Directed by Satyajit Ray • 1960 • India
Starring Sharmila Tagore, Chhabi Biswas, Soumitra Chatterjee
In this tragic fable set in the nineteenth century, the patriarch (Chhabi Biswas) of a wealthy family comes to believe that his daughter-in-law, Doyamoyee (Sharmila Tagore), is a reincarnation of the goddess Kali, to whom he is strongly devoted. As word of her supposedly divine abilities begins to spread, Doyamoyee begins to lose herself in the illusion, with devastating consequences. Satyajit Ray’s sublime images lend this lyrical commentary on faith and superstition a haunting power.
The film is presented in standard definition in the best available master.
Directed by Satyajit Ray • 1960 • India
A young woman's father-in-law begins to believe that she is a reincarnation of the goddess Kali, to whom he is strongly devoted. As she falls under the adoring eyes of other villagers, she begins to lose herself to the illusion in this tragic fable directe...
The following interviews with actors Sharmila Tagore and Soumitra Chatterjee were recorded in 2013 in Delhi and Kolkata, respectively.
This video essay on DEVI was written and narrated by Meheli Sen, an associate professor of South Asian and global cinemas at Rutgers University, and produced in 2021.
