From Mumbai to Kolkata, filmmakers capture the rich social fabric of life in India’s bustling cities. In the hilariously deadpan short documentary TUNGRUS, an ornery pet rooster terrorizes a family in a cramped Mumbai apartment. It’s followed by Satyajit Ray’s masterful drama THE BIG CITY, which explores changing gender roles in 1950s India via the story of a Kolkata housewife entering the workforce. Keenly attuned to the sights, sounds, and everyday details of urban life, these films offer humorous and deeply humane insights into the inner workings of Indian family and society.
Directed by Rishi Chandna • 2017 • India
With a mix of deadpan humor and observational detail, documentarian Rishi Chandna tells the story of how of a temperamental pet rooster came to share an apartment with a Mumbai family and how the bird has changed their lives - for better and (mostly) worse.
Directed by Satyajit Ray • 1963 • India
Starring Madhabi Mukherjee, Anil Chatterjee, Jaya Bhaduri
THE BIG CITY, the great Satyajit Ray’s first portrayal of contemporary life in his native Kolkata, follows the personal triumphs and frustrations of Arati (Madhabi Mukherjee), who decides, despite t...
