Ritwik Kumar Ghatak stands among the most original, radical, and uncompromising filmmakers to emerge from South Asia after Independence, yet his work has long remained inaccessible to audiences. Through recurring motifs such as the Great Mother, rivers, and the struggles of the dispossessed, Ghatak explores themes of human connection, social justice, marginalisation, and ecological crisis. His films endure as deeply moving, politically charged, and stylistically bold works that affirm cinema’s profound emotional and moral force. 

In this two-day retrospective curated by film scholar and documentarian Sanghita Sen, we present a selection of Ghatak's films showcasing his innovative storytelling and dedication to using cinema as a tool for political change. 

This ticket will provide admission to both films on Saturday (The Cloud-Capped Star and The Golden Line).  

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4 PM: The Cloud-Capped Star / Meghe Dhaka Tara 

(Dir: Ritwik Ghatak, 1960, 134 min, Cert: PG; English subtitles) 

The most widely viewed of Ghatak's works and his greatest commercial success within India, The Cloud-Capped Star is a melodrama about the self-sacrificing Nita, a young woman whose goodness is taken for granted by her family and community until tragedy strikes. 

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7:30 PM: The Golden Line / Subarnarekha 

(Dir: Ritwik Ghatak, 1965, 133 min, No Certificate; English subtitles)

Content note: Contains themes of suicide

The third film of Ritwik Ghatak's Partition Trilogy and the least screened, Subarnarekha is a story of a refugee family settling beside a small industrial area (along the eponymous river) in the aftermath of Partition. They’re determined to rebuild their lives, but over time, hardship, separation, and social prejudice gradually erode their hopes. Grand in scope yet deeply personal in its sorrow, Ghatak weaves together melodrama, myth, and politics to create a tragic portrait of a nascent nation marked by the wounds of Partition.

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We are grateful to the Ritwik Memorial Trust and Ritaban Ghatak for granting us permission for these screenings.

50% of box office proceeds will be donated to Medical Aid Palestine.