When I first saw Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali I was turned off not only by the black and white film but also its slow pace and lack of special effects. However as I watched on, I began to sympathize more with the characters, namely Durga's mother. In this film Durga's mother is the practical one, in contrast with Durga's father, who is usually off screen, smoking his pipe, and writing plays. Durga's mother is the one who deals with all the problems that poverty brings. Even though Durga's family is just barely getting by with the necessities, no one worries about their financial problems or where their next meal comes from besides Durga's mom. She plays a large part on the influence of Durga and Abu.
Even though the Apu Trioligy is suppose to be about Apu, when I watched Pather Panchali, I couldn't stop myself and question whether it really is about Apu or Durga. I"m guessing that Pather Panchali is merely an introduction of showing all the influences that molds Apu into the man he later grows into. Throughout the movie, it seemed as if the movie was about Durga and her mother, which is rather strange, especially when this film was filmed in India, where women are often looked upon as inferior to men. Durga and her mother are portrayed as the people who wield power and control in this film, whereas Durga's father is portrayed as the dreamy scholar who doesn't help with family problems at all and Apu is merely shown as Durga's shadow. In this film Durga's mother is often seen scolding her children or protecting her children from their relatives, but Durga's father is often away working or dreaming about how he will become a famous playwright. Durga's dominance over Apu is shown when, they go somewhere, Apu is always following Durga and not the other way around. When Durga died, I was shocked because I had thought that since Durga was the main character of this film, she would at least stay until the end of the film.
