Interview (1971 film)
Interview (1971)[1] was a Bengali film directed by noted Indian art film director Mrinal Sen. A path-breaking film in terms of narrative innovation and cinematic technique, it was a commercial and critical success. It also happened to be the debut film of Ranjit Mallick. Although it was a film on the colonial hangover, it touched upon diverse issues like anti-establishment, middle class cowardice, and unemployment.
| Interview | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mrinal Sen |
| Written by | Ashis Barman |
| Produced by | Mrinal Sen Productions |
| Starring | Ranjit Mallick, Karuna Banerjee |
| Narrated by | Ranjit Mallick |
| Cinematography | K. K. Mahajan |
| Music by | Vijay Raghav Rao |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 min. |
| Country | India |
| Language | Bengali |
This film is considered to be the first film of Mrinal Sen's Calcutta trilogy, the others being Calcutta 71, and Padatik.
Plot
Ranjit Mallick is a smart personable young man. A friend of the family, who works in a foreign firm, has assured him of a lucrative job in his firm. All Ranjit has to do is come to an interview, dressed in a western style suit.
It seems a simple task, but fate decides otherwise. A strike by a labour union means that he can't get his suit back from the laundry. His father's old suit won't fit him. He borrows a suit, but loses it in a fracas in a bus. Ultimately he has to go to the interview dressed in the traditional Bengali dhoti and kurta.
Cast
- Ranjit Mallick as Ranjit
- Karuna Banerjee as Ranjit's Mother
- Shekhar Chatterjee as Shekhar Uncle, a family friend
- Bulbul Mukherjee as Ranjit's girlfriend
- Mamata as Ranjit's elder sister
References
- Gyan Prakash (26 March 2019). Emergency Chronicles: Indira Gandhi and Democracy's Turning Point. Princeton University Press. pp. 91–. ISBN 978-0-691-18672-6.