The Goddess/The Hero

THE GODDESS: This haunting drama, set in Bengal in the 1800s, reflects the corrosive allure of religious fanaticism in the eyes of young Doya (Sharmila Tagore, in one of her first leading roles). While her husband is attending college in the city, Doya lives with his family; all goes well until the night her father-in-law has a dream in which he sees her as an incarnation of the goddess Kali.

THE HERO: With all flights to Delhi booked, top Bengali actor Arindam (Uttam Kumar) must take a train to the city, where he is being honored with an award. Also aboard is young journalist Aditi (Sharmila Tagore), whose initial disdain for the film star changes as she interviews him and the conversation becomes unusually revealing. Both lead performances are superb in this underrated gem, which uses dreams and flashbacks to open windows on two lives in a world before celebrity journalism went to seed.