The World of Apu (1959) User Reviews

Fantastic

[gbill-74877 · 9/10 · 21 May 2021]

Sometime a person wants freedom in the form of limited attachments to people or places because they have endured so much pain and loss in life. That's one of the themes here, and a reminder to me to be more empathetic towards people I randomly meet, each of whom may be carrying around hidden scars and damage, or doing things in their lives which may seem puzzling.

The third Apu film tells a pretty simple story, but I have to say, I really didn't see its big events coming, and it's full of emotional power. The quality of filmmaking is superb, with stunning cinematography from Subrata Mitra and a soundtrack from Ravi Shankar which harmonizes with its mood perfectly. Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore are heartwarming in their roles, and Satyajit Ray ties it all together beautifully. Fantastic film, with an ending that hits all the right emotional notes. See this.

Change your perception towards Movie by watching it.

[utpal-61109 · 9/10 · 31 May 2016]

After watching 'Pather Panchali' & 'Aparajito'; the 1st and 2nd two epics of Apu Trilogy, I unable to control myself to wait for sometime to watch the third epic 'The World of Apu' directed by Academy Honorary Award winning(in 19992), the great director Satyajit Ray. Satyajit Ray paints how much covered a bitter pain that breaks someone's heart in his life. Someone means the main character Apu; which half of life is already reflected in his 1st & 2nd epic.

It is seen that Apu had lost his elder sister and father before he knows the value of life. His mother struggles for his life and making him into a educated person though he should turn into a priest as his their family profession. But director have no mercy upon him. His mother had passed away when he was studying at Kolkata after 10th passing. The story ends up here and so we don't know what happened in his life after everything lost.

At the 1st light of "The World of Apu" we have seen that Apu is grown up and become turn into a healthy young man, struggling to live without any distress of his past life. He learns to live into a new life. He lives as a tenant in a small room of Kolkata unable to give rent for several months. The story is running on and then suddenly changes the track. We are happy to see his delightful face after getting his life partner or wife suddenly after many years. Now he lives in a romantic world. But again the track changes. He losses everything. After 5 years he is ready to meet a boy named Kajal(5 years old) who always wait to see his father's face. Is Kajal Apu's son? If yes, does Kajal accept him as a father?...to know everything you should watch the movie which is easily available on torrent.

There have no error in direction. You can feel a different taste. Acting is everywhere perfect. Great work is done by Soumitra Chatterjee(as Apu), Sharmila Tagore(as Aparna, wife of Apu) and other actors. Alok Chakravarty who acts in a very sort periods as the 5 years old boy touches the heart. Director is successful to reflect the story in his three trilogy. So before watching Apur Sansar(3rd part,called it in Bengali) you should watch 1st Pather Panchali and then Aparajito. Though it is released in 1955-1959, still it is the best i ever seen.

A Flourishing Finale

[avik-kumar-si · 8/10 · 14 October 2013]

Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) is the concluding part of master Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray's '"Apu Trilogy".

The Indian word "sansar" may mean both world and family. Both meanings are relevant in the context of the film, as it traces Apu's blooming into a human being, his explorations on the way as well as the phase of his life where he gains a family, again, having already lost everyone in the family he was born into. Loss is a theme which refuses to desert Apu's life but our unvanquished hero lives and grows through, and despite, his recurring losses.

Soumitra Chatterjee, later to become one of Ray's favourites, plays the adult Apu in one of his most memorable performances. Satyajit Ray is considered one of India's best ever filmmaker, if not the very best – and this film is a testimony why. Apur Sansar features several immortal scenes, each of which etches itself in the viewer's mind and any of which could serve as the North Star for a budding director as something to match and inspire. Apu's monologue with his friend Pulu as the sole audience, Aparna's (Apu's wife) discovery of her husband's abode and the final sequence deserve special mention.

Superb finale to the saga

[Jag85 · 22 March 2009]

I found Apur Sansar, the final part of the Apu Trilogy, every bit as superb as its prequels. I liked the pacing even better than its predecessors, as there was not a single moment that didn't keep me interested. Although the ending wasn't as powerful as its prequels, I thought it was a more hopeful and fitting ending for the saga. However, it did give me the feeling that I didn't want the story to end at all.

Soumitra Chatterjee's debut performance as the adult Apu was truly Oscar-worthy (like Karuna Bannerjee who played his mother in the first two films) and a young Sharmila Tagore was also convincing in her debut performance as his wife. Overall, I'd say Apur Sansar is my second favourite in the Apu Trilogy, after Aparajito.

