Two classics from Shradha at one go! Pre-Puja shopping never had it so good. From one of cinema’s greatest directors, Satyajit Ray ? Aranyer Din Ratri and Pratidwandi (DVD/VCD; Rs 349/299 each) Both films are based on Sunil Gangopadhyay’s novels of the same name.

Aranyer Din Ratri on the surface appears to be a romantic comedy about four educated young men from Calcutta, together on a vacation, driving through the countryside. But here lies a subtle study of the new generation as Ray viewed it. Soumyendu Ray’s cinematography captured the scenic beauty of Palamou (Bihar) as it worked towards exposing the thematic scheme of the film. The four friends ? Soumitra Chatterjee, Samit Bhanja, Subhendu Chatterjee and Robi Ghosh ? brimming with self-confidence, youthfulness, education, go about enjoying life with a vengeance. They bribe the caretaker for accommodation, seduce a tribal girl (Simi Garewal), flirt with Sharmila Tagore and Kaberi Bose, also on a vacation there, and in the process also learn a thing or two about themselves.

Pratidwandi on the other hand is the first film of Ray’s Calcutta trilogy, the other two being Seemabaddha and Jana Aranya. All the three films speak of the effect a big city has on the educated youth. Set in the 70s, which was a very difficult period, politically speaking, with the turbulent Naxalite movement, Pratidwandi is about an educated young boy, Dhritiman Chatterjee, who’s unable to find a decent job for himself after having to leave his medical studies midway because of the untimely demise of his father. He finally finds a job of a salesman in a far-off small town and learns to be content with it. The film ends on a positive note with the youth’s acceptance of life.

Ram Gopal Varma’s My Wife’s Murder (DVD/VCD; Rs 349/149) is just out of the movie theatres and is already available from Shemaroo. A film directed by Jijy Philip is interesting for Anil Kapoor’s performance in it which is mindblowing and possibly his best in recent times. Supporting him in the cast are Suchitra Krishnamoorty, Nandana Sen and Boman Irani. To get into the groove of the character, Anil used to ride a bicycle to the location, take a bath in one of the available make-shift bathrooms and get into the skin of his middle-class character of Ravi Patwardhan. In fact, Anil Kapoor who’d given up smoking for good started smoking again just to feel the character he’s playing. An experimental and innovative thriller that is just what the RGV stable ordered.