The Music Room

The Music Room
Jalsaghar
India
1958
100 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
Bengali
DIR Satyajit Ray
PROD Satyajit Ray
SCR Satyajit Ray, Tarashankar Banerjee
DP Subrata Mitra
CAST Chhabi Biswas, Padmadevi, Pinaki Sengupta, Gangapada Basu, Tulsi Lahiri, Kali Sarkar, Waheed Khan, Roshan Kumari, Sardar Akhtar, Bismillah Khan, Salamat Ali Khan
ED Dulal Dutta
PROD DES Bansi Chandragupta
MUSIC Ustad Vilayat Khan, Asis Kumar, Robin Majumder, Dakhin Mohan Takhur
SOUND Durgadas Mitra
My Rating: 5/5

The Music Room is a stunning masterpiece in black and white that is like a lavish painting on a sprawling canvas that pretty much portrays the story of India. It tells the story of a landlord in Bengal who refuses to give up his lavish lifestyle even in the face of decaying wealth and fortune. He is a connoisseur of art, especially music and doesn’t hesitate to call the most famous musicians in the music room of his palatial house. In the course of the film the landlord loses his near and dear ones which devastate him and put a temporary end to his concerts until he decides to recreate it one final time to show his neighbor Ganguly (a self made industrialist) his place. After all, as he remarks to his servant, its his blood and pedigree that separate him from the self made rich. An idea that pretty much encompasses all the feudal lords that ruled various parts of India. The British colonization brought along with it the mechanization of the world surrounding them which these royals could never digest. They would allow the British to rule their people provided they were allowed to enjoy their wealth and lifestyle as they were used to. But as they say, everything comes to an end and so did the wealth and opulence of these royals. The vanity of their attempt to live in the past is beautifully portrayed by Ray through the life of Lord Roy. It is also ironical to observe Roy’s loyal servants who remain in the background but their presence always emphasizes Roy’s insanity and their disappointment at the plight of their master.

The music room concerts are done so brilliantly that they must be seen to be believed. The fluid camera movement and editing weave a web around you that doesn’t leave you until the end. This is an experience you must not miss.