Now that I've finally finished watching the Apu Trilogy, I must say this is probably the greatest film trilogy I've ever seen. Although it's a simple story about a country boy's growth to adulthood, it felt like I was watching a truly epic saga. Satyajit Ray really is one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century in my opinion.

10/10

The final episode of the Apu Trilogy

[ShamimH · 10/10 · 11 November 1998]

The final episode of the Trilogy takes us to a young adult Apu. Received the British Film Award which Sathyajits' other two episodes (Song of the Road, Unvanquished) also received.

This movie together with the other two movies are a monumental work in movie making. The way the story is portrayed, and the use of many details, enrich the emotional experience it provides. One can recall the way the screen of the movie theatre fades into the window of the horse carriage, or the way the hole on the window curtain reverberates with the spotted decorations on the actress face and etc.

This a "must see" movie for all, in the different ways emotions are expressed and the way it takes the audience in a roller coater ride of emotions. It is an enriching and a moving experience. It reinforces and reinvigorates the humanity within each of us.

To enjoy the movie most, viewers should see the first two episodes in sequence before viewing "Apur Sangsar."

Breathtaking Beauty

[ScreenSaver · 10/10 · 6 November 2003]

Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) is the stunning final chapter of Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy, one of the most widely acclaimed series in film. While Pather Panchali and Aparajito, the trilogy's first two, are extremely well crafted, the lack the heart-wrenching beauty of this installment. These three films revolve around tragedy, and it has an almost predestined quality to it, which reminded me somewhat of Stanley Kubrick's excellent, "Barry Lyndon." That's where the similarities end of course, as this film is warm and radiates humanity, and Lyndon (as well as all of Kubrick's work) is cold and icy. Ray's rich lyrical realism breathes beauty in the mundane acts of his characters. The film opens as Apu, now a young man, attempts to eek out a living. He searches relentlessly for work, most of which is monotonous and doesn't pay well. However his pudgy friend Pulu invites him to a wedding, and Apu obliges, hoping maybe this display of love will help inspire him and the novel he is writing. In a fascinating turn of events (which I won't spoil,) Apu finds himself coming back to Calcutta married. Aparna, his new bride, is used to a life of luxury outside of the big city` but she is prepared for a life of poverty with her new husband. In one of the most beautiful sequences in film, Apu and his bride slowly begin to love and care for one another. The beauty of this is that we never see them embrace, or kiss or make love. Instead we see it in gestures, in window curtains, in little notes Aparna puts in Apu's cigarettes reminding him only to have one after every meal. Their love is like a dream of love we've had, one that's so innocent and wonderful we want to dream forever. But like all dreams, Apu must wake up. Happiness is just a fleeting emotion for Apu, one that enters his life at random points and then dissapears. Apu wanders bitterly through the Indian landscape, searching for solace and peace. The end moments cannot be explained in words, and simply must be experienced. One of the greatest films of all time. 10/10

A picture says a thousand words

[lyrxsf · 10/10 · 12 January 2006]

This movie is Ray at his best. Its sublime. Its distilled to perfection. You need not hear the dialogs or read the subtitles to follow and appreciate it. The visuals and background score tell the store more eloquently. The movie has a soul which will get destroyed if you make even the slightest change to the story, acting, cinematography, music etc. Ray has brought out the best in his actors. They are not experienced actors though both of the leading pair later go on achieve mega success as movie stars. If you blink an eye, you will miss out on the emotions captured. For example, when Aparna is brought to her new home, there is moment in which she matures – from a girl to a woman – while gazing out of the torn curtain. There are several such brief moments. The dialog is minimalist but enchanting. The letter from Aparna to Apu captures love in all its glory – longing, desire, concern and trust. Its movie-making at its best.

David Jeffers - The cornerstone of Indian film.

[rdjeffers · 10/10 · 24 October 2005]

"The World of Apu" is a tale joy of and tragedy, unmatched in its beauty and profound emotion. Satyajit Ray's final film in the Apu trilogy ranks with King Vidor's "The Crowd" and Carl Theodor Dreyer's "Ordet" as a cinema landmark of family life. But it far exceeds those films in its visual poetry. Apu's journey with a friend and his unplanned marriage sets the stage for a story of domestic life in all its simple joy and awful despair. The serene, contented beauty of the girl is a soaring vision, matched in its humanity only by the broken heart of Apu when she dies. The pages of an unfinished novel, a life's work floating in the mountain air like the seeds of a dandelion, become the symbol of Apu's devastation. The rebirth of life and hope realized in the child illustrates a fundamental belief of Hinduism. Beautifully photographed and edited, "The World of Apu" is a masterpiece of film as narrative storytelling. It is the most "Indian" of all Indian films.

