Apur Shangshar – Apu with Son (Coffee Mug Inside Coloured)

The World of Apu, initially released as Apur Sansar (Bengali: অপুর সংসার), is a 1959 Indian Bengali-language drama film written, produced, and directed by Satyajit Ray. It is adapted from the second half of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s novel Aparajito. Preceded by Pather Panchali (1955) and Aparajito (1956), it is the concluding instalment of Ray’s acclaimed Apu Trilogy, chronicling the life of Apu, a young Bengali man, through his formative years in early twentieth-century India. The film stars Soumitra Chatterjee in his debut role as Apu, alongside Sharmila Tagore as Apu’s wife, Aparna—both of whom would become frequent collaborators in Ray’s later works. Premiering on 1 May 1959, The World of Apu received widespread critical acclaim. It was awarded the Indian National Film Award for Best Feature Film and earned multiple international accolades, including the Sutherland Award for Best Original and Imaginative Film and the National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In the early 1930s Apurba “Apu” Kumar Roy is an unemployed graduate living in a rented room in Tala, Calcutta. Despite his teacher’s advice to continue his studies past the intermediate level, he is unable to do so because he cannot afford it. He barely manages to get by providing private tutoring while trying to find a job, but his main passion is writing a semi-autobiographical novel that he hopes to get published some day. Pulu, Apu’s friend from school, drops by and coaxes Apu to join him on a trip to his village in Khulna to attend the marriage of his cousin Aparna. On the day of the wedding it is discovered that the bridegroom has a serious mental disorder, and Aparna’s mother cancels the marriage, despite her husband’s protests. He and the other villagers believe, according to a prevalent Hindu tradition, that the young bride must be wedded off during the appointed auspicious hour, or else she will have to remain unmarried all her life. Apu initially refuses when Pulu and some villagers ask him to come to Aparna’s rescue by agreeing to marry her, but he ultimately acquiesces. After the wedding Apu returns to his apartment in Calcutta with Aparna, and Pulu sets him up in a clerical job. Somewhat to his surprise, a loving relationship begins to bloom between him and Aparna. However, the young couple’s blissful days are cut short when Aparna dies while giving birth to their son, Kajal. Overcome with grief, Apu cannot help holding the child responsible for Aparna’s death. He shuns his worldly responsibilities and becomes a vagabond, leaving Kajal to be raised by Aparna’s parents while he roams around India alone. On his travels, Apu throws away the manuscript of his novel. A few years later, Pulu returns after an extended period abroad and finds Kajal growing wild and uncared for. He seeks out Apu, finding him working at a coal mine, and advises his old friend to take up his fatherly responsibility. At last, Apu decides to come back to reality and reunite with his son. When he reaches Aparna’s family home, Kajal, having seen him for the first time in his life, at first does not accept him as a father. Eventually, he accepts Apu as a friend, and they return to Calcutta together to start life afresh.