The Householder

Prem is a young teacher, newly married and unready for marriage. He lives in a small flat with his wife Indu, and then his mother moves in with them. He goes to ask for a raise and cannot say it; he tries to assert authority over his wife and fails. The whole film takes place inside that incompetence. The subject is not marriage but a man who cannot manage being an adult. Prem is forever taking advice from someone: his mother, his friend, a guru, an American tourist. Each piece of advice confuses him a little more. The form is calm and observational; the camera stays inside the flat, events are small and their consequences are not large. The humour works without humiliating anyone. This is the first feature of the Merchant Ivory partnership. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala wrote the screenplay from her own novel, so the working arrangement that would last thirty years is established here. The film was shot in both Hindi and English. Satyajit Ray helped the team at the editing stage, and the final form of the film emerged after that intervention. Shashi Kapoor plays Prem, Leela Naidu plays Indu and Durga Khote plays the mother. Who it is for: anyone curious about the beginning of Merchant Ivory and quiet comedies set in sixties India. Who it is not for: viewers wanting pace; the narrative is deliberately small in scale and there is almost no plot.