Shakha Proshakha
| Shakha Proshakha (Branches of the Tree) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Satyajit Ray |
| Produced by | Satyajit Ray Productions, Gérard Depardieu (D. D. Productions), Daniel Toscan Du Plantier (Erato Films) and Soprofilms |
| Written by | Satyajit Ray |
| Starring |
Ajit Bannerjee Haradhan Bannerjee Deepankar Dey Soumitra Chatterjee Ranjit Mallick Soham Chakraborty Lily Chakravarty Mamata Shankar |
| Cinematography | Barun Raha |
| Edited by | Dulal Dutta |
Release date |
|
Running time | 130 min. |
| Country | India |
| Language | Bengali |
Shakha Proshakha (Bengali: শাখা প্রশাখা) is a 1990 Satyajit Ray film. It deals with four generations of a well-to-do Bengali family, with a focus on the third generation.
Plot
Ananda Majumdar, a wealthy, retired industrialist, lives with his second son and aged father who is 93 yrs old. The second son Prashanto who is mentally ill spends his time listening to music. On his 70th birthday, he suddenly falls ill during a ceremony in his honor. His other three sons who live away rush immediately to his bedside.
The eldest son is a high-ranking officer in a company and the third son is a businessman. They live corrupt lives and do not want their father, an uncompromising moralist who believes in work and honesty, to find out. The youngest of the four, weary of office life and corruption, has left his job and joins a professional theatre company to be away from corruption. During the family meals, tensions are accentuated. Dingo, the only child learnt about the corrupt ways of his father and uncle. Waiting for resolution of their father's health crisis, the four brothers and their families reminisce and relive ideological differences.
One day, all of them except the 2nd son went for picnic. There the youngest son informed everyone that he left his job as he was not able to tolerate the corrupt practices of the officers. On the last day, Dingo goes to see his grandfather and unknowingly revealed to him about the dishonesty of his father and eldest uncle. This conversation is also heard by Prashanto. Then the families, unaware that their father now know about their corrupt ways, came to goodbye Ananda. After their departure, Ananda feels heartbroken knowing that his two children are dishonest. Prashanto comes to meet his father and his father reveals to him that he is now everything to him.
Other credits
Credits
| Producer | Satyajit Ray Productions, Gérard Depardieu (D. D. Productions), Daniel Toscan Du Plantier (Erato Films) and Soprofilms |
| Original Screenplay & Direction | Satyajit Ray |
| Cinematography | Barun Raha |
| Editing | Dulal Dutta |
| Art Direction | Ashoke Bose |
| Sound | Pierre Lenoir, Sujit Sarkar, Jyoti Chatterjee |
| Music | Satyajit Ray, Bach, Beethoven |
Cast
| Character | Relation | Performer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ananda Majumdar | Father | Ajit Banerjee | NA |
| Probodh | Eldest son | Haradhan Banerjee | NA |
| Proshanto | Second son | Soumitra Chatterjee | NA |
| Probir | Third son | Deepankar Dey | NA |
| Protap | Fourth son | Ranjit Mallick | NA |
| Uma | Probodh's wife | Lily Chakravarty | NA |
| Tapti | Probir's wife | Mamata Shankar | NA |
| Dingo | Grandson | Soham Chakraborty | NA |
| Reporter | - | Pradip Mukherjee | NA |
References
External links
- satyajitray.org on the film
- "Satyajit Ray Film and Study Collection", UCSC
- Shakha Proshakha (Branches of the Tree) on IMDb