The Middleman

Quite probably the greatest Calcutta movie ever made, this is an astonishing work, especially to someone who has lived in that city before the current period of television and "modernism". How it will appeal to a non-Calcuttan is difficult to judge, and I am not bothered about it anyway, but I thank the master for this masterpiece.

It would be a bit of a stretch to call this a comedy - the context surrounding this film would be the social and political turmoil of Calcutta in the late 60s and early 70s. But there are a few moments of great gallows humor here, which adds to the sense of sharp realism - the job interview scene immediately springs to mind. More sprawling than most of the Satyajit Ray I've seen, MIDDLEMAN (JANA ARANYA) is nonetheless a remarkable film, further developing the sense of rambling, rhythmic slice-of-life feel (with many quiet moments of great moral insight hidden within) explored in his earlier KANCHENJUNGHA and the 1970 masterpiece DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST. Here, Ray's Calcutta recalls Scorsese's rather similar treatment of New York in TAXI DRIVER - location becomes character, and a vast city acquires a symbolic and mythic significance; the two films (made within a few years of each other, and conceived at roughly the same time) could almost be seen as distant mid-70s companions, linked by somewhat similar social and political concerns.

It is a great shame that more of Ray's work isn't available in the US - a body of work equivalent to that of Kurosawa, Ozu, Fellini or Bergman in its' breadth and depth is largely going unseen and sliding into obscurity in the West, due to (presumably) tangled business reasons. One would hope that someone can resolve this unfortunate state of affairs in the near future.

Jana Aranya / The Middleman (1976) : Brief Review -

Satyajit Ray ends 'Calcutta Trilogy' with a Cult Classic by exploring the horrible world of Brokers and PRO. Jana Aranya is the last chapter in Satyajit Ray's famous Calcutta Trilogy and without any doubts it is the Best Film in the trilogy. He saved the best for the last. It's a mind-shattering journey of a gentleman becoming a pimp and losing all the respect even in his own eyes. A bright and idealistic young man steels himself for the dog-eat-dog business world, only to flounder in a job market packed with thousands of other hopefuls. Once a gentleman, who hoped for an honest life loses self respect while making money and this boiling point surely burns your heart. Basically, the film portrays the economic difficulties faced by middle-class, educated, urban youth in 1970s India. Here we only see one of those thousands young fellas who battled tough times despite having capabilities and talent. The other factor is, the film shows a horrible reality of broker's business and PRO (Public Relations) which are still the most easiest trades to make money in India. But how many of us knows that how they actually deal with this, do they enjoy doing this job or were they forced into it? That's where the burning factor comes which left me stunned in the climax when he says, "I got it. The contract. I got it". And the burning silence is followed. Performances wise, Pradip Mukherjee is everything here. He gets a challenging character to play and he plays it like a master. The second best performance comes from Santosh Dutta, who plays a PRO, despite having less screentime. Dialogues, screenplay, cinematography and direction everything is top class. Nothing goes wrong about this film and therefore Jana Aranya is strongly recommended. Easily, in the Top 5 Films of Satyajit Ray. In short, A Cult Classic!

RATING - 8.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

This is a Bengali film by Satyajit Ray.

The film is about how the promising youth in the country go stumbling for lack of opportunity. In a country where thus references and under-the-hand options rule the roost than merit.

Here the film progresses well with the protagonist meeting, giving up on the lack of jobs, meets up with an old acquaintance and starts a business. However to land a big project, he has to compromise on his morals..

But the thought-provoking part is how while his business itself is of a middleman, he loaths those middlemen who don't think twice of pimping if needed to get the job done.

It shows in the end that those who work, no matter what the work, will always get to hold their head higher.

I rated it 8/10 on IMDB.

As bleak a film as Ray ever made and as brutally honest and disturbing as a film can be, Jana Aranya aka The Middleman, the final chapter in the master Indian filmmaker's highly acclaimed Calcutta Trilogy, jabs us in the small of our backs, rudely reminding us of the moral corruption that surrounds our society at large.

And, like most Satyajit Ray films, it is as relevant today as it was back then. Jana Aranya is not an easy film to watch and is certainly not meant for the faint-hearted.

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