SCREENING

Screen Icons: Madhabi Mukherjee

An arthouse icon who has starred in films that have inspired acclaimed directors such as Wes Anderson and Akira Kurosawa, Madhabi Mukherjee's inimitable screen presence is as dazzling as it is timeless.

Fully self-taught, Madhabi radiated elegance, depth and subtle complexities across all her characters. Be it the reticent ennui of a lonely housewife, or the scathing, all-appraising eye of a scorned lover, Madhabi embodied a kaleidoscopic range of feminine power across age and class -- often without needing to utter a single word.

Her three-year collaboration with celebrated director Satyajit Ray between 1963 - 65 has been noted as one of the most iconic and critically acclaimed runs in cinema history, earning multiple nods from the Berlinale, Venice Film Festival, and other prestigious festivals and venues.

This July, ArtScience Cinema is proud to present these three historic titles – Charulata, Mahanagar (The Big City) and Kapurush (The Coward) - all in conjunction with the exhibition Goddess: Brave. Bold. Beautiful. For more information on related cinema programmes, click here.

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Charulata / The Lonely Wife (1964)

Dir. Satyajit Ray

118 minutes | PG | Bengali with English subtitles

Showtimes

13 Jul (Sat), 6.30pm
27 Jul (Sat), 6.30pm

Dreamy, quietly powerful and as timelessly stylish as any high fashion house, Satyajit Ray’s minimalist classic features one of the most critically acclaimed lead performances ever caught on screen.

Unravelling a rich tapestry of subtle emotional textures, Madhabi Mukherjee is a revelation as Charu, a lonely and cultured young woman who barely sees her busy spouse. She spends time reading, relaxing and spying on passers-by through her field glasses. But the arrival of her husband’s cousin sends ripples of excitement through her pinned butterfly existence and sets her towards an artistic awakening as a writer.

Mahanagar / The Big City (1963)

Dir. Satyajit Ray

135 minutes | PG | Bengali with English subtitles

Showtimes
20 Jul (Sat), 6.30pm
3 Aug (Sat), 6.30pm

India’s submission for the 1963 Foreign Language Oscars and winner of 1965 Berlinale Silver Bear.

1960s Kolkata – Arati finds financial freedom for the first time by joining the workforce and experiences the joy of being good at what she does as a door-to-door salesperson. At the same time, Arati is saddened by the tension it’s causing her family and the people she loves, who are confounded by her newfound self.

A sublime masterclass in acting by Madhabi Mukherjee who according to director Satyajit Ray ‘rarely needed more than two or three takes’, this sensitively lensed story showcased the actress’s nuanced embodiment of a contemporary Indian woman caught between modernity and tradition.

Kapurush / The Coward (1965)

Dir. Satyajit Ray

69 minutes | PG | Bengali with English subtitles

Showtimes
19 Jul (Fri), 7.30pm
26 Jul (Fri), 7.30pm

Past Lives gone horrifically wrong – this elegant chamber piece surrounding a successful yet delusional screenwriter who accidentally reunites with a former lover is all at once quietly hilarious, deliciously cringe and woefully poignant.

Madhabi Mukherjee is unforgettable as the silently judgey Karuna, vibe-checking her very mid ex-lover Amitabha from start to finish and the power she wields in a single, wordless piercing gaze is the stuff of Midsommars.

A light-hearted yet contemplatively piece on gender and class dynamics in the face of opposing destinies, Kapurush is an instant arthouse classic.