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{{Infobox film<br />
| name = Jalsaghar<br />
| image = The-Music-Room-poster.jpg<br />
| alt = The Music Room<br />
| caption = <br />
| director = [[Satyajit Ray]]<br />
| producer = Satyajit Ray<br />
| screenplay = Satyajit Ray<br />
| based_on = {{based on|Short story ''Jalsaghar''|[[Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay]]}}<br />
| starring = [[Chhabi Biswas]]<br/>Padma Devi<br/>Pinaki Sen Gupta<br/>Gangapada Bose<br/>Tulsi Lahari<br/>Kali Sarkar<br/>[[Wahid Khan|Ustad Waheed Khan]]<br/>[[Roshan Kumari]]<br/>[[Begum Akhtar]]<br />
| music = [[Vilayat Khan]]<br />
| cinematography = [[Subrata Mitra]]<br />
| editing = [[Dulal Dutta]]<br />
| studio = [[Aurora Film Corporation]]<br />
| distributor = Contemporary Films (UK)<br/>Edward Harrison (US)<br />
| released = {{film date|df=y|1958|10|10|India}}<br />
{{film date|df=y|1962|4||UK}}<br />
{{film date|df=y|1963|10|15|US}}<br />
| runtime = 95 minutes<br />
| country = India<br />
| language = Bengali<br />
| budget = <br />
| gross = <br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''''Jalsaghar'''''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.satyajitray.org/films/jalsagh.htm|title=Jalsaghar (The Music Room): A film by Satyajit Ray :: SatyajitRay.org|first=S. K.|last=Singh|website=www.satyajitray.org|access-date=8 November 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125101243/http://satyajitray.org/films/jalsagh.htm|archive-date=25 January 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> ({{lang-bn|জলসাঘর}} ''Jalsāghar'', "The Music Room") is a 1958 Indian [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali]] drama film written and directed by [[Satyajit Ray]], based on a popular short story by Bengali writer [[Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay]], and starring [[Chhabi Biswas]]. The fourth of Ray's feature films, it was filmed at Nimtita Raajbari, in [[Nimtita]] village, 10 kilometres from [[Murshidabad]]. Despite initial poor critical reception in India, Jalsaghar went on to win the Presidential Award for best film in New Delhi,<ref name=":0" /> and played a significant role in establishing Ray's international reputation as a director. It has since gained near-universal critical acclaim,<ref name=":1" /> and has come to be regarded by the cinema community as one of the greatest films of all time.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> <br />
<br />
==Plot==<br />
''Jalsaghar'' depicts the end days of a decadent [[zamindar]] (landlord) in Bengal and his efforts to uphold his family prestige while facing economic adversity. The landlord, Biswambhar Roy ([[Chhabi Biswas]]), is a just but otherworldly man who loves to spend time listening to music and putting up spectacles rather than managing his properties ravaged by floods and the government's abolition of the zamindari system after [[Independence of India|Independence]]. He is challenged by a commoner who has attained riches through business dealings, in putting up spectacles and organising music fests. This is the tale of a zamindar who has nothing left but respect and sacrifices his family and wealth trying to retain it.<br />
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==Cast==<br />
* [[Chhabi Biswas]] – Biswambhar Roy<br />
* [[Padma Devi]] – Mahamaya, Roy's wife<br />
* Pinaki Sen Gupta – Khoka, Roy's son<br />
* Gangapada Bose – Mahim Ganguly, Neighbour<br />
* Tulsi Lahari – Manager of Roy's estate<br />
* Kali Sarkar – Ananta, Roy's servant<br />
*[[Wahid Khan|Ustad Waheed Khan]] – Ustad Ujir Khan, Singer<br />
* [[Roshan Kumari]] – Krishna Bai, The dancer<br />
* [[Begum Akhtar]] – Durga Bai, Singer<br />
<br />
===Other credits===<br />
* Music & Dance performances<br />
:(On screen) – [[Begum Akhtar]], Roshan Kumari, [[Wahid Khan|Ustad Waheed Khan]], [[Bismillah Khan]]<br />
:(Off screen) – Dakhshinamohan Thakur, Ashish Kumar, Robin Mazumdar, [[Imrat Khan]], [[Salamat Ali Khan]]<br />
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==Production==<br />
''Jalsaghar'' was based on a popular short story written by Bengali writer [[Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay]]. After the box office failure of ''[[Aparajito]]'', Ray desperately needed a hit film and decided to make a film based on both a popular piece of literature and a film that would incorporate Indian music. It was the first film to extensively incorporate classical Indian music and dancing. Ray began shooting in May 1957.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=115}}<br />
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While in pre-production, Ray and his crew had difficulty finding a suitable location for Biswambhar Roy's palace. By chance they met a man who recommended the palace of Roy Chowdhurys in Nimtita, known as the ''Nimtita Rajbari'' and Ray decided to scout the location. To his surprise the palace was not only perfect for the film but just so happened to have once belonged to Upendra Narayan, whom Bandopadhyay had based his main character on when first writing the short story.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|pp=115–116}} Ray worked closely with composer [[Vilayat Khan|Ustad Vilayat Khan]] on the film, although he was initially uncertain about the composer's musical choices and had to convince Khan to make more sombre music pieces for the film.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=116}}<br />
