--- title: "Aparajito" year: 1956 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/aparajito" fi1m_id: "aparajito" imdb_id: "tt0048956" tmdb_id: 897 wikidata_id: "Q622382" fi1m_score: 84 critics_reviews: 1 published: "2026-09-25T08:09:11.421678+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T08:09:11.642374+00:00" region: "PT" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Aparajito (1956) Directed by Satyajit Ray · 1h 50m · Drama ## Identity Aparajito - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/aparajito - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** aparajito - **IMDb ID:** tt0048956 - **TMDB ID:** 897 - **Wikidata ID:** Q622382 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048956/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/897, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q622382 **Fi1m score: 84** · Critics: 1 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Growing up looks considerably less attractive when we pay attention to the adults > Satyajit Ray’s patient drama makes growing up feel complicated without making it mysterious. The brooding pace occasionally becomes restrictive, but the performances give us ample reason to stay, particularly Karuna Banerjee’s. ## Synopsis Apurba ‘Apu’ Roy grows from a boy, played by Pinaki Sengupta, into a teenager, played by Smaran Ghosal. Around him are Harihar Roy (Kanu Banerjee), Sarbajaya Roy (Karuna Banerjee), Bhabataran (Ramani Ranjan Sengupta) and Nanda Babu (Charuprakash Ghosh). Subodh Ganguly plays the headmaster among the adults in Apu’s life. Adapted by Satyajit Ray from the novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, the drama follows its central character across these two ages, with the change of performer marking the passage from childhood towards adulthood. ## Review *Aparajito* is a moving drama that occasionally asks for more patience than it needs. Satyajit Ray gives Apu’s growth the sustained attention that films often reserve for an extraordinary achievement or a spectacular mistake. There is something generous about that choice. At 110 minutes, the film allows us to consider the people around its central character, although its brooding manner can also make the movement between childhood and adolescence feel overly solemn. Casting Pinaki Sengupta as the young Apu and Smaran Ghosal as the teenage Apu makes that movement visible without requiring either performer to carry an implausible range of ages. Sengupta gives the younger character an appealing directness. Ghosal brings a more self-contained presence, and the difference matters: we have to adjust our expectations of Apu rather than simply recognise him. We felt an unexpected pang at that adjustment, because the younger performance has made us reluctant to surrender the boy. Karuna Banerjee, as Sarbajaya Roy, gives the film its strongest reason to look away from Apu. Her performance invites sustained attention without seeming to request it, and she makes the adult presence in this story matter on its own terms. Kanu Banerjee’s Harihar Roy also helps keep the surrounding characters from becoming mere illustrations in an account of growing up. Ray’s direction is particularly persuasive when he allows the actors to hold our interest without insisting on an immediate dramatic reward. Subrata Mitra’s cinematography has a clarity that suits this approach. We are encouraged to attend to people, and the images never feel anxious to advertise their importance. Bansi Chandragupta’s production design is similarly effective in its discretion: the film feels inhabited without demanding that we admire the furnishings. Both contributions support the performances, though the restraint can make the film seem more uniform than its emotional changes warrant. Dulal Dutta’s editing is patient, sometimes to a fault. Giving a performance room is valuable; allowing the prevailing mood to settle for too long can make distinct passages feel similar. Ravi Shankar’s music supplies welcome expressiveness, and its contribution is especially useful against that tendency towards solemnity. We would welcome more variation in the pacing, rather than more explanation from the screenplay. Ray also writes the adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s novel. His confidence in an ordinary life distinguishes the film from coming-of-age dramas that hurry towards a defining incident and then explain what has been learnt. The limitation is that such sustained seriousness can narrow the emotional range. The performances have more shades than the prevailing mood sometimes permits us to appreciate. That reservation matters, but it does not outweigh the care given to Apu and the adults around him. The film rewards attention to changes in a performer’s presence, and Karuna Banerjee makes that attention particularly worthwhile. Choose it for an evening when a quiet drama can have your full concentration; its patience is easier to value when we are not checking the clock. *Fi1m score 84, published 25 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Aparajito worth watching?