100 Years of Satyajit Ray: Revisiting Mahanagar, and its ahead-of-the-time take on gender ego and insecurity

Late filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s cinematic creations as well as the visions he put in them remain relevant even today. One of his most celebrated films, Mahanagar is a very remarkable creation that showcases the various insecurities that are often attached to gender roles. The film manages to portray this through a simple yet incredible storyline, which comes with certain conflicts of interest, but does so, without shining any bad light on any character. Celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray on May 2, 2021, here’s to revisiting one of his brilliant creations Mahanagar.

Watch the film Satyajit Ray film Mahanagar here:

Ray’s brilliance and a talented star-cast

Directed by Satyajit Ray, the film Mahanagar is based on a short story named ‘Abataranika’ which was written by Narendranath Mitra. Mahanagar stars actors Madhabi Mukherjee as Arati Mazumdar and Anil Chatterjee as Subrata Mazumdar, in lead roles. Ray’s Mahanagar also marked the debut film appearance of a then 15-year-old Jaya Bachchan who essayed the role of Bani. Also starring in other key roles are actors Haradhan Bannerjee, Vicky Redwood, Sefalika Devi, and Haren Chatterjee.

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Subrata Mazumdar – a supportive yet conflicted man of his time

Mahanagar essentially brings to light the various insecure emotions that have been a part and parcel of gender roles in our society. Essayed by Anil Chatterjee, the character of Subrata Mazumdar appears to be a loving and supportive husband. He helps his wife, Arati Mazumdar (Madhabi Mukherjee), secure a salesgirl’s job when their family is in dire need of more income to support each member present.

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Gender insecurities that lead to conflicts

However, his supportiveness eventually undergoes certain changes, which Ray has brought to life in the film very subtly. While Arati is beyond happy to be able to support her family with her income, her husband’s feelings matter a lot to her too. Subrata’s growing insecurities of his wife’s earnings lead him to ask her to quit her job, which she unopposedly agrees to, despite thoroughly liking being a working woman.

Ray portrays all of these conflicts through the simplest of interactions and situations, which give enough weightage to the feelings of every individual character in Mahanagar.

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Arati Mazumdar – a giving housewife and an excellent salesgirl

Madhabi Mukherjee does a phenomenal job at playing Arati Mazumdar, who is a caring housewife and a hard worker at her sales job too. Arati is never reluctant to jump to her family needs, whether it is the work at home or going out to make an earning. Her selfless characteristics make her an understanding wife, mother, and daughter-in-law while her family members struggle to cope with the idea of her going to work.

Shot entirely in native Calcutta back, this 1963 film by Satyajit Ray highlighted the societal issues of gender ego and insecurity, way ahead of its time, making it a relevant and insightful watch even today!