<br />
According to Ray, "The Nimtita palace was perfect, except that the music room–it did have one, for Ganendra Narayan's uncle Upendra Narayan Choudhury had been a patron of music much like the nobleman in our story–was not impressive enough to serve as the setting for the sumptuous soirées that I had planned."<ref>Ray, Satyajit. "Winding Route to a Music Room," in ''Our Films, Their Films''. New York: Hyperion, 1994, p. 46 {{ISBN|0-7868-6122-3}}</ref> Therefore, the film's famed ''jalsaghar'' scenes were made inside the [[Aurora Film Corporation]] studio In Maniktala, Kolkata. The studio has now been demolished.<br />
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==Reception==<br />
Although the film received mostly poor reviews in India, it received the Presidential Award in New Delhi for best film.<ref name=":0">Wakeman, John. World Film Directors, Volume 2. The H. W. Wilson Company. 1988. 842–843.</ref> When the film was gradually released in Europe and the US in the early 1960s it became a critical and financial hit and helped establish Ray's international reputation, although Ray said that in 1958 he did not think that the film would be successful in foreign markets.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=113}} ''New Statesman'' film critic John Coleman compared Ray to [[Jean Renoir]]<ref>Wakeman. pp. 842–843.</ref> and Marie Seton said that the film "challenged the whole convention of songs and dances in India cinema. Audiences...conditioned to the introduction of songs and dances as entertainment interludes and [as] dramatic and romantic stresses, had never before been confronted with...classical singing and dancing as integral focal points of realistic sequences."<ref name="Wakeman. pp. 843">Wakeman. pp. 843.</ref> [[John Russell Taylor]] said that the film was "one of Ray's most masterly films, exquisitely photographed and directed with a complete, unquestioning mastery of mood ... For those willing to place themselves under its hypnotic spell it offers pleasures of unique delicacy."<ref name="Wakeman. pp. 843"/> [[Roger Ebert]] hailed it as "[Ray's] most evocative film, and he fills it with observant details."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ebert|first1=Roger|title=The Music Room|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-music-room-1958|website=RogetEbert.com|access-date=14 September 2017}}</ref> In 1963 [[Bosley Crowther]] praised the "delicacy of direction ... [and] eloquence of Indian music and the aurora of ''mise en scène''."{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=113}} However, that same year [[Stanley Kauffmann]] criticised the film, calling it "a deeply felt, extremely tedious film...the Indian music is simply uncongenial and tiresome to our ears."{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=113}} In 1965 [[Derek Malcolm]] called it Ray's "most perfect film."{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=113}} When the film was released in Paris in 1981 it was a surprise hit and led many French critics to adopt a new appreciation for Ray that had not been common in France up to that time.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=113}} ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' critic Edward Guthmann described it as "A wonderful tale of pride and the fools it makes of men."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Guthmann|first1=Edward|title=Film Review – Aristocrat's Pride Is His Downfall In Feudal Bengal|url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Aristocrat-s-Pride-Is-His-Downfall-3024923.php|website=SFGate|access-date=14 September 2017}}</ref> [[Werner Herzog]] said about ''Jalshaghar'' "The most amazing Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray and there’s one film, really beautiful, it’s called The Music Room... And it’s of phenomenal beauty and Ray really knew how to use music and create a drama around music."<ref>{{cite web|title=Werner Herzog|url=https://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/werner-herzog-lecture|website=Red Bull Music Academy}}</ref> <br />
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[[Stanley Kauffmann]] of [[The New Republic]] had a differing opinion. He said Jalsaghar was 'a deeply felt, extremely tedious film'.<ref>{{cite book |title=A world on Film|last1=Kauffmann|first1=Stanley |publisher=Delta Books |year=1966 |page=373}}</ref><br />
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On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has a score of 100% based on 20 reviews with an average rating of 9.09/10.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jalsaghar|title=Jalsaghar (The Music Room)}}</ref><br />
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==Box office==<br />
In 1981, the film was a box office success in [[France]], where it sold 173,758 tickets, the highest for an Indian film up until ''[[Salaam Bombay!]]'' (1988).<ref name="france">{{cite web|title=Charts - LES ENTREES EN FRANCE (Inde)|url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/charts_france.php?variable=29&filtre=pays&limit5=0|website=JP's Box-Office|access-date=29 January 2018}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Awards and recognitions==<br />
<br />
* [[6th National Film Awards|1959]] – [[National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film|All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film]]<br />
