NAYAK

Director:

Satyajit Ray was an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and author, widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century. Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. Nayak was Satyajit Ray’s second original script. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a Golden Lion, a Golden Bear, 2 Silver Bears,

Log Line:

A matinee idol Arindam Mukherjee is going by train to collect an acting award. On the train, he is confronted by a journalist Aditi who somewhat unwillingly starts to take his interview.

Conflicts:

Impossible goal:

Arindam mukherji is a matinee idol, filled with everything a man could desire and hold every charm women would crush to. Arindam mukhergi is seen living a live that every other people are jealous of. Self obsessed, arrogant and ignorant are the words whose explanation is best to define what we thought of Arindam. He seems like a person who doesn’t care much about anything, not about his prize. As he said in the staring that ‘I don’t care about any prize, I just want to get out of this place’

Arindam is a brawny man who has got everything. But as the movie proceeds we acknowledge another face of Arindam as he takes us on the walk of his life. He strips his past, his fears and his guilt’s to a journalist Aditi. The 24-hour train journey with Arindam and Aditi and changes our perspective of stardom life. Arindam seems full on the outside with his clothes, his life style and plenty of drinks. But his insides are as shrunken and hollow as a rotten body. 

It was never anticipated to see Arindam’s character walk its own journey from being a stubborn and arrogant star. To a lost and lonely soul.

Unlikely hero:

Arindam have done so wrong in his life that now as he have everything he doesn’t feel good having it and holding it. Arindam has disobeyed Shanker-da and now he fear Shanker-da sayings.

He had an affair with a married woman and instead of feeling guilty he brawled with her husband. He cannot own his mistakes and try to drink them out. He is now fearing the loss of his glorious career as he is not so sure about his recent film.

Invincible villain:

Arindam insecuries and guilt is eating him bit by bit taking all of him from him. Arindam is on a train journey where he meets Aditi a journalist and confronts his fears and guilt’s with her, this interview continues for a 24-hour long journey and we see many phases of Arindam life.

The most mesmerizing and my favorite part is to be of Arindam’s dream where he seems himself getting sucked into the vortex of his own wealth, with even his revered mentor, Shankar-da, not in a position to help him, It is this that makes him come face-to-face with the void inside and want to enter into a semi-confessional mode.

Character analysis:

Back-story:

Arindam was a theater artist who works under the guidance of Shankar-da, his Guru. Arindam in his life before stardom belong to a lower middle class, a class he disregard now. He was a well known but not well earned theater then, who valued his mentor and his friends.   

Appearance:

A handsome man of average height and defined face. Well dressed and suited. Polished shoes and cuffed sleeves. Is the appropriate description of his appearance.

Want and need:

• Want:

Every glory has an End, But no one desired an End to their glory. Same goes with Arindam; he is at the peak of his stardom and popularity and fears the downfall of it. Arindam is on its way to receive an award for his performance but his fear for the flop of his next movie is constraining him to live his moments. He wants to save this glorious period forever and constrain darkness within himself as letting it out will ruin his reputation.

• Need:

Want and need are the opposite of each other, as want we want is not always what we need. Same in Arindam case he wanted to enclose all the burdens and guilt within him so maintain his image. But when Aditi came up with a perplexing question he couldn’t control himself and let out all of his grieves and wrong doings.

He confessed his relation with promila , a married woman. He confessed how he disobeyed his mentor and chooses to work in fills nonetheless.

Secrets and fears:

Arindam character is a cluster of secrets and fears, each fear tangled with secret. The whole story of Arindam is revealing secrets of his life and his doing in previous life. His dreams are the most important part of this movie as they are the perfect depiction of fear combined with secrets.

Arindam one most prominent fear is to lose is career as he thinks his upcoming movie would be a flop, and three flops movies of a Star will snatch away whole career. At this very moment Arindam remembers his mentor and his say about working in films “ film is a nasty business nothing but business you to hundreds of movie to get to the top and only three flops movie takes you back to the ground”

Mistakes:

Every person is a filled with mistakes, some repent and others don’t. Arindam life being a Star is filled with mistakes he had done. And as we walk on the aisle to count each one of it his mistake we would start with his first mistake that was to disobey his mentor Shanker-da, his choice to pursue Bengali film industry as a full time career known to all of its business.

Act no 1:

Act 1 of the movie ends when Aditi a journalist of woman magazines came forward with a request to interview him but not any regular interview. She desires to know the dark reality of Arindam life, his regrets and guilt’s. To which Arindam answer as a clear no as it would destroy his clear image. But when he moves back to his compartment he dozes off to sleep and dream his fear of drowning in money with no one coming forward to his help. He then decides to take the burden off his heart and makes Aditi his companion to share his burden of guilt and solitude.

Act no 2 (Life of a wanderer and a warrior):

Arindam is now all set to accept his wrong doings in the past and disclose his secrets to Aditi as this makes him less guilty. He changes the perspective of a common person about a star and his life.