1950s, Calcutta. Arati takes a job because her husband's income is not enough to live comfortably. Gradually, the woman gains financial independence and becomes the sole breadwinner in the family.

In the mid-1950s, Satyajit Ray introduced the world to the concept of “Indian parallel cinema” with his “Apu trilogy” about a young man growing up in rural India. These films were inspired by Italian neorealism and Soviet cinema, which focused on social justice and the representation of the working class. The directors of this movement (along with Ritvik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, and later their students) set themselves apart from Bollywood, which was making waves around the world with its colorful three-hour musicals based on stories of family drama and caste injustice. The films of the new directors were more nuanced, exploring reality in detail. At the same time, Ray did not deny himself subtle literary humor in his films, which grounded the difficult topics he addressed.

Big City was Ray's first entirely “urban” film. Through a series of situations, from first job interviews and sales to conflicts with her husband and boss, the film represents the experience of an urban woman just after India's independence and rapid urbanization. The film's characters, ordinary people who go to the cinema to watch Indian musicals, find themselves in a modern world that is ahead of them and learn to navigate it: Subrata chooses from numerous job advertisements for women, while Arati first develops financial agency and then an independent opinion, entering into conflict at work. Before our eyes, the dynamics of one family's relationships change forever, following the forever changed India.

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Media partner of the film program: ‘98mag