A Bengali-language film set in rural Bengal, Pather Panchali is the first part of Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy, and is based on the novel of the same name by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. The plot initially revolves around a disputed orchard. Durga, the child of an impoverished local family, lives with her brother Apu, her parents, and their elderly aunt Indir. Durga often picks guavas and other fruit from the orchard, to the disapproval of the local owners. A little later in the film we find out Durga's Dad, Harihar Roy, once owned the orchard but had to give it away to pay off a debt that was owed by his brother. The orchard owners are moneylenders, whereas Durga's Dad is a priestly poet with little interest in material things.
"Original plays don't grow on trees," says the Dad, but the mother Sarbajaya looks worried about the family's prospects. Ray's film is concerned with the condition of women. The wife takes on all the cares and responsibilities of family life, while the husband sleeps, eats and goes about his work. She grows to resent him and on one occasion reminds him that she once had dreams too. But in the Italian neorealist style to which Pather Panchali owes a great debt, the family continues to face a number of challenges throughout the film, including the death of Indir, the loss of their home and the father's decision to leave the village to seek work in the city.
Despite these challenges, the film is not entirely bleak. It also shows the love and support that the Roy family has for one another, and the small moments of everyday joy they experience. Satyajit Ray and cinematographer Subrata Mitra also capture the beauty of the Bengali landscape, while at the same time not shying away from the harsh reality of rural poverty. Pather Panchali has become an important part of Bengali identity and has helped to shape the way that Bengalis see the beauty and complexity of their culture. Ray was also focused on wider issues in Indian society, raising important questions in the film about poverty, inequality and social justice, and the social and economic structures that oppress the poor.
One of the film's most notable innovations was its score, composed by the legendary Ravi Shankar. The use of a non-traditional score was a departure from the norm in Indian cinema, and Shankar blends the modern and the traditional, with sitar versions of classical Indian ragas. Pather Panchali's score has not only been influential in the world of film, but also inspired by many musicians, include George Harrison.
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