care after Priyogopal falls down a flight of stairs, chastises Subrata for neglecting his father's material needs. Meanwhile, Subrata spends his days idly at home and is consumed by suspicion and insecurity. Subrata finally decides to meet Arati's boss, Himangshu (Haradhan Bannerjee), to ease some of his suspicions. He finds that Himangshu is an affable and friendly person who, like him, hails from Pabna District. They discuss Subrata's unemployment and Himangshu promises to find him a job somewhere. Edith returns to work after a long illness, but Himangshu doubts she was actually sick and fires her, citing her frivolous lifestyle. Arati discovers her crying and persuades Edith to tell her why she is upset. Despite being the sole breadwinner of the family, the previously timid Arati abandons her inhibitions and confronts Himangshu over his unjust firing of Edith. After a heated exchange in which her boss refuses to apologize to Edith, Arati hands in her resignation letter and storms off. On her way out of the office, she meets Subrata, apologizes to him for impulsively quitting her job, and admits she is scared of the future. Subarata realizes that his wife has shown courage rather than meekly submitting to her boss to sustain her livelihood. He placates Arati and tells her that he believes some day they both will get jobs to support their family. Cast Madhabi Mukherjee as Arati Mazumdar Anil Chatterjee as Subrata Mazumdar (the husband) Haradhan Bannerjee as Himangshu Mukherjee (the boss) Vicky Redwood as Edith Simmons (the Anglo-Indian colleague) Jaya Bhaduri as Bani (Subrata's sister) Haren Chatterjee as Priyogopal (Subrata's father) Sefalika Devi as Sarojini (Subrata's mother) Prosenjit Sarkar as Pintu (Arati and Subrata's son) Reception and legacy Upon its 1967 release in the United States, Mahanagar drew praise from Roger Ebert, Pauline Kael and others. According to Ebert, "the power of this extraordinary film seems to come in equal parts from the serene narrative style of director Satyajit Ray and the sensitive performances of the cast members." He described the film as "one of the most rewarding screen experiences of our time". Bosley Crowther of the New York Times wrote a rave review of the film "There is nothing obscure or over-stylized about this characteristic work by Mr. Ray. It is another of his beautifully fashioned and emotionally balanced contemplations of change in the thinking, the customs and the manners of the Indian middle-class." In