In order to use this house as a Muslim residence, the image of Ganesh (from the doorway) had to be covered.

"During the shooting of this film," says Nemai Ghosh, "the Bombay photographers sent by the producer found it difficult to cope with Ray's pace and handed over the entire responsibility to me."

Ray's early training as a painter undoubtedly gave him unusual sensitivity as a designer of his films. Without making them aesthetic, he infused them with a painter's feeling for form, texture, colour and composition. Objects acquire powerful dramatic significance on screen, such as the hairpin in Apur Sansar (The World of Apu), the lorgnette in Charulata, the chess pieces in The Chess Players.