“Nayak” (The Hero) unspools as one of the many great 20th century movies set on a train — production began shortly after the debut of the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night,” whose influence can be felt, along with that of “8 1/2.”
Little known but sleek and satisfying, it’s a marvelous midperiod film from Satyajit Ray. The title’s time has come for the Criterion treatment.
The Blu-ray offers an outstanding black-and-white presentation — a 1.33:1 image with little distracting grain and a lovely silver patina. The work is in much better shape than most of Ray’s films, even as restored for the recent Criterion series of the master’s works.
Uttam Kumar basically plays himself, a superstar of Indian cinema known for heroic roles. He’s terrific, delivering a nuanced and naturalistic performance. Kumar limns a celebrity who has gotten over himself, but enjoys his many entitlements and suffers no fools — gladly or otherwise. In fact, he’s fresh in the headlines after a public brawl. He’s sweating out the debut of his new film, likely a dog, while preparing to accept an career award in distant Delhi. But no plane is available. The star finds himself stuck on a train with his public, and their interactions make for some rich comic moments.
Sharmila Tagore plays the heroine, of sorts, a women’s magazine writer with little interest in the work or fame of our macho actor. She’s just a fellow passenger, but senses opportunity when he’s available for a quick interview. The star toys with her, gently, using her as confessor and, ultimately, judge and savior. The two actors’ chemistry makes for a fascinating film, even though not much happens. (Ray said there wasn’t enough time on a train trip to develop a believable romance, probably for the best.)
Ray wrote the screenplay, his second, and the stars’ dialogue remains delightful throughout. Tagore is interviewed in Criterion’s extra features, talking about this role and her work as a teen in the final “Apu” film.
The solid supporting cast makes the most of limited screen time in a confined space (the train). Plenty of fun mixed in with some sketchy backstage drama delivered via flashbacks — essentially, our hero struggles with art vs. commerce issues. The various subplots featuring the train passengers mirror the star’s self-doubts, such as the tale of young wife whose husband asks her to cozy up to an influential older creep.
In the end, Ray seems to be saying, the heroic part is getting through life with humanity intact. We do our best, with varying degrees of success. Climb aboard.
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