Pather Panchali is a film that represents a changing India in transition. The foundations of modern society and transportation are highlighted as being new and/or changing. This film captures India’s shift in society.
Apu is our protagonist in this story. His father and mother not always adequately able to feed him. He lives with his mother, sister, father, and his father’s cousin who is old and unable to take care of herself. The cousin receives mangos from Apu’s younger sister, which enrages their mother. She even kicks the cousin out of her house for encouraging her daughter to steal. The cousin returns to the home but the drama does not die. A neighbor accuses Apu’s little sister of stealing a necklace. Eventually, the cousin gets kicked out of the house for good due to the high maintenance involved with taking care of her. Apu and his sister later walk home from the train tracks, and see their father’s cousin dead in the forest due to their mothers negligence.
Their father eventually leaves home in search of a way to provide for his family. This leaves Apu with his sister and mother to make ends meet themselves. One day Apu’s sister is playing outside in a monsoon too long, which causes her to contract a severe case of pneumonia. The sickness quickly consumes her and she dies. His father returns only to find that his daughter has dies which leads him to collapse. Apu eventually decides that he needs to move his family near the river. As he is cleaning his house he finds the necklace that his sister denied taking. He throws this into the river.
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