The Hero

Satyajit Ray made his films outside of the traditional Bengali film industry, which produced popular melodramas, adventures, and family dramas, but for 1966’s The Hero he cast the biggest Bengali movie star of the day in the title role. Uttam Kumar plays Arindam Mukherjee, a matinee idol whose new movie is failing at the box office. To distract himself, he impulsively takes an overnight train to accept an award in Delhi and, much to his own surprise, reflects back on his life, career, and anxieties in frank terms with a journalist (Sharmila Tagore) he meets while riding. Along with the flashbacks to his time as a poor theater actor and his experience making his first film opposite a veteran star, Ray serves up the stories of other passengers, including an ad executive who isn’t above using his beautiful young wife to land a big client. Kumar plays his role with confidence and modesty, a man aware of the importance of fans for his career and generous in all his interactions, but one who also acknowledges the ego and vulnerabilities of movie stars. While not as famous as Ray’s more celebrated films, it is a contemplative and nuanced drama about an actor who in real life can’t live up to the uncomplicated heroes that he plays onscreen. Debuting on home video in a newly restored edition, extras include a 2008 interview with Tagore, a new interview with film scholar and Ray expert Meheli Sen, and a booklet. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)