Sightlines · reception
How Devi was received
1960 · Satyajit Ray · Devi on Sightlines
The arc
Scandalous at home in 1960 — orthodox Hindu groups accused Ray of attacking religion and lobbied to block the film from being shown abroad — it's now firmly ranked among his masterpieces, the standard answer to 'what's the great Ray film outside the Apu Trilogy?'
What’s debated
Fans still argue over what exactly it's indicting — religion itself, superstition, or the patriarchy that weaponizes devotion — a debate that started with its release and never really ended.
Its footprint
The close-up of Sharmila Tagore's kohl-rimmed, incense-wreathed face is one of Indian cinema's most reproduced images — it turns up on posters, book covers, and retrospective programs as shorthand for Ray himself.
Where it stands
A canon staple among cinephiles — the Ray film Letterboxd reviewers push on people who think his catalog begins and ends with the Apu Trilogy.
Did you know? The film was so controversial with religious conservatives that there were demands to bar it from export — and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru personally intervened so it could be screened abroad.