** *Aparajito* is worth watching for its attentive performances and moving account of growing up, and we score it 84 out of 100. We particularly value Karuna Banerjee’s performance, though the brooding pace sometimes becomes restrictive; this quiet drama suits an evening when we can give it our full concentration. **How long is Aparajito, and what is it rated?** *Aparajito* runs 1h 50m. It is a drama film. **Where can I watch Aparajito in Portugal?** *Aparajito* is not on any streaming or rental service in Portugal at the moment. It is available in 11 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does Aparajito compare to Pather Panchali?** *Aparajito* follows Apu from childhood towards adolescence, while [*Pather Panchali*](https://film.one/film/pather-panchali) gives childhood sustained attention within a rural family drama. We favour the earlier film for its humour and wider emotional range, though its pace also drifts; *Aparajito* suits those drawn to a more solemn account of growing up and the adults around the child. **Is Aparajito based on a true story or a book?** *Aparajito* is adapted by Satyajit Ray from a novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, rather than presented as a true story. We recommend it without requiring familiarity with the book: the change from a child performer to a teenage one makes Apu’s growth clear, while the adults’ performances give his life context. **What should I watch after Aparajito?** After *Aparajito*, try [*Pather Panchali*](https://film.one/film/pather-panchali) (1955, Fi1m 93): Ray’s earlier Apu film gives childhood equal attention, without tidying its difficulties. Then [*The 400 Blows*](https://film.one/film/the-400-blows) (1959, Fi1m 91): Another boy approaches independence while adults remain poorly equipped to understand him; and [*Tokyo Story*](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story) (1953, Fi1m 92): Family obligations receive patient scrutiny, with little reassurance for either generation. ### Reviews we read (1) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): Variety considers the film a worthy successor, though it finds it less tense and varied than its predecessor. It praises the film’s brooding quality and its explicit conflict between East and West. [Read](https://variety.com/1956/film/reviews/aparajito-1200418365/) ## Details - **Director:** Satyajit Ray - **Director:** Satyajit Ray - **Screenplay:** Satyajit Ray - **Novel:** Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay - **Cinematography:** Subrata Mitra - **Editor:** Dulal Dutta - **Music:** Ravi Shankar - **Production design:** Bansi Chandragupta - **Producer:** Satyajit Ray - **Cast:** Pinaki Sengupta as Young Apurba 'Apu' Roy; Smaran Ghosal as Teenage Apurba 'Apu' Roy; Kanu Banerjee as Harihar Roy; Karuna Banerjee as Sarbajaya Roy; Ramani Ranjan Sengupta as Bhabataran; Charuprakash Ghosh as Nanda Babu; Subodh Ganguly as Headmaster; Santi Gupta as Ginnima - **Runtime:** 1h 50m - **First release (India):** 11 October 1956 - **Genres:** Drama - **Also in:** [Golden Lion winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-lion.md) (Winner, 1957) - **Box office:** $170,215 - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgv68E_o6VM ## Where to watch in Portugal Not streaming, renting or buying in Portugal at the last check. Also available in: AU, CA, EC, GB, IN, MX, NZ, PA, PH, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Venice Film Festival 1957: Golden Lion (won) ## If you liked this - *Pather Panchali* (1955), Fi1m 93: Ray’s earlier Apu film gives childhood equal attention, without tidying its difficulties. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/pather-panchali.md) - *The 400 Blows* (1959), Fi1m 91: Another boy approaches independence while adults remain poorly equipped to understand him. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-400-blows.md) - *Tokyo Story* (1953), Fi1m 92: Family obligations receive patient scrutiny, with little reassurance for either generation. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md) - *Where Is the Friend's House?* (1987): A child’s practical problem becomes absorbing drama through close, unsentimental attention. - *The Quiet Girl* (2022): Restrained performances make a child’s changing understanding of adults quietly affecting. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/aparajito