The final episode of the Apu Trilogy

[ShamimH · 10/10 · 11 November 1998]

The final episode of the Trilogy takes us to a young adult Apu. IMdb seems to have missed the British Film Award that this and Sathyajits' other two episodes (Song of the Road, Unvanquished) received.

This movie together with the other two movies are a monumental work in movie making. The way the story is portrayed, and the use of many details, enrich the emotional experience it provides. One can recall the way the screen of the movie theatre fades into the window of the horse carriage, or the way the hole on the window curtain reverberates with the spotted decorations on the actress face and etc.

This a "must see" movie for all, in the different ways emotions are expressed and the way it takes the audience in a roller coater ride of emotions. It is an enriching and a moving experience. It reinforces and reinvigorates the humanity within each of us.

To enjoy the movie most, viewers should see the first two episodes in sequence before viewing "Apur Sangsar."

One of if not the best movie ever

[bscardozo · 10/10 · 15 April 2006]

The first time I saw this movie was just after it was released in the United States. Ravi Shankar was becoming popular and the fact he did the score added to the movie's interest.

But Satyajit Ray is really in a class by himself. The movies -- there are three in the series, this one being the last, are mostly acted by amateurs. The trilogy starts with Pather Panchali, with Apu being a child. Next, Aparajito shows Apu growing up, going to school and learning English because that was the only way to get ahead in the grinding poverty of Bengal.

The last of the trilogy, the World of Apu shows Apu marrying, his wife dying, his leaving his son with his wife's parents and then going away to find himself. How the movie ends is your task. But each time I see it, tears cloud my eyes and my stomach turns over in joy and Let's just say the Academy gave Ray a long overdue Oscar for his films which are universal in appeal.

Wake Up Already!

[Fraucoach · 6/10 · 1 November 2015]

I just got finished watching this, the finale to the "Apu Trilogy." I loved the cinematography and some of the music, but seriously, the same conflict over and over, death of a loved one. Don't bathe in and drink from the Ganges already! And have you ever seen anyone have as much trouble waking up as this dude? In movie #1 his mother and sister have to pound on him every morning, in movie #2 it's mostly his mother, and in #3 his wife, but at least she's smart enough to get an alarm clock. In "World of Apu," at the end where he goes to wake up his estranged son and get to know him, the kid wakes up right away when he touches him. I thought there was going to be some kind of joke there--that the kid was going to be sluggish about waking up and Apu was going to be all "That's my boy!" But the kid must have taken after his mother, because he popped right up.

The best thing about this trilogy was the old lady (the Auntie) in the first movie. Her role was poignant, and she nailed it. Her song was transcendent. The child actors, both Apu and his sister, were charming. The grown-up Apus, less so. Start there, with Pather Panchali; you can finish there too and not miss much.

A radical departure from the formula films of the 50's.

[griess · 10/10 · 25 July 2003]

About midway through Apur Sansar there is an interjection of a film in the style of typical Indian cinema. The contrast in Ray's approach with his classic trilogy is astonishing, considering the mileau in which it emerged. Filmmaking in the 1950's in Hollywood as well as India was studio-driven with light-weight stories having little connection with reality. As another commentator pointed out, this film is closer to the Italian realism films such as "The Bicycle Thief". Every shot is a masterpiece of composition and lighting. It does not intrude on the story, but advances it. Likewise, the music composed by Ray, is natural and integral to the scene. This ranks with the all-time greatest watershed movies.

The weakest of the trilogy

[beckerb · 6/10 · 1 May 2006]

All in all, this film is the weakest of the trilogy, but that's not such a bad thing, given that the first two are brilliant.

The problem with this film is that the thinness of Apu's character comes out a bit too much. The best-drawn characters in all three films are the women (sister, mother, wife), and as this film focuses primarily on Apu himself, the richness of the earlier films is lost. The wife in this film is wonderful and is married to Apu at the same time his sister dies in Pather Panchali. Accordingly, the interactions between Apu (whose development is pretty obviously arrested by the fact that everyone close to him has died) and his wife have the same tenderness and beauty of the interactions between Apu and Durga in the first film, and Apu and his mother in the second.

