Sharmila Tagore first appeared onscreen as the young wife in the third part of Satyajit Ray's groundbreaking Apu Trilogy. In The World of Apu, the title character is now an indigent would-be writer. When the bridegroom at a wedding he is attending suffers a prenuptial nervous breakdown, Apu is persuaded to replace him in order to save the bride's honor. The heart of the film follows the developing relationship between two married strangers. This was also the screen debut of Soumitra Chatterjee, who plays Apu. Together, Tagore, Chatterjee and Ray create one the most remarkable portraits of a marriage in cinema. – DP