Apur Panchali (2013) User Reviews

Story of the man destined to be Apu all his life

[poojakolkata2011 · 9/10 · 28 April 2014]

ApurPanchali is 97 minutes of pure cinematic delight. A simple, heart-wrenching movie devoid of violence, unnecessary songs,unnecessary titillation. Amidst mostly trash movies being churned out all around, Apur Panchali is like a breath of fresh air which will leave you with happy moments as well as a lump in your throat. Its a collage of moments dipped in nostalgia, a look back to the age and simplicity we have left behind and the tale of an ordinary man told in an extraordinary way. Kudos to director Kaushik Ganguly for writing such a brilliant screenplay. The way he creates a parallel between the real life of a man and the resemblance with the trilogy scene by scene is commendable. A splendid narration of the tale of a man destined to be Apu all his life; not just an attachment to the name, but the life of the character itself. When else can truth be stranger than fiction when your reel life stint uncannily directs your real life and you inexorably live with it. The most celebrated child actor in world cinema who has led years of oblivion,miles away from the arc lights, cannot forget how as if the Apu Trilogy was written for him to act. The sad part being he had to act it painfully in his real life. And how beautifully that dilemma,pain,frustation has been portrayed by Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Ardhendu Banerjjee. Ardhendu Banerjee is a revelation. The way he stares marks him as a lonely man battered by the vicissitudes of life. The making and breaking with the romanticism around Apu will make you realize that their are things in life beyond mobile phones and popcorn tubs in the hall. Parno Mittra will steal you heart away with her innocence,sweetness and naivety.She will make you smile and make you cry within hardly 5 minutes of screen timing alloted to her. The sweet and subtle romance between Parambrata and Parno in those short moments will make you want to fall in love. Lovely cinematography by Shirsha Ray and fantastic direction by Kaushik Ganguly proves that he is one of the best filmmakers we are fortunate to have now. Indraadip Das Gupta 's music will just haunt you. He has taken the iconic musical piece of Pather Panchali by Pandit Ravishankar to a different level and what an auditory treat it is! A balm for the soul hurt in cacophony all around. The film starts with that music, plays all throughout and ends with it and yet you never feel bored. You just want it to go on and on. Seldom seen just a beautiful interval and ending. Truly portrayed brilliantly by the actors and Indraadip Dasgupta's lilting music accentuates the poignancy. Tears well up and flow unknowingly at many a moments. Ardhendu Banerjee moists your eyes when he sadly keeps staring at the curtains made by his long deceased wife. His bonding with Gaurav Chakraborty is endearing and he too is another revelation in this film. Parambrata simply wrenches out your heart in the end when he tears off the armlet tied around his hand in anger and pain. The scene can move even a rock to tears. The look he gave while his wife was lovingly tying it fills your heart with romance and at the next moment when he realizes how uncannily he lost her like Apu in Apur Sansar, he breaks down in tears and you cannot help a drop or two roll down our eyes. These moments create Apur Panchali .The winding road which Apu or Subir takes at the end reaffirms that you don't need a huge budget or foreign locales to make a beautiful film. There are places closer home and emotions close to the heart. Even today a tiny room on the terrace is way more romantic than a posh high rise and Apur Panchali proves it. Was haunted by its aura , still is and will be for days.

P.S. People who go to movies just for sheer entertainment, or are not emotional and do not like to slow down, prefer receiving calls in the hall please avoid and spare the others.

A must watch movie

[chakra-mukut · 9/10 · 30 April 2014]

The beautification of this movie has increased by showing three different but related stories simultaneously and I am pretty sure it was a very tough job to edit a movie like this. As the name reveals, the story is about the forgotten hero of Pather Panchali's "Apu" whose real life name is Subir Banerjee. It shows how a movie changed his life and the uncanny similarity between Apu and Subir Banerjee.

All actors of this movie did awesome job, it is hard to compare them, Ardhendu, Param, Parno, all of them were superb. But the most beautiful part was the story telling process, kudos to Kaushik Ganguly for such a movie and personally I feel this movie should be considered as a landmark in bengali movie history.

the majestic representation of "Apu" in real life!

