NIRJAN SAIKATE

Director Tapan Sinha / 1963 / India

A young girl, who has just been jilted, is taken to the city of Pun by her four widowed relatives. On the train the party befriends a young writer bound for the same place. During his stay there and his subsequent travels, he becomes more and more entangled with the widows and the listless girl who eventually falls in love with him. When her former fiance appears on the scene the girl has to make decision...

While the pace and direction of the film is generally in the traditional idiom of Indian films, the episodic treatment of the story, the keen observation of minor characters, and the pensive atmosphere occasionally recall the earlier works of Antonioni. The few songs and one dancing sequence, invevitable in popular Indian films, are carefully introduced at logical points of the story, and the sense of realism is further enhanced by the extensive use of exterior shots. The scenes taking place at the ancient temple of Konarak are especially well handled.

Silver Peacock, best actress award for group acting, New Delhi Festival.

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