémathèque at GOMA
“Film masterpieces, like our heart’s desire, shouldn’t elude us forever; Charulata is an experience every movie lover should share.” – Chicago Tribune
Charulata is the remastered masterpiece from legendary Indian director Satyajit Ray.
Based on a novel by Rabindranath Tagore, it tells the story of a lonely, cultured housewife, Charu, who lives a secluded and idle life in 1870s Calcutta. She is neglected by her journalist husband Baptha, who prefers to pursue politics, and so invites his charming younger cousin Amal to keep Charu company and encourage her literary interests. Their lingering days spent talking of books and art soon ignites an amorous passion and Amal is compelled to make a decision.
This portrait of doomed marriage and blossoming romance may be 50 years old but feels exceptionally vivid and contemporary. Madhabi Mukherjee is exquisite as the caged bird emerging as a modern woman of upper-class colonial India. Screened at Cannes Classics in 2013, the crisp black and white of this superbly restored print is full of cinematic poetry.
