Jalsaghar – The Eternal Music Room (1958)

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Jalsaghar – The Eternal Music Room (1958)

Adapted from Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay’s short story, Satyajit Ray’s Jalsaghar is a profound meditation on fading aristocracy and the enduring power of art.

In his fourth feature, Manickda (Satyajit Ray) weaves a quiet, poetic narrative where music and silence carry equal weight.

Chhabi Biswas delivers a towering performance as Zamindar Biswambhar Roy, supported by Begum Akhtar, Roshan Kumari, Bismillah Khan, and others whose artistry enriches the film’s music room.

The aging zamindar clings to music and tradition within his crumbling palace, even as wealth, family, and time slip away. The music room becomes both his sanctuary and his downfall.

Initially met with hesitation in India, Jalsaghar later won the Presidential Award for Best Film and secured Ray’s global recognition. Preserved in 1996 and restored by Merchant Ivory, Sony Pictures Classics, and Criterion, it stands today as one of cinema’s most enduring masterpieces.

Venkataramanan Ramasethu
21st September 2025

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