[debanjanp366 · 8/10 · 6 May 2014]

First I want to praise Koushik Ganguly for his effort of bringing Apu again in the world of movies. We all know Apu as a character in Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali". But in the movie we can see that Apu is not only a character, he is a boy, a boy we can find in every corner of our villages who grew up among the paddy fields and struggle in their lives when they lose their close ones. Mr. Ganguly also focused on the life of a famous child actor who was once famous but with time gets forgotten and with that the effect of that past fame in his life. But here Subir Banerjee's(the actor who played Apu in "Pather Panchali") life is compared with the life of Satyjit Ray's Apu by showing few clips of "Pather Panchali" and "Apur Sansar" in the movie. Mr. Ganguly brilliantly compared their lives and surprisingly their lives were same in multiple aspects. And also hats off to the actors specially Parambrata Banerjee who played the role of young Subir Banerjee. Of all the scenes in the movie I liked the scene when Subir mistakenly enters in the film set of a movie when he saw a child actor acting in the movie. The fact that he still misses the famous child actor in himself was brilliantly represented. Also I like to mention the scene where he hears the news of his wife's suicide in his Boss' telephone. But i felt that the representation of present day Subir Banerjee was not that good(considering the overall quality of the film). And the transition between the scenes of this film and "Pather Panchali" could have been done in a slight better way. In the end I want to congratulate Koushik Ganguly for successfully making a film based on a new and interesting concept in a brilliant way and setting a milestone in the world of movies(specially Bengali movies).

Fiction to Fact

[purnenduvianworld · 10/10 · 26 May 2015]

Just watching this film and writing a critique on it without having watched all the three films of 'Apu Trilogy' would be considered an impertinent move and a Himalayan mistake to boot. 'Apur Panchali' can be considered one of the best films in Bengali cinema and also the world over. It being not just a rehash of the reputed trilogy, the film explores quite a few precious moments of mainly the famous child actor (Subir Banerjee) of 'Pather Panchali' and how his life was meant to develop some 'uncanny' parallels with the story of the three films. Kaushik Ganguly has touched upon the very tender issues that have gone unheeded until now.

A child who had became famous and came to be known to the whole world as the child Apu, later on went into the unknown, cooped-up and covert depths of personal life, which, however, did not keep abreast with him till the very end. Almost like Apu, Subir Banerjee also lost the members of his family in a sequence and was left alone and aloof - just like a deliberate social outcast. He was living life on his own terms until when, quite abruptly, Arka searches Subir out and coaxes him to attend an honorary ceremony for one of the most celebrated child actors of all time. Here, Subir betrays his listless and short temper gradually engendered by the buffets of fortune and life drawn somewhat by The Almighty from the 'Apu Trilogy', it seems. But Arka makes Subir realize the latter's real worth. In the way, childless Subir gets beck a son, fatherless Arka gets back a father and we get back the child actor of 'Pather Panchali.'

The story of the film is told in a way that places the reel-and-the-real parallels very subtly. While the trilogy's scenes are shown we relieve the moments, but we turn very sympathetic when they are reverberated in the child actor's real life. Parambrata assays the character of younger Subir and Parno assays Ashima. They act like real people. There's one moment when Parno says ways to look after himself while Ashima would be staying away from Apu. The director keeps things very simple which raises the level of the film to great heights, seen in few directors in Bengal. Apart from the director, the writer Kaushik also stands firm and high above most of the playwrights in the celluloid arena.

Sirsha Roy's cinematography touched upon the softest parts of an artiste's life that tell upon our lachrymal glands. Bodhaditya Banerjee has also done no less commendable job. Art direction by Mridul Baidya and Saswati Karmakar stands par excellence. Without it the film would not have got it's archival look. The excellent music that wafts throughout the movie makes one feel nostalgic and catches up with the original films of the trilogy to not a less extent.

To sum up, it's a film not to be given a miss at any cost, whatsoever.

A nice change of pace, an Indian 'Nebraska'?

[sesht · 20 May 2014]

Let me start off by saying that I don't remember much of the Apu trilogy, because I was at an age where Arnie in 'Predator' or 'Commando' made a bigger impression on me than someone depicting the vagaries of Indian life, that too in the stilted framing of yesteryear, that too in monochrome.

When I heard that this one was playing in town, and that it showed the life of one of the more largely ignored child actors of all time, I was interested in seeing that aspect of life, because, let's face it, I am at an age now where I understand how it is to be ignored, to be neglected, and yet plod on with life like a (for lack of a better simile) zombie does.

