Jalsaghar
Encyclopedia
Jalsaghar is the fourth feature film directed by Satyajit Ray. Jalsaghar is a narration of the end days of a Zamindar
in Bengal. The landlord, Roy (Chhabi Biswas), is a just but other-worldly man who loves to spend time listening to music and putting up spectacles rather than managing his fields ravaged by floods and the abolition of zamindari system by the Indian Government. He is challenged by a commoner who has attained riches through business dealings, in putting up spectacles and organizing music fests. This is the tale of a zamindar who has nothing left but respect, and sacrifices his family and wealth in trying to retain it.
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
in Bengal. The landlord, Roy (Chhabi Biswas), is a just but other-worldly man who loves to spend time listening to music and putting up spectacles rather than managing his fields ravaged by floods and the abolition of zamindari system by the Indian Government. He is challenged by a commoner who has attained riches through business dealings, in putting up spectacles and organizing music fests. This is the tale of a zamindar who has nothing left but respect, and sacrifices his family and wealth in trying to retain it.
Cast
- Chhabi BiswasChhabi BiswasChhabi Biswas was a much revered Bengali character actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's Kabuliwala and Satyajit Ray's films Jalshaghar , Devi and Kanchenjungha .He is the best remembered for his numerous roles as the quintessential aristocratic patriarch, was himself the...
- Biswambhar Roy - Padma Devi - Mahamaya, Roy's wife
- Pinaki Sen Gupta - Khoka, Roy's son
- Gangapada Bose - Mahim Ganguly, Neighbour
- Tulsi Lahari - Manager of Roy's estate
- Kali Sarkar - Ananta, Roy's servant
- Ustad Waheed Khan - Ustad Ujir Khan, Singer
- Roshan Kumari - Krishna Bai, The dancer
- Begum AkhtarBegum AkhtarAkhtari Bai Faizabadi or Begum Akhtar was a well known Indian singer of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri.She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by Govt. of India...
- Durga Bai, Singer
Other credits
- Music & Dance performances - Begum AkhtarBegum AkhtarAkhtari Bai Faizabadi or Begum Akhtar was a well known Indian singer of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri.She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by Govt. of India...
, Roshan Kumari, Ustad Waheed Khan, Bismillah KhanBismillah KhanUstad Bismillah Khan was an Indian shehnai maestro. He was the third classical musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna , the highest civilian honour in India and gained worldwide acclaim for playing the shehnai for more than eight decades....
- Dakhshinamohan Thakur, Ashish Kumar, Robin Mazumdar, Imrat KhanImrat KhanImrat Khan is a leading sitar and surbahar player. He is the younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan.-Training and early career:...