The Inner Eye (1972) by Satyajit Ray

A short documentary film on Binode Behari Mukherjee, a blind artist and a teacher from Visva-Bharati University, a university founded by Rabindranath Tagore at Santiniketan

This week we complete a year of viewing and appreciating films weekly in this tiny corner of the virtual world. In order to mark this year, we circle back to the great auteur, Satyajit Ray. And in the spirit of our ongoing search for new perspectives, let us experience Ray’s take on a blind artist.

‘The Inner Eye’ maps the incredible story of master artist, Binode Behari Mukherjee, who has impaired vision since an early age. The film is driven by the narration, providing insight into the artist’s creative journey and evolution over the years. We learn about the artist’s influences and his place in the larger art traditions of the time. The most striking aspect of the story is definitely the impact of Mukherjee’s deteriorating eyesight on his art. Ray credits his visual impairment to his ability to go beyond the superficial and capture the essence of a place or a people. After Mukherjee loses his vision completely, watching him create visual art with his hands and his ‘inner eye’ is truly remarkable.

Though the film has no sit-down interviews with Mukherjee, there are smatterings of him speaking in Bengali (unfortunately with no English subtitles). The artwork featured in the film is breathtaking, and the soundtrack complements it throughout the film. The sensory experience of watching a great artist’s film about another great artist is unmatchable, and a great note to end the year with. Wish you all a happy new year!