Satyajit Ray’s movie Aparajito is a story about a family caught in the modern hustles of life. Although it was screened decades ago, this film relates to today’s social issues and difficulties. The movie’s story is both unique and familiar to many families. The ability of a film made in the previous century to deeply affect the modern audience by exploring timeless themes is what connects me personally to Aparajito.
The main theme of the film is that life is not static. It can be easily observed by looking at the storylines of the central characters. The protagonist, Abu, experiences change when his family moves to a new city when his father dies, and they are forced to return. Believing that at home everything stays the same, Abu rarely contacts his mother, which results in her loneliness and death. This turnout affected me because it stirred emotions of potential loss and family values.
Probably, the most thought-provoking idea of the film is that children experience relief at the death of their parents. Although Abu did feel tremendous sadness upon realization, the image of him being glad not to be bound by familial ties anymore is a symbolic representation of how little offsprings realize their parents’ love for them. Watching this scene was a profound discovery for me, as I felt how often mothers’ feelings are taken for granted.
Overall, the strongest feature of Aparajito is that it showcases the sad reality of relationships between children and parents using the example of a Bengali family. Not only does the movie disclose an often unseen side of families, but it also teaches the lesson of appreciation of parents’ feelings. As a result, the film cultivates everlasting values and constitutes a powerful viewing experience for the audience at the same time.