When I call this film the weakest of the three, I refer primarily to the script and the acting. To be sure, it is a rather unsatisfactory conclusion to the trilogy insofar as this third film seems disconnected from the first two (this might just be because no actors carry over).

For all this, though, the film is worth seeing merely for Ray's directorial ability which is perhaps strongest in Aparajito but is every bit as present here.

I feel so out of sync with everyone else about this film and the trilogy.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 13 May 2021]

"The World of Apu" is a film with an amazing IMDB score of 8.5. It's also part of the so-called 'Apu Trilogy', three beloved films about the same character as he goes from age film to chronological adulthood. Along the way, there is lots of depression and losses...and Apu's life is anything but pleasant. Critics adore the films....and I found myself at a loss for why. Director Satyajit Ray has done far better and, especially, more enjoyable films than these and when I finally saw these beloved films I was shocked how much I did NOT like them.

"The World of Apu" ("Apur Sansar") begins after Apu is no longer in college. Oddly, instead of getting a good job, he barely gets by in Calcutta and seems quite happy living a subsistence lifestyle. Later, in what is the strangest weddings I can recall seeing in a film, he finds himself with a lovely new wife...who soon dies and he spends the rest of the film....depressed and feeling sorry for himself...and ignoring the son he's never seen nor seems to have any interest in seeing.

Okay...let's get to the heart of the problems I had with this and the other two films. While many like the directors slow, deliberate pacing...I found it to be glacially slow. I literally had to make myself coffee in order to stay awake as I watched. The next problem is that I had a hard time caring about anyone. First, if you cared about them, they would likely soon die (such as Apu's sister in the film film, his parents in the second and his wife in the third). But it goes deeper. Most of these people didn't seem to have much in the way of personality (apart from the wife) and when they died it was sad, but I had trouble even caring. Another major problem is Apu himself. I never connected with him and in the final films, "The World of Apu", I found myself actually strongly disliking him. And, finally, considering that I didn't care for the characters, the pacing was incredibly slow....and there really was no payoff for witnessing about six hours worth of misery.

Don't get me wrong.... I have loved a few of Ray's films and have loved quite a few other Indian films. I have nothing against Indian cinema. But I have to feel connected with and care about characters...and I just didn't here or in any of the three films.

The third installment in Satyajit Ray's internationally acclaimed "Apu Trilogy," The World Of Apu displays all of Ray's trademark restraint and lyricism.

[khanbaliq2 · 10/10 · 8 December 2009]

The World Of Apu is rich and contemplative, and a great, convincing affirmation. The story is set in India, where a would-be writer, stuck in a tedious clerical job, struggles to accept the son of his wife, who died in childbirth.

The film is the last part of a monumental trilogy, and a sense that events have moved full circle over the three separate stories. This final episode brings a sense of closure for the members of a troubled family who have known immense hardship and struggle. The World Of Apu is a profound and deeply moving exploration of the human condition, exuding a transcendent wisdom rarely seen in cinema outside of the works of Yasujiro Ozu or Robert Bresson.

Great Conclusion To The 'Apu' Trilogy

[davidals · 10/10 · 15 September 2003]

*SPOILER ALERT*

WORLD OF APU (APUR SANSAR) only suffers in comparison with its' predecessors - it isn't the masterpiece that PATHER PANCHALI is, but it's still a GREAT film. Ray - early in his career - was already a master at balancing human drama and unforgettable visual stylishness, and - perhaps because of this visual sense of style - I didn't mind the slightly elevated level of melodrama seen here. The final scenes of the three films are similar - with one difference here - in WORLD OF APU, Apu is walking into the unknown, with a sense of optimism and hope (compared with the grief in the first two installments), curious as to what life will next bring, and confident that the knowledge he will gain will only make him a richer person. This film, and the entire trilogy, easily stands alongside BICYCLE THIEF or SANSHO THE BAILIFF as one of the greatest human dramas to have ever been made.

There are few films that I think everyone should see at least once - the APU trilogy is near the top of my list.

Masterpiece

[Huron · 10/10 · 3 January 1999]

For westerners, like myself, the beauty and wonder of the Indian culture and humanity of the people was supremely captured in Ray's masterpiece. I've seen the film three times and each reveals new insights.

