The Apu Trilogy Satyajit Ray

The first film, Pather Panchali (1955) in the trilogy, introduces us to Apu, a young boy living in a low-income family in rural Bengal. Apu lives with his parents, older sister, Durga, and elderly aunt.

The film depicts the family’s struggles with poverty, illness, and social discrimination. Apu’s father, a struggling writer, leaves the family to find work, mean-while his mother struggles to provide for the family.

Apu’s sister dies unexpectedly, leaving him devastated.

The second film, Aparajito (1956), picks up where the first left off. Apu’s family moves to the holy city of ‘Benaras’, so his father can work as a ‘pujari’ and his mother can work as a maid.

Apu attends school and excels academically, but his father falls ill and dies. Apu must leave school to work and support himself.

They are forced to return to their home village when his father dies unexpectedly. His mother continues to work as a maid.