Directed by Satyajit Ray • 1958 • India
Starring Chhabi Biswas, Padma Devi, Pinaki Sen Gupta
With THE MUSIC ROOM (JALSAGHAR), Satyajit Ray brilliantly evokes the crumbling opulence of the world of a fallen aristocrat (the beloved actor Chhabi Biswas) desperately clinging to a fading way of life. His greatest joy is the music room in which he has hosted lavish concerts over the years—now a shadow of its former vivid self. An incandescent depiction of the clash between tradition and modernity, and a showcase for some of India’s most popular musicians of the day, THE MUSIC ROOM is a defining work by the great Bengali filmmaker.
Over the course of two years, beginning in 1981, filmmaker Shyam Benegal interviewed Satyajit Ray about his long career. The result was this documentary, completed in 1984, which also features on-set footage from Ray’s thirty-second film, THE HOME AND THE WORLD, family photographs, and extensive ...
In this interview, recorded in 2011, Andrew Robinson, author of “Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye,” discusses the making of THE MUSIC ROOM and the film’s cultural significance.
In this interview, recorded in 2011, filmmaker Mira Nair (SALAAM BOMBAY!, MONSOON WEDDING) discusses her admiration for Satyajit Ray and THE MUSIC ROOM.
