Recent from talks
Jalsaghar
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Jalsaghar
Jalsaghar (Bengali: জলসাঘর Jalsāghar, lit. 'The Music Room') is a 1958 Indian Bengali drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray, based on a popular short story by Bengali writer Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, and starring Chhabi Biswas. The fourth of Ray's feature films, it was filmed at Nimtita Raajbari in Nimtita, Murshidabad district.
Despite an initially poor critical reception in India, the film went on to win the Presidential Award for Best Film in New Delhi, and it played a significant role in establishing Ray's international reputation as a director. It has since gained near-universal critical acclaim, and has come to be regarded by the cinema community as one of the greatest films of all time.
In the early twentieth century, Biswambhar Roy is a Bengali zamindar (landlord) in decline who lives in a palace that is empty except for a servant and his steward. The music from the coming of age ceremony for the son of Biswambhar's nouveau-riche businessman neighbor, Mahim Ganguly, makes Biswambhar think back to when his only son, Khoka, went through the same ceremony. As he preferred to arrange lavish public concerts in his music room, instead of tending to his flood-damaged lands and keeping up with the changing times, Biswambhar's coffers were empty, so, to keep up appearances, he had to sell some of his (and his wife Mahamaya's) jewels to pay for the party, which included a performance by a thumri singer.
While Mahamaya and Khoka, who wanted to be just like his father, were away visiting Mahamaya's sick father, Mahim invited Biswambhar to a New Year's celebration at his new house, which has an electric generator. Not wanting to be outdone by a commoner, Biswambhar said he already had a celebration planned for that day at his palace. He sent word for Mahamaya and Khoka to return, sold some more jewels, and hastily found an available khyal singer. Mahamaya and Khoka were still not home when the concert began, so a nervous Biswambhar stepped out during the performance to check if there was any news, only to be told that their boat was caught in a cyclone and they were both killed. He closed his music room and withdrew from the world for the next four years, never leaving his palace.
Mahim visits a visibly-aged Biswambhar with an invitation to the inaugural concert in his new music room, which will feature a popular young kathak dancer. Biswambhar declines the invitation, but, when he hears the music that evening, he has his steward reopen his music room and announces he is having a concert featuring the same dancer that Mahim hired. As the preparations get underway, some life returns to Biswambhar and his palace.
After the performance, Biswambhar delights in asserting his dominance over Mahim by making the first offering to the dancer, even though the payment is almost all of his remaining money, and, once the guests have left, he drunkenly pontificates to his servant about his hereditary superiority to Mahim. When the candles in his chandelier begin to go out, he gets spooked, but the servant calms him by opening the curtains to show him that it is dawn. Biswambhar's white horse neighs, and he jumps on it and gallops away. He is drawn toward a beached boat, and, just before he runs into it, the horse rears up, throwing him to the ground. His servant and steward run over to help him, but he is dead, his noble blood spilled on the floodplain.
Jalsaghar was based on a popular short story written by Bengali writer Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay. After the box office failure of Aparajito (1956), Ray desperately needed a hit, and he decided to make a film that both was based on a popular piece of literature and would incorporate Indian music. It was his first film to extensively incorporate classical Indian music and dancing. Production on the film began in May 1957.
While in pre-production, Ray and his crew had difficulty finding a suitable location for Biswambhar Roy's palace. By chance, they met a man who recommended the palace of the Choudhurys in Nimtita, known as the Nimtita Rajbari, and Ray decided to scout the location. To his surprise, the palace was not only perfect for the film, but he later learned that the main character of Bandopadhyay's short story was inspired by Upendra Narayan Choudhury, the uncle of the current owner.
Hub AI
Jalsaghar AI simulator
(@Jalsaghar_simulator)
Jalsaghar
Jalsaghar (Bengali: জলসাঘর Jalsāghar, lit. 'The Music Room') is a 1958 Indian Bengali drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray, based on a popular short story by Bengali writer Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, and starring Chhabi Biswas. The fourth of Ray's feature films, it was filmed at Nimtita Raajbari in Nimtita, Murshidabad district.
Despite an initially poor critical reception in India, the film went on to win the Presidential Award for Best Film in New Delhi, and it played a significant role in establishing Ray's international reputation as a director. It has since gained near-universal critical acclaim, and has come to be regarded by the cinema community as one of the greatest films of all time.
In the early twentieth century, Biswambhar Roy is a Bengali zamindar (landlord) in decline who lives in a palace that is empty except for a servant and his steward. The music from the coming of age ceremony for the son of Biswambhar's nouveau-riche businessman neighbor, Mahim Ganguly, makes Biswambhar think back to when his only son, Khoka, went through the same ceremony. As he preferred to arrange lavish public concerts in his music room, instead of tending to his flood-damaged lands and keeping up with the changing times, Biswambhar's coffers were empty, so, to keep up appearances, he had to sell some of his (and his wife Mahamaya's) jewels to pay for the party, which included a performance by a thumri singer.
While Mahamaya and Khoka, who wanted to be just like his father, were away visiting Mahamaya's sick father, Mahim invited Biswambhar to a New Year's celebration at his new house, which has an electric generator. Not wanting to be outdone by a commoner, Biswambhar said he already had a celebration planned for that day at his palace. He sent word for Mahamaya and Khoka to return, sold some more jewels, and hastily found an available khyal singer. Mahamaya and Khoka were still not home when the concert began, so a nervous Biswambhar stepped out during the performance to check if there was any news, only to be told that their boat was caught in a cyclone and they were both killed. He closed his music room and withdrew from the world for the next four years, never leaving his palace.
Mahim visits a visibly-aged Biswambhar with an invitation to the inaugural concert in his new music room, which will feature a popular young kathak dancer. Biswambhar declines the invitation, but, when he hears the music that evening, he has his steward reopen his music room and announces he is having a concert featuring the same dancer that Mahim hired. As the preparations get underway, some life returns to Biswambhar and his palace.
After the performance, Biswambhar delights in asserting his dominance over Mahim by making the first offering to the dancer, even though the payment is almost all of his remaining money, and, once the guests have left, he drunkenly pontificates to his servant about his hereditary superiority to Mahim. When the candles in his chandelier begin to go out, he gets spooked, but the servant calms him by opening the curtains to show him that it is dawn. Biswambhar's white horse neighs, and he jumps on it and gallops away. He is drawn toward a beached boat, and, just before he runs into it, the horse rears up, throwing him to the ground. His servant and steward run over to help him, but he is dead, his noble blood spilled on the floodplain.
Jalsaghar was based on a popular short story written by Bengali writer Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay. After the box office failure of Aparajito (1956), Ray desperately needed a hit, and he decided to make a film that both was based on a popular piece of literature and would incorporate Indian music. It was his first film to extensively incorporate classical Indian music and dancing. Production on the film began in May 1957.
While in pre-production, Ray and his crew had difficulty finding a suitable location for Biswambhar Roy's palace. By chance, they met a man who recommended the palace of the Choudhurys in Nimtita, known as the Nimtita Rajbari, and Ray decided to scout the location. To his surprise, the palace was not only perfect for the film, but he later learned that the main character of Bandopadhyay's short story was inspired by Upendra Narayan Choudhury, the uncle of the current owner.