Charulata

[Charulata is] a gracious, dignified character study, set in India of the 1870s, embellished by this famous Indian director’s introspective, cinematic vision. Here, Ray tells the story of a successful publisher whose major interest is interpreting the Indian political scene, while his intelligent wife vegetates by doing embroidery. Eventually, he realizes his responsibilities to his wife, but not before she has been roused from her loneliness by the presence of a handsome cousin. The intricate characterizations and exemplary camerawork capture the Jamesian mood of the period, and since the script is based upon a novel by the famous Rabindranath Tagore, the subtle interplay of Hindu aestheticism and Victorian morality makes Charulata one of Ray’s most mature and challenging works.