Satyajit Ray 's Mahanagar, first released in 1963, has made a return to the big screens. Re-released with English subtitles and in 2K restoration, its black-and-white images are as distinct and potent now as they have ever been. When a film re-releases in a different time, for a different generation altogether, does its reception also warrant a shift? How does a new generation of viewers react and communicate with the film's concerns? For a film as culturally specific as Mahanagar--it is set in the mid-1950s in Kolkata--it holds its place and power like a time capsule and still reflects the dichotomies of the same megalopolis decades later.
(Also read: After Heeramandi, watch Rajkahini: Srijit Mukerji's grittier Bengali film on women fighting for freedom ) About Mahanagar Mahanagar, based on Narendranath Mitra’s short story Awbotawronika (A Flight of Stairs), revolves around Arati (Madhabi Mukherjee), a housewife who takes a job as a door-to-door saleswoman. Her decision to work outside her home causes more turmoil, as Arati's husband, Subrata (Anil Chatterjee) loses his job. Mahanagar also marked the first screen appearance of Jaya Bachchan (then, Bhaduri), who plays the younger sister of Subrata.
It is fascinating that the re-release of Mahanagar arrives at a time when the city it is based on, Kolkata, is in a state of turmoil. Once considered a lifeline of the city, the iconic Kolkata trams are now considered outdated. The West Bengal government has now decided to end Ko.