Agantuk
Encyclopedia
Agantuk is a 1991 Bengali film
directed by Satyajit Ray
. It was Ray's last film, and is based on one of his short stories, Atithi (The Guest).
) receives a letter from a man, who claims to be her long lost uncle, her husband Sudhindra (Deepankar De
) is suspicious. The man claiming to be Manomohan Mitra (Utpal Dutt
) appears and stays with the family, stating that he is an anthropologist who has traveled all over the world.
Anila, who initially believes the visitor, is slowly led to believe that he has come to claim his share of property by saying he is her uncle. Only her son believes that the visitor is Anila's uncle.
The central conflict of the film rests upon the identity of this man and the family's struggle to accept or reject it. Sudhindra subjects the visitor to various tests in an effort to resolve this conflict. On one occasion, he invites a lawyer and friend of his to gently question the guest. However, the lawyer's anger builds up until finally he orders the guest to "either come clean or get out." The next morning, the visitor is nowhere to be found; the family finally learns that he is in fact Manmohan Mitra and finds him in a remote tribal village.
The couple apologises to Manmohan, and persuades him to come back with them to Calcutta. In the end, Manmohan hands his niece a piece of paper, which turns out to be the claim to his share of property.
1991 Venice Film Festival
1992 National Film Awards
Bengali cinema
Bengali cinema refers to the Bengali language filmmaking industries in the Bengal region of South Asia. There are two major film-making hubs in the region: one in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and the other in Dhaka, Bangladesh .The history of cinema in Bengal dates back to the 1890s, when the first...
directed by Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
. It was Ray's last film, and is based on one of his short stories, Atithi (The Guest).
Plot summary
When Anila (Mamata ShankarMamata Shankar
Mamata Shankar is an actress in the Bengali language film industry of India. She has acted in films by renowned film directors including, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Buddhadev Dasgupta and Gautam Ghosh...
) receives a letter from a man, who claims to be her long lost uncle, her husband Sudhindra (Deepankar De
Deepankar De
Deepankar De is an actor in Bengali movies. He has worked in many movies as hero, villain and character artist.He starred in Satyajit Ray's Shakha Proshakha and Agantuk . He played a cameo in Seemabaddha and a character role in Ganashatru.-External links:...
) is suspicious. The man claiming to be Manomohan Mitra (Utpal Dutt
Utpal Dutt
Utpal Dutt was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali Theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the 'Little Theater Group' in 1947, which enacted many English, Shakespearean and Brecht plays, in a period...
) appears and stays with the family, stating that he is an anthropologist who has traveled all over the world.
Anila, who initially believes the visitor, is slowly led to believe that he has come to claim his share of property by saying he is her uncle. Only her son believes that the visitor is Anila's uncle.
The central conflict of the film rests upon the identity of this man and the family's struggle to accept or reject it. Sudhindra subjects the visitor to various tests in an effort to resolve this conflict. On one occasion, he invites a lawyer and friend of his to gently question the guest. However, the lawyer's anger builds up until finally he orders the guest to "either come clean or get out." The next morning, the visitor is nowhere to be found; the family finally learns that he is in fact Manmohan Mitra and finds him in a remote tribal village.
The couple apologises to Manmohan, and persuades him to come back with them to Calcutta. In the end, Manmohan hands his niece a piece of paper, which turns out to be the claim to his share of property.
Critical reception
- "Nothing, it seems, can take away the old fire. Ray's eye for detail and the old magic of his genius can't let go of The Stranger, a tour-de-force. The camera is wielded like a conductor's baton as it strikes chords deep in the mind." - The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
- "A graceful comedy made in a serene, classical style... we can still hear in its message the voice of a great artist!" - The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
- "A gentle, exquisitely realized comedy, beautifully observed, sweet and enriching!" - Vincent Canby, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- "One of Satyajit Ray's best." - John Hartl, The Seattle TimesThe Seattle TimesThe Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
- "Ray's finest work after Pather Panchali." - Ramesh Chopra, The Economic TimesThe Economic TimesThe Economic Times is an English-language Indian daily newspaper published by the Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.. The Economic Times was started in 1961. It is the most popular and widely read financial daily in India, read by more than 8 lakh people...
Awards
Agantuk received the following awards: http://www.satyajitray.org/films/agantuk.htm1991 Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
- Won - FIPRESCI AwardFIPRESCIThe International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
- Satyajit RaySatyajit RaySatyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
1992 National Film Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
- Won - Best Feature FilmNational Film Award for Best FilmThe National Award for Best Feature film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, India, and was constituted in the year 1954. This is one of the Golden Lotus Awards given among National Film Awards...
- Satyajit RaySatyajit RaySatyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature... - Won - Best DirectingNational Film Award for Best DirectingThe National Film Award for Best Direction winners are given below. Satyajit Ray has been awarded the maximum number of times in this category....
- Satyajit RaySatyajit RaySatyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature... - Won - Special Jury AwardNational Film Award - Special Jury Award / Special Mention (Feature Film)The National Film Award of India - Special Jury Award / Special Mention - Feature Film winners are:...
- Mamata ShankarMamata ShankarMamata Shankar is an actress in the Bengali language film industry of India. She has acted in films by renowned film directors including, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Buddhadev Dasgupta and Gautam Ghosh...