On Tapan Sinha's Harmonium

The film is a classic. As far as central story structure goes, which is having a lost thing end up in the possession of many people, and finally the true owner, I guess it has precedents. But the manner in which Tapan Sinha has used this central narrative technique to weave several sections of society together, ridicule the middle class, and poignantly and sympathetically represent both the aristocracy and the world of sex workers, is impressive to say the least. 

I was very moved. The closing song "Mon bole tui moner katha jano na," finds echoes in many songs of Rabindranath, that play with the idea of "mon" and what it does know and does not know. At the same time, the song also affirms the folkloric or rural roots of Bengali culture, thereby bringing the entire social sweep of the film into a unity or whole.