Big Screen: “The Hero”

Satyajit Ray’s The Hero (Nayak) is a complex character study that focuses on Uttam Kumar, Bengali cinema’s legendary superstar, as Arindam Mukherjee, a consummate matinee idol embarking on an overnight train ride to Delhi to receive a prestigious national award. During this trip, he runs into journalist Aditi Sengupta (played by the equally legendary Sharmila Tagore) who uses the chance encounter to interview the actor. As the train journeys on, their conversation leads to profound self-examination on the part of the movie star; a series of wistful flashbacks and dream sequences reveal the character’s mistakes, misgivings, secrets, and insecurities. A critical hit upon its release in 1966, The Hero is widely celebrated for Ray’s thoughtful meditations on art, celebrity, and aging.

Trinankur Banerjee (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) and Bishnupriya Ghosh (English and Global Studies, UCSB) will join moderator Bhaskar Sarkar (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of The Hero.