Charulata, or “The Lonely Wife”, was the twelfth film for renowned Indian director Satyajit Ray and the film is often regarded as his greatest one. It was also, reportedly, his personal favorite among his own works. Released in 1964, it vividly portrays an upper class Indian household in Calcutta, circa 1879, when India was under British rule during the Victorian era. The plot is deceptive in its simplicity since it lays the foundation for a film that is stunning in its poetic depth and exploration of the most profound of questions of human existence.

Charulata (Madhabi Mukherjee), called “Charu” by her intimates, belongs to the Bengali upper class, leading a life of idle privilege. She is the wife of Bhupati (Shailen Mukherjee), who has inherited wealth and uses the freedom that he is thereby privileged to possess to publish a political newspaper. He prides himself on not having become one of the idle rich and is fully absorbed in the politics of his time. Bhupati is idealistic and motivated by such notions as freedom, equality, Indian independence, and change. His paper’s motto is, “The Truth is What Survives.” Although he adores his wife and is devoted to her well-being, he is also what, in modern America, would be called a workaholic. He is fully focused on the success of his paper and observes, at one moment, that he loves the smell of fresh ink. He jokes that his newspaper is his “second wife”, but Charulata understands that it is she who is the second wife and his paper the first. Charu knows and loves her husband too well to complain, and suffers her loneliness stoically.

Charulata’s social status and freedom from resource worries might seem to provide her with plentiful opportunity for fulfillment, but her reality is quite the opposite. Though Bhupati is actively engaged in the society at large, the home, with its lovely garden and handsome interiors, comprises Charu’s entire world. She is intelligent, sensitive and creative, but unable to exercise these qualities in the confines of her home. Though she nominally manages the home with its retinue of servants, the servants behave as though they have been long in the family’s employ and in little need of supervision. Charu loves her husband and seeks to please him as best she can (embroidering a handkerchief and slippers for him), but is starving for both attention and aesthetic stimulation. Bhupati and she are poorly matched in their interests. Where he is practical and political, she reads Bengali literature and poetry (which he dismisses as sentimental rubbish). She is unable to share her emotional life with her stolid husband. She paces about and slyly observes passersby through a pair of opera glasses. Sometimes she even observes her departing husband through the glasses, as if to emphasize the distance between them. Her only companion of near-equal social stature with whom she regularly shares her living space is her sister-in-law, Manda (Gitali Roy), but Manda is relatively shallow and more than content to pass her day in idleness and card playing, and exhibits passion only for ice cream.

The tension of the film profoundly deepens when, into this imperfect relationship, a new element is introduced. Bhupathi’s young cousin, Amal (Soumitra Chatterjee), a recent college graduate, has been floundering in the next phase of his studies. Bhupathi invites Amal to stay in his household, for a while, ostensibly to help with the newspaper, but, in reality, to rest, rejuvenate himself, and reestablish his bearings. Amal arrives and it becomes immediately apparent that the two men have great respect for one another but are entirely different sorts. Amal is flamboyant and aesthetic but bored by politics. Bhupathi, understanding at some level that his wife’s life is unfulfilled, asks Amal to spend time with her, to ascertain if she does, in fact, have talent for writing, and, if so, to encourage her. Although the idea of spending time with the older Charu is initially less than appealing to Amal, he is indebted to Bhupathi for his hospitality and is obliged to agree -- out of gratitude.

Charulata feels an immediate kinship of spirit with Amal. Here, at last, is her equal in intellect and emotional sensitivity, who shares her interest in writing and love for literature and poetry. Amal reads poetry to her and awakens her deepest feelings. Charu quickly develops a strong attachment to Amal, akin to love, because he feeds the deep emotional hunger that has existed unfulfilled within her for so long. For his part, Amal is initially oblivious to both her feelings and his own, both because he is loyal to a fault to his cousin and because he is a rather self-absorbed person. Later, he grows as attached to her as she is to him. Satyajit Ray does not demean the importance of the relationship by introducing any element of adultery into this chaste, spiritual connection, but the viewer fully understands the depth of their mutual attachment (and consequent emotional betrayal of Bhupathi, however unintended) from their intellectual sparring and teasing of one another. Amal is encouraged by Charu to submit his literary effort for publication and it later appears in the prestigious magazine, “The Lotus.” He encourages her to write from her own experiences and she secretively writes a piece based on the village of her childhood. Amal and Bhupathi are both flabbergasted and impressed beyond words when her work appears in “The Philanthrope”, an equally prestigious publication. Bhupathi first learns of her success from newspaper colleagues during a political celebration, further emphasizing how out of touch he and his wife have become.

Bhupathi receives a letter containing a marriage offer for Amal – an arranged marriage to the daughter of a well-connected and wealthy lawyer that will open up significant opportunities for Amal to continue his studies in England and for a subsequent career. Charulata is distraught at the thought of Amal leaving but must carefully hide these feelings lest she pain her husband with the revelation of her attachment to Amal.

The film now approaches its climax in tension when Bhupati’s brother-in-law, Umapada (the husband of Manda) culminates a betrayal (long in premeditation). Having been trusted by Bhupati with the newspaper’s finances, Umapada has been systematically delaying payments to creditors and hoarding the money, and has now absconded with it, leaving the paper bankrupt. Bhupati needs his wife’s loyal support, now more than ever, since his so-called “second wife” has been wounded, possibly beyond recovery. Amal, shamed that his good friend and cousin has been betrayed through embezzlement by one relative, now realizes that he, himself, is threatening Bhupati with a deeper betrayal by his attachment to Charu. The honorable Amal makes excuses and departs immediately.

Charu and Bhuparti undertake a brief vacation at a beach so that Bhuparti can recover from the financial calamity and determine on the future of his beloved newspaper. Charu, still loves her husband well and supports him fully, even if her love for him lacks the passion of her feelings for Amal. It is she that suggests to him that they broaden the papers appeal by dividing it between a political section, under Bhuparti influence, and a literary section for which she will assume responsibility. They return home with Bhuparti optimistic about resuscitating the paper.

A letter now arrives from Amal, announcing that he has accepted the arranged marriage, with means that Charu will likely never or seldom encounter him ever again. Bhuparti hands the letter to Charu, with no expectation of it causing her undue pain, and leaves. Upon reading the letter in private, Charu breaks uncontrollably into tears and, in the midst of this, Bhuparti returns, now realizing for the first time the extent of the emotional attachment between his wife and his cousin and the extent to which he, himself, has neglected her. They join hands in the final freeze frame of the film, on top of which is then superimposed the words, “The Ruined Nest” – which was the title of Rabindranath Tagore’s novella on which the movie was based.

Satyajit Ray is a master at subtly communicating through artistry and cinematographic technique in lieu of action and dialogue alone. We see, for example, Bhupati’s face acquire a glow when he is in his newspaper room. He conveys Bhupati’s preoccupation with his work and neglect of Charu when he walks past her in their home, taking no notice of her as she watches him plaintively. Amal’s arrival is punctuated by a storm. With mere gestures, Charu expresses her innermost romantic feelings. At the beach, Charu pulls Bhupati’s first gray hairs. Ray’s craftsmanship is sublime, advancing the poignant, emotional texture of his story with perfect delicacy.

Charulata was filmed in black-and-white in Bengali and appears with English subtitles in the American version. It is an exquisite masterpiece dealing with timeless themes of passion, loyalty, and betrayal that will be enjoyed by anyone with a taste for cinematographic art.


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You might want to check out these other excellent films from India:

Aparajito
Earth
Jalsaghar
Kadosh
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
Mother India
Pather Panchali
Salaam Bombay!
The Terrorist
The World of Apu

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older