* 1959 – [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali]]<br />
* Best Music Award at [[1st Moscow International Film Festival]]. Also got a nomination for Grand Pix for Best Film in the festival.<ref name="Moscow1959">{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1959 |title=1st Moscow International Film Festival (1959) |access-date=29 October 2012 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116210640/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1959 |archive-date=16 January 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref><br />
* Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. Voted #20 on the list of "100 Best Films" by the prominent French magazine ''[[Cahiers du cinéma]]'' in 2008.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://www.filmdetail.com/2008/11/23/cahiers-du-cinemas-100-greatest-films/|title=Cahiers du cinéma's 100 Greatest Films|date=23 November 2008}}</ref> Was ranked at #27, #146 and #183, respectively, in the Sight and Sound list of Greatest Films in 1992,<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=http://www.oocities.org/the7thart/ranking.html|title=Ranking 1982|website=www.oocities.org}}</ref> 2002<ref name=":4">{{cite web|url=https://mubi.com/lists/sight-and-sound-critics-poll-2002-top-films-of-all-time|title=SIGHT AND SOUND CRITICS' POLL (2002): TOP FILMS OF ALL TIME - Movie List|website=MUBI}}</ref> and 2012.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ad7b33b|title=JALSAGHAR}}</ref> The [[British Film Institute]] included it in their list of '360 Classics'.<ref name=":6">{{cite web|url=https://mubi.com/lists/british-film-institute-360-classics|title=British Film Institute 360 Classics - Movie List|website=MUBI}}</ref> The film got the 7th spot (jointly with few other films) on the list of ''[[Cinemaya]]''{{'}}s Greatest Asian Films (1998). Recently, [[Busan International Film Festival]] featured it at no. 18 (jointly with few other films) in their list of 100 Best Asian Cinema.<br />
* In 2021, [[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|''The Daily Star'']] ranked the film 3rd on its list of the greatest short story adaptations.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bari|first=Mehrul|date=2021-06-13|title=10 must-watch short story-to-film adaptations|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/book-reviews/news/10-must-watch-short-story-film-adaptations-2110225|access-date=June 20, 2021 |website=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]|archive-date=June 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615110854/https://www.thedailystar.net/book-reviews/news/10-must-watch-short-story-film-adaptations-2110225.html|url-status=live}}</ref><br />
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==Preservation==<br />
The [[Academy Film Archive]] preserved ''Jalsaghar'' in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|title=Preserved Projects|url=http://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=&filmmaker=satyajit+ray&category=All&collection=All|website=Academy Film Archive}}</ref><br />
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==Home video==<br />
In 1993, [[Merchant Ivory Productions]] restored the film and [[Sony Pictures Classics]] released it theatrically in New York with five other Ray films. It was released on VHS in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/ray-pix-given-new-life-109164/|title=Ray pix given new life|work=Variety|date=30 July 1993}}</ref><br />
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In July 2011, an HD digitally restored version of the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by [[The Criterion Collection]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Music Room|url=http://www.criterion.com/films/27657-the-music-room|publisher=The Criterion Collection}}</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
* {{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Andrew|title=Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye|url=https://archive.org/details/satyajitrayinner00robi_0|url-access=registration|year=1989|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-06946-6}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
* {{IMDb title|0051792|Jalsaghar}}<br />
*[http://www.criterion.com/films/27657-the-music-room The Criterion Collection]<br />
*[http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1930-the-music-room-distant-music ''The Music Room: Distant Music''] an essay by Philip Kemp at the [[Criterion Collection]]<br />
<br />
{{National Film Award Second Best Feature Film}}<br />
{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Bengali}}<br />
{{Satyajit Ray}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:1958 films]]<br />
[[Category:Films directed by Satyajit Ray]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali-language films]]<br />
[[Category:Indian films]]<br />
[[Category:Films based on short fiction]]<br />
[[Category:Indian feudalism]]<br />
[[Category:Films set in West Bengal]]<br />
[[Category:Films shot in West Bengal]]<br />
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Satyajit Ray]]<br />
[[Category:Films scored by Vilayat Khan]]<br />
[[Category:Second Best Feature Film National Film Award winners]]<br />
[[Category:1950s Bengali-language films]]</div>>Chandan Guha