Sen @ 100: A Centennial Celebration of Mrinal Sen’s Life and Work

Bhuvan Shome (1969)

Opening night of Indian filmmaker Mrinal Sen Centennial and Retrospective! This comedy-drama revolves around the unexpected bond that develops between Bhuvan Shome, a disciplinarian railway official and Gauri, a young bride of one of Shome’s subordinates, during his brief sojourn in a village in Gujarat. Co-sponsored by the Film and Media Studies Program, South Asian Studies Council, Comparative Literature Department, Whitney Humanities Center, and The MacMillan Center Free and open to the public.

Oka Oori Katha / The Outsiders (1977)

This Telugu language film, based on Munshi Premchand’s short story “Kafan” (Burial Shroud), shifts the location from North to South India, depicting the struggles of a Dalit family in a brahminical society. The film delves into themes of gender, caste, and class with a nuanced approach, reflecting Sen’s unmistakable style and sensibility. Through the lens of the protagonist’s experiences, it sheds light on the harsh realities of life and discrimination faced by marginalized communities in India.

Akaler Shadhaney / In Search of a Famine (1980)

Couched in a film-within-film structure, Sen’s classic follows a film crew who arrives in a village to depict the devastating famine that claimed five million lives in Bengal in 1943. As they immerse themselves in the production, the narrative captures both the camaraderie among the crew and the challenges of filmmaking on location. The actors navigate a dual existence, while the villagers observe their work with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. However, as the film progresses, the boundaries between past and present blur, with the recreated historical events intersecting with contemporary realities. A village woman’s prophetic visions further complicate the temporal dynamics, adding a glimpse into the future. This convergence of past, present, and future creates a disconcerting scenario for those involved in capturing the famine’s horrors.

Ek din Pratidin / And the Quiet Rolls the Dawn (1979)

In a middle-class household, the daughter who financially supports her family doesn’t come back from work one evening. The evening starts with concerns at home, leading to late-night searches and eventually escalating into a crisis fueled by the economic and moral limitations of the Bengali society.

Matira Manisha / Two Brothers (1966)

Based on esteemed Odia author Kalindi Charan Panigrahi’s classic text, this is Sen’s first film outside Bengal. The film explores the clash between traditional and modern values through the contrasting perspectives of two brothers regarding their inherited land. One brother embodies traditional values, while the other represents modernity. Their differing attitudes towards the land serve as a lens through which the broader theme of cultural evolution and societal change is examined.

Co-sponsored by the Film and Media Studies Program, South Asian Studies Council, Comparative Literature Department, Whitney Humanities Center, and The MacMillan Center

Free and open to the public.