We collected Nibhanoni’s address and turned up at her house on a Sunday morning.Ĭhunibala did not disappoint us… She fitted the description perfectly. She had worked in two silent films and, before that, had been in the theatre during the time of such actresses as Tarasundari and Nagendrabala. Chunibala was said to be Nibhanoni Devi’s mother. It was Reba Devi (who played Shejo Thakrun in Pather Panchali) who told us about Chunibala. Courtesy Government of West Bengal/Criterion Collection. Could Indir’s memory be trusted? Chunibala Devi in Pather Panchali (1955). Besides, age could often affect one’s mental prowess. The biggest worry was whether an old lady well into her seventies would be able to withstand the exertions of outdoor shooting. It was not as if we had not tried to look for an old woman who fitted the description¸ but her appearance was not the only thing we had to worry about. ‘She was an old woman of seventy-five, her cheeks were sunken, her back was slightly bent and her body leant forward things in the distance were not exactly visible to her’ – it was not easy to find an actress to fit the description given by Bhibuti Bhushan, especially when our advertisement in the press had announced time and again: ‘no make-up is going to be used in this film’. The only major character left was Indir Thakrun. I had also decided who I’d use for Prasanna, Shejo Thakraun and Nilmoni’s wife. Cast had been finalized for the roles of Apu, Durga, Harihar and Sarbajaya. The film ( Pather Panchali) was already underway. I can never forget the state of my mind on the day I first went to see Chunibala Devi in her house in Paikpara. The essay was translated by Gopa Majumdar for the anthology Speaking of Films in 2005. Ray recounted his experiences with Chunibala Devi in a Bengali essay titled Orofe Indir Thakrun in 1955. However, Ray had arranged a screening for her at her home. She broke her hip and died shortly before the theatrical release. The day she didn’t have it, she nearly fainted.”Ĭhunibala Devi won an award for Best Actress at the Manila Film Festival, but didn’t live to see Pather Panchali ’s remarkable journey. In My Years with Apu, Ray’s memoir about the making of the Apu Trilogy – comprising Pather Pachali, Aparajito and Apur Sansar – he wrote, “The most outstanding performance was of course Chunibala’s… She felt already at home in the part and never gave us trouble, as long as she had her dollop of opium with her afternoon tea. Sarbajaya, weighted down by poverty, is often rude to Indir, causing her to temporarily seek shelter with another relative in the village.īent, toothless and playful, Indir is the movie’s scene-stealer. Harihar’s elderly cousin Indir Thakrun also lives with the family and is particularly close to Durga. Pather Panchali revolves around the hardscrabble lives of Harihar, his wife Sarbajaya and their children Durga and Apu. Sixty-six years later, the spell cast by the chronicle of a family in rural Bengal is intact. Ray’s adaptation of a portion of Bhibhuti Bhushan Bandyopadhyay’s novel of the same name was released in 1955. Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali is among the most assured filmmaking debuts in the annals of cinema. Watch: Imitation artist Chandni mimics Alia Bhatt’s dialogue with ‘Darlings’ actor Vijay Varma.Was the British empire a benign, progressive force? My family story proves otherwise.Caught on camera: Russian missile hits Kyiv street while young woman shoots a video of herself.Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022: India’s squad, fixtures, format, venues and more.Why vegetarians in Brazil are more likely to be depressed than meat-eaters.Are you a ‘digital hoarder’? Here’s how you can tell and what you can do about it.The big news: Former Uttar Pradesh CM Mulayam Singh Yadav dies at 82, and nine other top stories.P Sainath’s second book, ‘The Last Heroes’, will be published 25 years after his iconic first book.The legend of Indian khansama has become a hodgepodge of fact and fiction.Watch: Ranveer Singh teaches American basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal ‘Khalibali’ dance moves.‘Ponniyin Selvan: I’ and beyond: When jewellery plays a starring role in the movies. ![]() From ‘pappu’ to popular: Can the Bharat Jodo Yatra remake Rahul Gandhi’s image?.
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