RAY'S BRILLIANCE

• I am not an expert to comment about Satyajit Ray's films, but am too much of an avid enthusiast to restrain myself from saying a few words.
• The Postmaster evoked a kind of numb sadness, the effect of which lingered on as a sweet pain for sometime. It's about the relationship between a postmaster from Kolkata who comes to a one-horse town and a small orphan girl whose job is to take care of who ever takes over as the postmaster.
• He teaches the girl Bengali and she prepares food for him. After the postmaster catches a fever, he decides to resign and go back and the girl is upset. The last scene is a tragic moment which will be etched in the memory. The postmaster welcomes his replacement and calls the young girl. Seeing she is not anywhere within earshot, he gives a coin to the new man and asks him to give it to the girl, then pauses for a second and walks away with the money in hand. He sees the girl coming towards him with a water pail. He calls out to her, she ignores him and goes past him. The postmaster is left holding the coin as the girl reaches the post office.
• The offering of money to the girl is the most poignant moment; that the man tried to measure her sense of loss with a coin cannot be lost on anyone.
• Ray said so little, but the eloquence was explosive.
• Another film that touched me was Nayak, with Uttam Kumar, an actor, and Sharmila Tagore, editor of a magazine. Their friendship during a train journey forms the story. And what feelings they have for each other will cast a colour on the viewer. Ray leaves much to be inferred.
• The train reaches its destination and Uttam Kumar is welcomed by his fans and Sharmila is received by her uncle and they go off in different directions. And as in the earlier film, the last scene will linger on for years to come.
• Of course, there are many films of Ray, mainly the Appu trilogy, which I saw when I was very young. Would love to see it again and write.