Parosh Pathar (1958)

I love this movie so much

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I am an ardent Ray fan and I till now I have seen 14 of his movies and loved 13 of them. Only one that I didn't love is Parash Pathar.Satyajit Ray is my favorite filmmaker and all of his movies are master pieces. It is hard to find a fault in any of his movies. Acting is always very good, yet subtle. Background score is never over the top. There is no cheap melodrama and the viewer is encouraged to make his own conclusions. Even a minor actor not acting up to par has a jarring effect. It is like watching a blemish on an extraordinary piece of art.So I was quite surprised by this movie, as the lead character Paresh Chandra Dutt was overacting a lot. So were some other actors. While in almost all Ray's movies characters are very real here they are caricatures instead and there is no subtlety to be found. Also the story never took an unexpected turn, it is another morality tale centered around philosopher's's stone. Though you can find Ray's touches here and there, there are not enough of them to save the film.Though it a good film when compared with other Indian films of the same period, it doesn't in any way compares with Ray's other movies. I would recommend it only to Ray's die hard fans like me. Though I didn't really liked the movie I didn't consider it a waste of time either.

My feelings about this film are a bit mixed. It's very different from the other Satyajit Ray films I've seen, The Apu Trilogy (1955-1959) and Devi (1960). In contrast to those films, Porosh Pathor was more of a magical-realist dark comedy rather than a drama. It didn't have a laugh-out-loud kind of humour either, but had a more subtle kind of humour. However, the concept behind the film was creative and innovative, while the plot was more meaningful and thought-provoking than most comedies.The philosopher's stone has long been a dream of alchemists since at least the Middle Ages, but the film attempts to portray the consequences this may have on society when someone finally obtains the legendary stone. Although the film was rushed, as Ray himself admitted, his direction for the film is still impressive. It was also nice for a change that the film wasn't tragic like the other Ray films I saw, but was more up-beat overall. Although it wasn't powerful like Ray's other films, Porosh Pathor was an enjoyable yet thought-provoking film to watch.7/10

Parash Pathar is one of early Ray movies which tells a story of an ordinary office clerk who comes across a magic stone which turns iron onto gold. Tulsi Chakraborty, who plays a role of a lifetime in this classic piece, is the clerk whose life changes after he discovers that the small simple stone is the "Parash Pathar", the stone which can give him infinite riches as long as he can find enough scrap iron. The comical flair of Tulsi Chakraborty is a treat to watch. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he is possibly one of the finest actors to come out of India who can play a comic role with élan and ease.The wit of the script is enjoyable throughout, though this can get lost in sub-titles. This is a movie which is fun to watch, specially in scenes where we see Tulsi Chakraborty learning the ways of a rich man, attending parties, planning how to spend his new found wealth. Overall I rate this film at 9/10. Highly recommended.

This is probably one of the least recognized but very well loved movie of Satyajit Ray.The fact that it is comedy but not necessarily a children's movie may have something to do with it.I have seen this movie at least twice and the charm of the movie increases with every viewing.The film begins with a look at the life of its protagonist who is the archetype Bengali middle class aged clerk living in the Kolkata of the 50s .His discovery of the philosopher's stone and his consternation at its power hints at the hidden fantasies of most middle class people who secretly dream of overnight riches but are scared of its consequences. As we follow his adventures with the stone till the movie ends on a note which celebrates humanity in line with Rays philosophy we are entertained in stellar fashion by the king of movie-making.I cannot recommend it highly enough!!