The householder (b/w, Criterion Collection)

Read more

The Householder is the story of shy, young, underpaid Delhi schoolteacher, Prem (Shashi Kapoor), who marries and then, little by little, gets to know his young wife Indu (Leela Naidu), during their first year together. She is a charmer with a mind of her own, yet is as little prepared for marriage as he. Their story is full of a variety of subtle but shining pleasures and charming touches of humor. The characters they encounter are unforgettable, especially his mother-in-law (Durga Khote), a tearful tyrant who comes to live with them, and the platitudinous headmaster and tyrannical senior instructor at the school. The special wonder of this story, derived from the culture of modern, middle-class India, is that it is able to transcend national boundaries and illuminate the problems common to young couples everywhere. This landmark film also marks the first collaboration between producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (adapting her acclaimed novel for the screen), a productive artistic relationship that has continued for forty years and produced many award-winning films.