(Meghe Dhaka Tara), Ritwik Ghatak / IND, 1960
original version / English subtitles, 134 min
In contrast to many Bollywood films, Ritwik Ghatak‘s films are formally elaborate and somber, and often address issues related to the Partition of India. Set in a refugee campin the outskirts of Calcutta, this is a story that deals with early post-independence India. This film is perhaps the most widely viewed film among Ghatak‘s works; it was his greatest commercial success at home, and coincided with the ‘new wave’ international film movement towards personal stories and innovative techniques.
