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Bengali writer-director Ritwik Ghatak (“Nagarik”/”A River Called Titas“/”Reason, Debate and a Story“) is recognized widely as India’s second most acclaimed filmmaker, with only the great Satyajit Ray considered his better. The Cloud-Capped Star is the first leg of a trilogy that includesE FlatandSubarnarekha. This film classic from India is set in the late 1950’s in the outskirts of an impoverished Calcutta. The tragic melodrama involves a refugee middle-class family, victims of the 1947 Partition of East Bengal, who are struggling to survive their poverty and loss of cultural values.It’s based on a story by Shaktipada Rajguru.

A family, uprooted from East Pakistan by the Partition of India, are now refugees living on the outskirts of Calcutta. Nita (Supriya Choudhury), a beautiful young girl, has taken on the responsibility for the family as her older brother, Shankar (Anil Chatterjee) has abandoned the family for the life of a singer. He spends his days singing rather than working. The father is a teacher, but makes only a pittance. Nita is trying to go to school while also teaching local children, but when her father is injured she becomes the sole support of the family.

Director: Ritwik Ghatak (as Shri Ritwik Kumar Ghatak)
Cast: Supriya Choudhury, Anil Chatterjee, Gyanesh Mukherjee
Country: India
Genre: Drama, Musical

BD50, DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 02:07:10 | 42.8 Gb + 7.47 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Bengali
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Kumar Shahani (HD, 28:40) are students-turned-filmmakers who learned from the master filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak while attending the Film and Television Institute of India. Delving into their views on The Cloud-Capped Star and its cultural significance, the two gentlemen fondly reminisce about the film as well as their memories of working alongside Ghatak. This interview simultaneously charms and delights as Ghatak is paid tribute for his contributions to cinema.

• Stills Gallery (00:37) is a click-through gallery which includes archival photographs related to the production and filmmakers involved. The gallery includes detailed notations regarding the individuals spotlighted in these photographs with information relevant to the material. These notations are have white-text on black backgrounds and include instructions on how to navigate the material. The included photos are courtesy of Nabarupa Bhattacharjee.