Nayak

It is the achievement of a great film director working outside of his usual style, fumbling sometimes with surrealism... but sometimes illuminating it by lines that suddenly show character in movement.

Satyajit Ray's 1966 feature comes at the tail end of his early realist period, which included most of the films that won him his reputation in the West.

Mr. Ray, best known for his Apu trilogy, handles the proceedings with formidable deftness marked by a penetrating vision of performers and film-making.

Ray packs a world into the train’s cramped compartments, creating a lasting chronicle of the reality behind the artifice in actors and beyond.

NAYAK is a wonderful film that once again proves Satyajit Rays keen sense of profound characters and places. Uttam Kumar shines in the role of the two-edged hero who is caught in a jumble of desire, accomplishment and remorse.

The Hero takes a compassionate look at the shortcomings of human nature that make a person fall prey to greed and moral corruption.

A thoughtful, meditative portrait concerned with the price of fame, The Hero is another generously performed think piece from one of Ray's most prolific periods.

Taking place mainly on a train journey from Kolkata to Delhi, The Hero - like many of Ray's films - is an elegant contemplation on the human condition and the myriad of emotions it entails.

Both Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore are fantastic in the central roles, and they develop a powerful chemistry

It chugs along as a long train ride into the past.