Devi (1960)

Set in 19th century Bengal, while his son (Soumitra Chatterjee) is away studying, his father (Chhabi Biswas) becomes convinced his daughter in law (Sharmila Tagore) is the incarnation of the goddess Kali. This obsession will lead to tragedy. Based on the short story by Provatkumar Mukhopadhyay and directed by Satyajit Ray. An unflinching and disturbing portrait at how destructive religion can be as well as a look at the repressive status of women in 19th century India. Tagore's 17 year old girl has the burden of divinity forced upon her and she's ill equipped to handle the responsibility. Religious fanaticism has no basis in fact, just faith and when that "faith" is perverted, it destroys the vulnerable and weak willed in its path. Ray's empathy for his characters, even the destructive ones, is passed on to the audience. One can't hate the misguided father and there's only sympathy for the daughter in law who doesn't have the courage or the societal standing to defy him. With Purnendu Mukherjee and Karuna Bannerjee.