Acceptance

[erwan_ticheler · 10/10 · 16 May 2004]

SPOILERS:

"Apur Sansar" is all about the loss of life and acceptance of a new one. In the last part of the truly great "Apu Trilogy" Apu loses his new wife Aparna (a strikingly beautiful Sharmila Tagore) in childbirth and therefore cannot accept his newborn son Kajal.What follows is a journey with Apu through his mind and his thoughts.

Although it is a very powerful and highly crafted film (probably the most crafted and professional of the trilogy) it is my least favorite of the bunch.It doesn't have the greatness,powerful acting and surprises of especially "Pather Panchali" and "Aparajito".Still,high above average.

While "Pather Panchali" was in some ways a little bit amateurish made,which gives also his high charm,"Apur Sansar" has some great tricks in it.Like the scene after Apu and Aparna have seen a movie and the camera goes almost perfectly from the movie image into a taxi,or the scene in which the wedding ceremony walks by the river and then the camera focuses away from the river and on to Apu.Another very well made sequence is the one in which it seems that Apu throws himself in front of a train,the train is probably the most important symbol of the entire trilogy.

Ray created a highly recommended and very well made trilogy,because of his directing and the truly brilliant acting overall but also because of the superb soundtrack by the legendary Ravi Shankar who also contributes in a big way in this last film although I prefer his score for "Pather Panchali". Looking at the entire trilogy Ray surpassed my wildest imaginations and I expected quite a lot.Truly cinema history and I am really eager to see more of his work.

Pather Panchali 9/10 (number 52 in my all-time top 100 list)

Aparajito 9/10 (number 67 in my all-time top 100 list)

Apur Sansar 8/10

Beautiful poignant film

[Joel-61 · 8/10 · 29 August 1999]

I am not usually drawn to slow-moving, "artistic" films. But this film is of rare beauty and insight. I found it much more moving than the first two films in the Apu trilogy. The themes of loss, of running away from grief, and ultimately of reconciliation and responsibility have rarely been handled with a wiser eye.

The Delicate Tale of a Man

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 18 May 2016]

Apu is a man with great hopes for a wonderful life. He is ready to live the life of a starving artist and write a novel. He is charming and kind and handsome. He gets away with a lot because of this. The fact is that he was always able to go his own way with little or no responsibility. One day, he is asked by a friend and workmate to come with him for the marriage of his sister. I don't know all the ins and outs of Indian weddings. It turns out that when the arranged groom arrived he had turned mad. If she doesn't marry within a short period of time, she becomes damaged goods. Because she can't marry the former man, the friend asks Apu to marry her. This seems absurd until he buckles under and agrees, much to the great joy of her family. The man she was to marry was rich, so her life now becomes much less than she had hoped for. Nevertheless, after some tough times, Apu falls deeply in love with her and she begins to love him back. When she becomes pregnant, she goes back to her family. While there, she dies in childbirth. The little boy is saved but she is gone. Apu is torn to pieces, never seeing his son and dropping into the depths of depression. While he sends money occasionally, he works manual labor, he gives up on his dreams and can't get over feeling sorry for himself. This film is wonderful, with the most incredible cinematography, closeup so to die for, and acting that is nonpareil. These three films show why Ray is the consummate director, working with concise, minimalist technique. What a lovely movie.

Lovely, sad film about loss

[edgeofreality · 22 March 2020]

Just when the hero, a twentyish Apu, proclaims his happiness at feeling free and young with all of life before him, fate plays its hand. He is nevertheless blissfully happy in his surprising marriage, and the scenes with his young wife truly touching. So much so that I knew they wouldn't last. I thought at first that Apu himself would wreck it with his need to be free and write etc. That might have taken the film to a different plane of misery and would have connected his development with something selfish we saw of him in the second part. But what happens connects instead with his other losses - sister, then parents - in preceding films, all linked mysteriously with trains coming and going and their piercing whistles. Again, images from this film will likely always stay with me - e.g. Apu closing his shutter to not be seen by a sexy girl across the way - why? What did that say about him? I liked the casting of both the child bride and the boy she bears Apu, which is almost her spitting image, and ends the film with some hope that Apu will be happier - though judging from the series as a whole, it would be a very tentative hope at best! Again, watching this, I felt I had gone to India because of the authenticity of locations, acting and music, and the lovely b/w photography.

