The Holy Man (1965) User Reviews (13)

Slight but very watchable.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 4 January 2013]

"Mahapurush: The Holy Man" is a decent little film, but I definitely should point out that it is little in scope and style. Satyajit Ray has taken one of his short stories and brought it to the screen. And, at only a little over an hour and a very simple plot, it seems pretty obvious that it was a short story. Because of this, the film is rather slight and I don't recommend it for folks not familiar with Ray's work, as he's done better and more amazing films. This one is more for someone wanting to see all of Ray's films--even the minor ones.

The film begins with a widower meeting a holy man on a train. Soon, the man is won over by the holy man and has convinced practically everyone in his family to become disciples of the guy and he comes to live with them. There is only one problem--he spouts nothing but hogwash and he's clearly a phony. For example, the guy claims to be older than the Buddha and Jesus AND that he told Einstein about the theory of relativity!! So how are the family's friends going to expose the truth? See the film and find out for yourself.

My biggest complaint about the film is much of the ending--which I found a bit vague and confusing. However, there are some nice character studies and the film is enjoyable. In many ways, this is like an Indian version of the old Moliere play, "Tartuffe".

Crucifixion! I say Crucifact!

[aerodarts · 8/10 · 3 May 2021]

I was there said the Holy Man and many other claims were made by the clever con from India who has camped out at a believers house. However Love conquers Con and a camp fire puts the Holy man on the run, but not without compensation!

Those who are into the afterlife, this a a must movie to see. Beware of false prophets and you will overcome such scams.

Enjoyable movie peters out into drab finale

[titaskar-41573 · 6/10 · 19 May 2021]

With the love for Babas and other holy men much in vogue amongst many Indians even today, it can be well understood that 50 years back the scenario was even worse. Before the age of internet, learned but wicked men could fool gullible people at will. Birinchi Baba plays his role perfectly and the movie moves on a light note. The hand rotation in reverse directions is wonderfully done. But the climax peters out in quite a drab manner. I'm nobody to criticize Ray's work, but probably it could have done with a bit more detailing!!

Simple story of a con man

[gbill-74877 · 6/10 · 26 May 2021]

A religious charlatan claims to have been around for thousands of years, and no matter how outrageous his lies, has an entire village rapt and under his influence. This includes a widower and his daughter, upsetting the plans of marriage for her suitor, so the young man turns to his friends for help. The film is based on a short story by Parashuram, but it seems like a variation of Molière's Tartuffe, or reminded me of it anyway. I certainly like the concept of exposing religious hypocrisy anywhere and everywhere, but the story here is too linear and simple to make a great film. Ray doesn't flesh out his characters or develop any other subplot, so even at 65 minutes it felt a little dry. It's kind of interesting to compare this fictional character to other con-men though.

A socially important topic to expose religious fraudulent but Ray's one of rare Flabby works inviolable to his high standard.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 6/10 · 26 April 2021]

Mahapurush / The Holy Man (1965) : Brief Review -

A socially important topic to expose religious fraudulent but Ray's one of rare Flabby works inviolable to his high standard. Mahapurush is second half of double features 'Kapurush-Mahapurush' which follows a completely different story. Kapurush was a lovestory which doesn't have anything that can bring social change but Mahapurush is about exposing racket of Imposter Saint which was definitely a very important topic for society. Now let me tell me you that Kapurush is a Classic but Mahapurush is not. Well, that doesn't mean the film is bad. Sometimes better content fails to impress as much as fictional and dramatic theories and that's what exactly the case here. A devout Hindu family falls victim to a charlatan posing as a holy man and then one of the educated and sensibile guy gathers a small team to expose the fraud baba without hurting the religious sentiments of people. Even though Mahapurush has a better content than Kapurush, it fails to come out as a Classic because of limited screentime and regular filmmaking features. However, Mahapurush is more interesting and more entertaining than any other Satyajit Ray film made by then. The faking lectures and fictional stories of Baba are fun to watch. Some scientific and mathematical references are there for educated audience and it's very likeable too. The cast members are quite good with their roles and the writing of the characters is also very nice and relatable to common men. The screenplay is engaging, the dialogues are fine and the cinematography is okay (pretty dark unreasonably). Satyajit Ray makes this film with the light theme which hadn't been done by him then, and so it can be called a worthy attempt to some extent. Overall, good but nothing great as we expect from the Great Filmmaker.

