Cinematic décor and character reconfiguration in literature-film adaptation: a study of Satyajit Ray’s the postmaster, mahanagar, and ganashatru

Abstract

Satyajit Ray (1921-1992) is one of India’s greatest international filmmakers of the twentieth century. His debut film Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road, 1955) ushered in a colossal shift in India’s otherwise conventionalist style of filmmaking. Ray enjoyed a prolific career spanning nearly four decades, directing several feature films, documentaries, and short films. His works explore a wide gamut of themes, ranging from the depiction of rural life in colonial Bengal in Pather Panchali and Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder, 1973) to the small-town politics of the fictional Chandipur in Ganashatru (Enemy of the People, 1989). Ray also portrayed the urban landscape of 1970s Calcutta in films such as Pratidwandi (The Adversary, 1970) and Jana Aranya (The Middleman, 1975). Some of his films also serve as political satires, such as Hirak Rajar Deshe (Kingdom of Diamonds, 1980), set in the imaginary country of the Diamond King.