Aparna Sen is one of Indian cinema’s most revered voices, both in front of and behind the camera. She is known for delivering remarkable performances in films such as Teen Kanya, Aranyer Din Ratri, and Jay Jayanti, among others. She also made her directorial debut with 36 Chowringhee Lane.
Starring Jennifer Kendal, alongside Dhritiman Chatterjee and Debashree Roy, the film was critically well-received. Filmfare’s Editor-in-Chief Jitesh Pillaai recommends the film and reflects on why it continues to stay with him.
In his words:
Mrs Violet Stoneham will always be one of the most memorable characters Aparna Sen wrote. In my estimation, 36 Chowringhee Lane, Sen’s directorial debut, is still her best. Jennifer Kendal inhabited the role of Mrs Stoneham, an ageing spinster who, despite being excellent at teaching English, finds herself superseded by less worthy colleagues, and from Shakespeare, she is reduced to teaching English grammar.
A young, beautiful couple, Debashree Roy and Dhritiman Chatterjee, befriend her and “use” her home for their stolen moments of passion. After marriage, they move away, and on Christmas night, when Mrs Stoneham wants to meet them, they make some tardy excuse.
That is when she feels unwanted and moves alone into the night, quoting King Lear. Pain and loneliness have been exquisitely captured by Sen. Jennifer’s heartachingly tender performance is one of the landmarks of Indian cinema, and every time I watch Chowringhee, I am moved immeasurably by her. Ashok Mehta’s moody lighting, Vanraj Bhatia’s score, and Bansi Chandragupta’s set designs embellish the elegiac mood of the film.
The gentle asides where she bargains and buys fish, feeding her cat Sir Toby, and visiting her cantankerous brother in the infirmary are genius touches.
36 Chowringhee Lane is my go-to movie, a reminder that old age, while it can be cruel, teaches you to be stoic and resilient. We will all be fond and foolish old men someday. Chowringhee is a gentle reminder not to mock fond, foolish old us.
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