

A devout upper-class Hindu has a vision in a dream that his daughter-in-law is the human incarnation of the Goddess Kali and begins worshipping her.
Direction
Ray's camera treats delusion like humid weather—inescapable.
Acting
Sharmila Tagore's eyes contain multitudes of silent horror.
Cinematography
Black-and-white that makes Bengal look like a fever dream.

Director
Satyajit Ray
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ray adapted a story by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay that stirred controversy—Hindu fundamentalists burned effigies of him for this film's critique of religious extremism.