The Lonely Wife

Cited by Ray as his ‘most flawless film’, this sensitive, moving tale of a neglected housewife in Victorian-era Calcutta is adapted from a story by Rabindranath Tagore. Sailen Mukherjee stars as a newspaper journalist, driven more by professional ambition than the needs of his cultured and intelligent wife, Charulata (Madhabi Mukherjee). Sensing her loneliness, he enlists the help of his cousin Amal (Soumitra Chatterjee), a sensitive would-be writer, to keep her company. But upon meeting Charulata and Amal feel an immediate connection and their feelings quickly and almost inevitably begin to deepen…A singularly accomplished song to love, idealism, heartbreak and disillusionment’ Slant Magazine Winner – Best Director – Berlin 1965