RATING - 6.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

"double-features.. con godman in comedy genre"

[smkbsws · 10/10 · 16 September 2020]

We came to know about the concept of double-features from the 'Grindhouse' project made in 2000's. This one, even though having completely different source, was released together with the yin and yang kind of title; even I have seen photos and posters of these getting released in some theatres in Calcutta. Kapurush : story of a coward lover in a dark themed drama; speaking about contemporaneous, do not miss this. Mahapurush : story of a con godman in comedy genre - speaking about relevance, watch this right now. I think this was the first project of Ray with Soumendu Roy as his new DoP

Intelligent Comedy

[atlasmb · 8/10 · 16 October 2023]

This may be a short film, but it is packed with clever dialogue. And a comedy that uses words to be funny is worth celebrating.

Charuprakash Ghosh plays a holy man (Birinchi Baba) who talks a good game of spiritual enlightenment. He travels with his assistant (played by Rabi Ghosh), looking for believers who might be tricked by his "wisdom". Actually, many of the things he says are somewhat meaningful or half-truths, and he is quite intelligent. But he really goes overboard, claiming to have known and educated everyone from Albert Einstein to Jesus and the Buddha.

The monk-ish mountebank and his attendant meet a grieving man and his daughter on a train, dazzle them with petty witticisms and cheap tricks, and establish a cushy existence in their care. But there are others who are not so easily duped; they seek a way to expose the charlatans.

It's a funny story that reminds me of O. Henry's humorous tales. Director and co-writer Satyajit Ray deserves credit for this comedy with a cautionary core.

Watch for the trick with the fingers that must have had viewers trying to replicate it.

Cultural vignette

[lyrxsf · 5/10 · 1 January 2006]

This is one of Ray's short stories. It lacks the intensity of his full-length features. Its a satire which appropriately captures the post-independence Indian zeitgeist. Its a sweet tale of how a charlatan is exposed with help from basic science and motivation from a lover boy in distress. Be it a short story or not, in every one of his movies, Ray has been a beacon by conveying his socially progressive ideas. He's a master at exposing the fault lines in the Indian society and delivering his wisdom packaged in a entertaining manner. I saw the movie in a combination pack with another one of his shorts - Kapurush. Kapurush is an emotion-packed drama. It captures the anxiety and rekindling of emotions of a chance meeting between two estranged lovers.

"One should stand on his own two feet"

[evening1 · 5/10 · 29 November 2021]

I much prefer director Satyajit Ray as a tragedian, but this trifle of a film was OK to see, nonetheless.

I think it deftly portrays that need in some people to have an outside entity with all the answers, rather than relying on their own inner compass.

Prasad Mukherjee is poignant as a bereaved attorney who has lost his ballast in life -- "I have no peace of mind" -- and Charuprakash Ghosh does well as a con artist who preys on the naïve.

The theatrical Baba trades on his countrymen's belief in reincarnation in claiming encounters with Plato, Jesus, Einstein, and the Buddha himself. And the acolytes arrive -- "You go to him, and all your desires will vanish."

There's also a little plot detour about a lovesick man (Satindra Bhattacharya) almost too shy to court his intended, the lawyer's lovely daughter (Gitali Roy).

Based on a short story, this film seems too long by half, and one feels stalled before the charlatan gets his due. As one of the skeptics murmurs, "If you have powers, show a few miracles."

I always prefer that every frame of a movie count, but, out of respect for Ray, I waited this one out. He is so gifted a director that nothing in his filmography is a total waste.

Far more highly recommended are "The Home and the World" and the Apu Trilogy.