This movie is framed very interestingly, with 3 narratives criss-crossing simultaneously. 1, the near-present, where a FTI student takes the old man through the motions of traveling to Germany to be felicitated for being 'Apu'. 2, that part of the ignored, frustrating life this old man had, after tasting near-success with his childhood acting stint, where he;s trying to go through the motions of being a dutiful householder. 3, and perhaps the most intriguing choice of all, since it (IMO) does not serve the main narratives much except as a curio/diversion, portions from the Apu trilogy that mirror this householder's life, where we're supposed to understand that he's living through his painful present, whilst re-living their memories from the shoot.

The technical aspects are great, with the footage and the flashback framed in monochrome, and the near-present portions filmed in color. The score is sparse, yet magnificent, rivaling the other masterpiece of scoring this year, from the Indian Indie diaspora - Aankhon Dekhi.

I now have a crush on Parno, and for me, all her interactions with Parambrata, though few and sparse (that word again), clichéd, yet supremely sweet, always put a smile on my face. Contrast this with the darkness that pervades the protagonist's life, and you have quite a few sweet memories to cherish, like he does all through.

I thought the director's grasp on his craft was found wanting with a few in-your- face/unsubtle choices he made initially, but though they do remain as fact, he more than makes up for it by staying on-target, and delivers a simple peep into the not- so-special life of another Indian living in obscurity. Pity they didn't get the real Subir to enact it all, and a testimony to the actor/s who did, making us forget that this is a movie, not a slice-of-life.

Not to be missed at the local multiplex.

A combination of a great classic and the real great forgotten actor.... Brilliantly done....

[royadityax · 10/10 · 24 May 2016]

This is one brilliant movie. Kousik Ganguly is really making his mark. Relating two lives - a fictional and a real without overdoing it and the same time being honest and yet capturing every emotion.... Just amazing.... One important thing.... Watch the Apu Trilogy of Satyajit Ray before watching this movie cause you won't be able to enjoy the emotions and nostalgia fail to understand the greatness of this movie.... It's really sad how cinema forgets the talented childhood actors who don't try to get into the world of movies after growing up.... They deserve acknowledgement.... To conclude is a #MustWatch an should not be missed at any cost. And to the Apu Trilogy fans, it is not a reboot. You people should definitely watch this....

Simply an 'Epic' on par with Satyajit Ray's epic creation!!!!

[bshljtbaruah80 · 10/10 · 31 August 2014]

First of all accolade for Kaushik Ganguly for creating this masterpiece. A life story told/depicted in such a brilliant manner; such that it has turned out to be an unforgettable cinematic experience...a milestone in not only Bengali cinema but in world cinema as a whole. Watching 'Apur Panchali' is like regressing back to the world of Satyajit Ray...reliving those characters, those moments after almost 60 years. Now that's quite a magical experience indeed! I have watched many a movies of Kaushik Ganguly and he is no doubt a fantastic director. But with 'Apur Panchali' he has made his mark as one of the greatest. He definitely deserves the Silver Peacock award! Everything been sublime with Apur Panchali..say it the direction, the casting, the casts' performance and most remarkably that (recreated) background score..its simply fantabulous! Over all, a never to miss, a perfect once in a lifetime creation that you would like to cherish in your heart for ages just like Ray's Apu Trilogy. Moviewise 9 and +1 for Kaushik Ganguly....for gifting us this wonderful piece of cinema after a long long time

Extraordinary Film

[pritambag · 9/10 · 20 November 2019]

When ever I look into this film it gives an essence of nostalgia. It actually picturizes the fade out of a brilliant actor due to lack of significance and honour. The Cinematography of the film was done beautifully and I loved the comparison of the actor's reel life and real life. I can call this one of the best creation of Bengali Industry.

Thnks to director for this amazing film..

[amitshuva · 10/10 · 2 January 2021]

This is pleasant.Simple story,great acting and excellent cinematography.

only spoiler

[rup-maiti552 · 6/10 · 23 August 2016]

If you didn't watched the apur trilogy.i recommend to don't watch this movie.it's a remake of apu trilogy.full of spoiler.sorry for my bad English. review of apur trilogy-it's 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.