Aparajito (; ) is a 1956
Bengali film directed by
Satyajit Ray, and is the second part of
The Apu Trilogy. It is adapted from the last one-fifth of
Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee's novel
Pather Panchali and the first one-third of its sequel
Aparajito. It focuses on the life of Apu from childhood to college. The film won eleven international awards, including the
Golden Lion at the
Venice Film Festival. It is followed by the third part of the trilogy,
The World of Apu.
Plot
The film begins with Apu's family getting settled in an apartment close to a
ghat in
Benares. Here Apu (
Pinaki Sengupta) makes new friends. While his mother Sarbajaya (
Karuna Banerjee) stays at home, his father Harihar (
Kanu Banerjee) works as a priest. On a
Diwali day, Harihar develops a fever and rests, as Apu comforts him. The next day, he leaves for his work as usual towards the
ghat, ignoring his wife's advice to rest. While coming back to home, he collapses on the stairs of the
ghat, and dies soon afterwards.
In Harihar's absence, it becomes Sarbajaya's responsibility to earn money for the family. She starts working as a maid. A relative invites them to return to their ancestral village in Dewanpur (in
Rajshahi Division, modern-day
Bangladesh). They settle in a village called
Mansapota. Apu asks his mother to send him to a school. Apu studies diligently and receives a
scholarship to go to
Calcutta (now Kolkata). Sarbajaya does not want to let her son leave. She gives in and...
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