O Covarde

In my second experience watching the cult director Satyajit Ray's Kapurush, aside the gorgeous full restored cinematography, fine landscape I light upon an unusual and boring storyline, where a screenwriter meets his girlfriend already married, almost contrived dealing with million people at large India territory, what a possibility to meet his former lover? Let's forget this small fortuity for dramatic purpose, so came up a slow pace narrative meanwhile enters a loudmouth husband, well can it getting worse I thought, possible not whatsoever with so praised director as Ray.

The second act of this short picture expose a fleeting scene when faltering guy asking sleeping pill to beauty housewife, it goes unnoticed by the audience, at final hour there the guy pleading for his old fiancée give up of her unhappy marriage aiming for a give a second chance for both, if she accepts he waiting for her at train station at night, she really arrives there on schedule, however.....

Apart the slow narrative, quite often annoying Satyajit Ray has an ace in the hole, also enhance it thru some flashbacks, another point slight touched here by wealthy husband about the infamous caste system, where no high class ought talk with lowest ones, fine picture.

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First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

After watching two rather lengthy, rambling Ray films, "Big City" and "Charulata", it was nice to see this concise, 70 minute parable about the folly of turning one's back on love because one is scared to commit. Felt like a combination of DeMaupassant, with the twist of the knife at the end, and Maugham, with the tawdry, tea plantation setting. Add a dash of James M Cain (the lonely, alcoholic husband) and you've got a most satisfying movie. Give it an A.

(1965) The Coward/ Kapurush (In Bengali with English subtitles) DRAMA

Adapted from the short story ""Janaiko Kapurusher Kahini" by Premendra Mitra music, co-written and directed by Satyajit Ray that tells about an inspiring screenwriter, Soumitra Chattopadhyay as Amitabha Roy (also known as the Coward) by chance meeting an ex-former flame, Karuna (Madhabi Mukhopadhyay), and he continues to pursue for her affections despite her already married.

It is not just a movie about a young man vying affections for a former flame, for it is also about class, culture and class. This is the sixth of fourteen films actor Soumitra Chatterjee collaborated with writer/ director Satyajit Ray.

This can be categorized as another Ray short-of-a-full-length venture! The title could not be more apt, as COWARD is written all over the young writer(Soumitra Chatterjee)- especially after we are told of the past sequence. Some years ago, Amitabh had refused to marry lover Karuna in haste. He needed 'time' to think it over, the city was big, he was starting to work, he wasn't even established properly- how could he marry Karuna suddenly?

Many years later, his car breaks down and he is given shelter for the evening in Bimal Gupta's house- a successful tea planter somewhere in Darjeeling. The tea-planter is lonely in that part of the world with no neighbors nearby, hence he talks garrulously about his takes on life. Amitabha is now an established screen-writer who talks less but is astounded to meet Bimal's wife- Karuna.

A breakthrough performance by Madhabi Mukherjee, this is a wonderful movie which will not fail to appeal anyone.

There is a striking similarity in Ray's KAPURUSH (a 1965 film) with the debut film APOROOPA (1982) directed by the renowned Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua. The Ray film featured Soumitro Chattopadhyay and Madhabi Mukherjee, while the Barua film had Biju Phukan and Suhasini Mulay in the lead roles. In both the films the lead player plays ex-lovers where the female lead is married to a tea estate manager. The ex-lovers meet after a long hiatus via the tea estate manager who initially befriends the male lead. The similarity ends here. While the Barua film had a courageous lover, the one in the Ray film was a Kapurush (weakling). The Ray film was based on a story by Premendra Mitra.