# Devi (1960)

### reviewed by
Murali Krishnan

    [2.5/4.0]

(Dialog in Bengali, English subtitles)

This film is also known by the English title "The Goddess".

Religious devotion can be a double-edged sword. Kalikinkar (Chhabi Biswas) is a widower whose two sons and their families live with him. His younger son, Umaprasad (Soumitra Chatterjee), is away at college, but Umaprasad's young wife, Doyamoyee (Sharmila Tagore), remains at home. Doyamoyee is well liked by everyone, especially Kalikinkar, who appreciates the efforts she goes through to attend to his needs. Kalikinkar has spent years in fervent devotion to the mother goddess Kali, and it is his main solace in his old age. The balance of the household is disturbed when Kalikinkar suddenly receives a vision that his daughter-in-law is an incarnation of Kali. Kalikinkar replaces the stone idol in the prayer room with Doyamoyee, and she spends practically the entire day sitting as the object of extended worship sessions which attract people from the local area who also start believing Kalikinkar's vision.

Not everyone is convinced of Doyamoyee's holiness. The rational Umaprasad is horrified when he discovers what has happened, because he know that Doyamoyee will not protest the wishes of his father and will allow herself to be imprisoned by her respected elders. Umaprasad's older brother, Taraprasad (Purnendu Mukherjee), goes along mainly because he always agrees with his father. Taraprasad's wife, Harasundari (Karuna Bannerjee), is not educated like Umaprasad, but like him she does not understand how people can come to such a fantastic conclusion based on the whim of one man.

This story by Prabhat Mukherjee deals with a topic that is universal to the human condition. It describes events that occur in India, as well as in other parts of the world within different faiths. Strong faith, which can be a crutch to the weak, has the danger of being destructive when it eclipses rationality. Human beings, in the grip of devotion, will often see reality as they want to see it. They will interpret coincidences as convenient proofs of their delusional charade. Although they may be well-intentioned, their actions can trigger grave consequences.

Satyajit Ray effectively presents the goddess in her duality. On one hand she is a benevolent mother figure depicted as the smiling, fair-skinned Durga who brings comfort to her followers. On the other, she is a fierce and destructive force, depicted as the pitch black Kali wearing a necklace of skulls, which can destroy those who come too close to her. By mixing the various images of the goddess with the cautionary story, Ray is able to show the thin line between security and obsessiveness that is straddled by faith.

Although the film is well crafted and the story is meaningful, the main criticism is that the point made is obvious and is not quite enough to sustain a full feature film. The problem is not that the film does anything wrong, but rather, it does not cover enough ground. The main assertion of the story is of the dangers of blind faith, how it will consume those who are obsessed, and how it will be mitigated by rationality. In taking such an patent stance, the film misses making a salient statement.

Tagore gives an excellent performance as Doyamoyee, who is the only character with depth. Because she is exceptionally loving and generous as the young bride, it is easy to understand why she is so adored. She is bewildered but compliant as the object of worship. She is initially doubtful of her holiness, but she wishes to go along with what is asked of her, so her young mind is willing to accept the indulgence. Although Chatterjee and Biswas give believable performances as Umaprasad and Kalikinkar, those characters are narrowly drawn and never progress beyond the expected character types.

Recommended. This film tells a powerful story, but it is simple in ocus. It is well crafted and engrossingly intense, but the direction in which it travels is never beyond what would be expected.

    (c) 1999 Murali Krishnan
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    http://ArtHouseSquatter.com

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