Main Cast: Shashi Kapoor, Leela Naidu, Durga Khote
Release Year: 1962
Country: US/IN
Run Time: 101 minutes
Plot
The Householder was the very first collaboration between producer Ismael Merchant and James Ivory. A pleasant, low-key domestic comedy, the film details the travails of a young married couple. The husband (Shashi Kapoor) had wanted no part of the arranged marriage in the first place: now he must not only deal with a virtual stranger for a wife, but also a passle of financial headaches. Despite the unfamiliarity of the surroundings, American filmgoers should recognize several universal truths in this touching tale. The script was the handiwork of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, adapted from her own novel; Jhabvala would remain a valuable member of the Merchant-Ivory aggregation. Offering an uncredited assist in the editing room was none other than legendary Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Walter Woolf King - Professor; Prayag Raaj - Raj; Achala Sachdev - Mrs. Saigal; Pincho Kapoor - Mr. Saigal; Hariendernat Chattopadaya - Mr. Chadda; Pro Sen - Sohanlal; Romesh Thappar - Mr. Khanna; Praveen Paul - 2nd Lady
This was the first collaboration between producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory, a documentary filmmaker till then. They went on to make nearly forty films together, many of which were written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who also adapted many adaptations of literary classics for them, like The Europeans (1979) and The Bostonians (1984), Henry James‘s A Room with a View (1986), Howard's End, leading to, the upcoming The City of Your Final Destination.
The film was shot entirely on location in Delhi, Mehrauli and Ghaziabad.[1]Satyajit Ray exerted an important influence both on Ivory and Merchant, as well as on this film.
In an uncredited assist, legendary filmmaker, Satyajit Ray, supervised film's music production, and re-cut the film for Merchant and Ivory. He also lent his cameraman, Subrata Mitra, as the director of photography, and as a result the film is infused with the fluid, restrained lyricism that characterizes Ray's work.[1][2]
Prem Sagar (Shashi Kapoor), a teacher at a private college in Delhi, is married to Indu (Leela Naidu) in an arranged marriage recently and is still learning ropes of relationships, when the arrival of Prem's mother (Durga Khote) spells doom to their budding relationship. Indu, unable to handle her interference in the marriage, leaves Prem to return to her family. Prem searches for answers from a variety of people, including a Swami Pahari Sanyal, who reveals the secret of a successful marriage, as a result, he finally gains the maturity to love his wife.[3]
A Channel 4 review called it, “a low-key but rewarding character piece”, “an artful social satire and also a quietly affecting love story”,[4] while New York Times was rather dismissive.[5]
Mike Clark, of USA Today, called it "...A charming comedy of marital discord...", gave it, 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.[1]