Part Three

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 10 February 2016]

This final installment in Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy, follows Apu's life as an orphaned adult aspiring to be a writer as he lives through poverty, and the unforeseen turn of events.

The World of Apu has been influential across the world. In Gregory Nava's 1995 film My Family, the final scene is duplicated from the final scene of Apur Sansar. The film's influence can also be seen in famous works such as Martin Scorsese's 1976 New Hollywood film Taxi Driver, several Philip Kaufman films, and Key's 2004 Japanese visual novel Clannad. References to The World of Apu are also found in several films by European filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, and in Paul Auster's 2008 novel Man in the Dark where two characters have a discussion about the film.

Personally, I just do not see how this is one of those "perfect" films that scores 100% and rates high enough to be in the Top 250. I found it rather boring, as I do with most Indian films. What am I missing?

The final... a must see

[badar1981 · 9/10 · 4 January 2007]

Being a great fan of Satyajeet, i must admire the fact that he is true craftsmen again while watching this one. The visual sense, musical score, dressing and above all words to make dialogs are almost perfect. One can not think of better things to keep the balance. Specially the image/shadow style as shown in other film (Pather Panchali) is beautiful.

I think above all it is the script/story which catches you from the start. Apu is carefree and suddenly he finds him in the world where he has to care not only for himself but his wife and the form they are in. It is stunning to see the transformation in a manner that one can't notice.

A must see...

9/10

there's more to Indian cinema than musicals

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 2 May 2006]

When Americans hear the name "Apu", they're likely to think of the Kwik-E-Mart owner on "The Simpsons". Well, here's a different one. "Apur Sansar" (called "The World of Apu" in English) tells the story of a Calcutta man and how he has to deal with his various experiences. I should identify that this is not a movie for people with short attention spans. We may think of Indian movies as over-the-top musicals, but those are specifically Hindi movies; this is a Bengali movie. Apparently, it's part of a trilogy. I have to admit that this is the only installment that I've ever seen. But if this is any example, the other two should be interesting. Definitely worth seeing.

Never Go to a Wedding in India

[disinterested_spectator · 5/10 · 16 December 2015]

This is the final installment of "The Apu Trilogy." Just when Apu thinks he is finally free to live his own life, now that his mother has died, wouldn't you know it, he gets invited to a wedding by Pulu, a friend of his, and ends up having to marry the bride himself, because the groom turns out to be crazy, and if she does not marry by the appointed hour, she is ruined for life and no one will ever marry her. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

Her parents are rich, so you figure that since this is India and everything, there should be a sizable dowry. But no, not a brass farthing. However, Apu and Aparna, for that is her name, end up being poor but happy. She gets pregnant, and so, after about the seventh month, she goes home to her parents to have the baby. When one of her relatives shows up to tell Apu that she died giving birth, Apu punches him right in the mouth. So, if you are ever in India and have to tell someone his wife died, just send a letter.

Apu writes to Pulu that because he is now free to live his own life (here we go again), he intends to travel. Presumably, he has learned his lesson about accepting wedding invitations. Of course, we wonder how free he can be, inasmuch as Aparna's baby lived. No problem, he just dumps the kid on her parents.

Apu apparently contemplates suicide, standing near the tracks as a train approaches, but it runs over a pig instead. In the end, he settles for just throwing away the manuscript of the novel he had been working on, presumably because he realizes that love as he imagined it turned out to be different from the real thing.

After five years of wandering around aimlessly, Apu's father-in-law is getting a little ticked that Apu is not taking care of his own son, Kajal. Pulu, who was Aparna's cousin, goes looking for him. Apu says he cannot take care of Kajal (whose name he did not even know), because Kajal would remind him of Aparna. Of course, Kajal probably reminds Aparna's parents of their deceased daughter every day, but Apu only thinks of his own grief, not what others may be feeling. Five years is a long time to grieve, but Apu thinks it is a good excuse for not doing his duty as a parent when Pulu reminds him of it. Being so reminded angers Apu, and knowing how Apu has a way of punching people out when they tell him something he does not want to hear, we are surprised Apu does not hit Pulu as well. I guess we can call it "maturity."

He finally relents and goes to see his father-in-law, not to take care of Kajal personally, but to make arrangements for Kajal to go to a boarding school so that Apu can continue to wander around, wallowing in the great suffering of his soul. And then, just like your basic Hollywood melodrama, there is a total narrative rupture at the last minute, when Apu decides to take his son with him and care for him himself, the two of them living happily ever after.