Probably Better If You're Indian

[boblipton · 5/10 · 4 May 2021]

On a railroad trip back home, a retired lawyer meets holy man Charuprakash Ghosh and falls under his spell. So does his daughter, which worries the young man who loves her. He investigates and soon becomes convinced he is a fraud.

Satyajit Ray's comedy credits an Indian writer as its source, but strikes me as owing a good deal to Moliere's TARTUFFE. Ghosh's babbling line includes being friends with all the great holy man of the past, and urging followers to achieve enlightenment by going onto the roof at noon and staring at the sun while they recite a prayer 972 times. I don't find this one of Ray's more compelling movies; the nonsensical things his con man continually says are arrant nonsense..... but that may be a reaction due to the fact that as a westerner, what he says makes no sense and is offensive. The offensiveness is probably deliberate on Ray's part, but makes the whole thing seem trivial.

Too easy

[kcfl-1 · 5/10 · 22 February 2024]

In 1910, "The Scarlet Letter" was first turned into a movie; many other versions followed. The Hawthorne novel concerned a hypocritical minister, Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale, who fathered a child out of wedlock, and refused to take responsibility until the fadeout.

Many other films concerned hypocritical or fake preachers, such as "Miracle Woman," "Night of the Hunter," "Elmer Gantry," etc. So it's common, if not easy, to expose fake holy men.

This "Holy Man" appears to show a legitimate religious person, until jealous neighbors expose him as a fraud (in a rushed ending).

It's much harder to show a genuine holy person. This is what Claude Lelouch did in "Un + Une." It showcases a real woman convincingly portrayed as a living saint.

Lelouch may be our greatest living foreign-language director. S Ray's films are pleasant enough, but he never had the vision to attempt anything like what Lelouch did.

I did not think it was funny, but was amusing

[jordondave-28085 · 5/10 · 18 October 2023]

(1965) The Holy Man/ Mahapurush (In Bengali with English subtitles) COMEDY DRAMA

Adapted from the story "Birinchi Baba" by Rajshekhar 'Parashuram' Basu, music, co-written and directed by Satyajit Ray that has popular spiritual leader, Birinchi Baba (Charuprakash Ghosh) and his sidekick, Kyabla (Rabi Ghosh) happened to share the same boxcar with a retired lawyer and his daughter, Buchki ((Gitali Roy) welcoming them to their home. It is there, is when things become complicated is when the daughter, Buchi were given instructions by the guru to stray far away from the student, Satya (Satindra Bhattacharya) who happen to take a liking to her. Once Satya and his peers begin to realize this, they then attempt to go to great lengths to expose the guru, Birinchi Baba and his sidekick for who they really are, as a fraud or as con men.

Saw this on TCM and was late at night after seeing Satyajit Ray's other movie "Devi" or "The Goddess", and although it was labelled as a comedy, I did not see a single thing I thought was funny. It was amusing but it could be the fact that I was kind of tired, despite spiritual con men is still happening today.

Short, Simple & Straightforward

[CinemaClown · 26 June 2022]

A short, simple & straightforward comedy released as one half of the double bill presentation along with Kapurush, Mahapurush (The Holy Man) concerns a devout Hindu family that falls victim to a charlatan posing as a holy man and a group of rational, intelligent men who take it upon themselves to expose him.

Co-written & directed by Satyajit Ray (The Music Room, The Big City & The Hero), the film may lack the scope of his best-known works but it still does well with the little material, thanks to its rich script, excellent cast & brief 65 mins runtime. Ray only keeps what advances the story and narrates it with aplomb while keeping things lighthearted.

The film shows the so-called god-men for who they really are and how they seduce the pious & vulnerable people into their swindling schemes without mocking the ignorance & blind following of their victims. The plot is easy to follow, even allows the viewers to catch up when it drops too many details, and maintains its neat composure from start to finish.

Overall, Mahapurush features a premise that could've been expanded upon for greater impact but it still goes past the finish line with the elegance that Ray films are known for. Not amongst his finest but a fun & enjoyable outing nonetheless that delivers both as a satire & farce and is patient in its approach & execution of the proceedings despite the limited runtime.