Satyajit Ray’s Devi confronts fanaticism and patriarchal hierarchies in this palpitating tale of extremes. Set in 19th-century rural Bengal, Doyamoyee – portrayed by the acclaimed actress Sharmila Tagore - resides in a lavish mansion alongside her aristocratic in-laws. One night, her father-in-law is met with a dream-fuelled vision of Doyamoyee merging with the goddess Kali, and becomes convinced that his daughter-in-law is an incarnation of the Mother Goddess herself. With this imposed divinity, Doyamoyee is instantly transferred to a shrine. Overwhelmed by a growing devotion from the entire village, she is forced to trade her human-status for one of a deity; irrespective of her tearful reluctance. 

Despite Satyajit Ray’s canonical fame, Devi is relatively under-seen and under-screened within the wider body of his work. Yet, dressed in candlelight and prayer incense, the film's humanist themes exploring agency, oppression, and a fear of the unknown, retain a timeless resonance.