# Teen Kanya
**Teen Kanya** (তিন কন্যা, "Three Daughters") is a 1961 Bengali-language anthology film written, directed, and scored by [Satyajit Ray](https://www.edgepedia.org/satyajit-ray), adapted from three short stories by [Rabindranath Tagore](https://www.edgepedia.org/rabindranath-tagore): *The Postmaster*, *Monihara* (The Lost Jewels), and *Samapti* (The Conclusion).[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/teen-kanya-1961/research-centre/all/teen-kanya-samapti-1961-cinema-photographic-still-6984) • [2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) Ray conceived the film as a tribute to Tagore on the centenary of his birth in 1961.[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) The Indian release contained all three stories; the international version dropped *Monihara* and was retitled *Two Daughters*.[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/teen-kanya-1961/research-centre/all/teen-kanya-samapti-1961-cinema-photographic-still-6984)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director, screenplay, music | Satyajit Ray[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) |
| Release | 5 May 1961, in Bengali, black and white[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/teen-kanya-1961/research-centre/all/teen-kanya-samapti-1961-cinema-photographic-still-6984) • [3](https://www.bengalfilmarchive.com/bn/filmography-details.php?t=OTMy) |
| Source | Three Tagore short stories: *Postmaster*, *Monihara*, *Samapti*[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) |
| Segment lengths | The Postmaster 56 min; Monihara 61 min; Samapti 56 min[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) |
| International version | *Two Daughters*, omitting Monihara; released on VHS in 1997[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/teen-kanya-1961/research-centre/all/teen-kanya-samapti-1961-cinema-photographic-still-6984) • [4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0fjTvOIDg0) |
| Principal cast | Anil Chatterjee, Chandana Banerjee, Kali Banerjee, Kanika Majumdar, Soumitra Chatterjee, Aparna Das Gupta (Sen)[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) |
| Format | Black and white, 19 reels, 35 mm[3](https://www.bengalfilmarchive.com/bn/filmography-details.php?t=OTMy) |
## Spoilers
### The three stories
**The Postmaster.** A young man from Calcutta, Nandalal (Anil Chatterjee), arrives as postmaster of a small village and forms a bond with the orphan girl Ratan (Chandana Banerjee), whom he teaches to read and write.[8](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/satyajit%20ray%3Cbr%3Ethe%20language%20of%20film/2022/08/07/teen-kanya/) • [9](https://indiancine.ma/KDF/documents) The acquaintance ends abruptly when he falls ill and is transferred; the Indiancine.ma summary calls it the most sentimental of the three stories.[9](https://indiancine.ma/KDF/documents) A contemporary BFI-printed review describes the parting of the postmaster and Ratan as "pure cinema at its best," and notes Ray's delicate humor in the incongruity of a civilized man in rural surroundings.[8](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/satyajit%20ray%3Cbr%3Ethe%20language%20of%20film/2022/08/07/teen-kanya/)
**Monihara (The Lost Jewels).** A ghost story in which the spirit of a man's dead wife wanders their house in search of her lost jewels.[8](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/satyajit%20ray%3Cbr%3Ethe%20language%20of%20film/2022/08/07/teen-kanya/) Near an abandoned mansion, a village schoolteacher (Gobinda Chakravarti) recounts the story of Manimalika (Kanika Majumdar), a jewelry-crazy zamindar's wife, to a hooded man.[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) • [6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/photo-features/teen-kanya-to-chaar-bengali-anthology-films-you-shouldnt-miss/photostory/65486051.cms) Kali Banerjee plays her husband Phanibhusan Saha.[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/)
**Samapti (The Conclusion).** A comedy in which a young law student, Amulya ([Soumitra Chatterjee](https://www.edgepedia.org/soumitra-chatterjee)), marries the tomboy Mrinmoyee (Aparna Das Gupta, later [Aparna Sen](https://www.edgepedia.org/aparna-sen)), who at first rejects her new husband before a change of heart.[8](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/satyajit%20ray%3Cbr%3Ethe%20language%20of%20film/2022/08/07/teen-kanya/) The episode marked Sen's film debut; she was fourteen when shooting began in 1960 and turned fifteen on 25 October that year. She recalled that Ray filmed her character's change from girl to woman in three close-ups with changing lights, and for the final moment simply asked her to put her thumb in her mouth and think of "lovely, wonderful things."[10](https://scroll.in/reel/1006984/how-aparna-sen-forged-a-deep-friendship-with-satyajit-ray-despite-differences-in-age-and-opinion) • [11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/did-you-know/satyajit-rays-first-words-after-aparna-sen-made-her-directorial-debut/articleshow/71758588.cms)
## Origin and purpose
Ray made the film to mark the centenary of Tagore's birth in 1961, the same year in which he also completed a documentary on the writer.[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) • [5](https://southasia.ucla.edu/culture/cinema/directors/satyajit-ray/) The Times of India identifies it as the first Bengali anthology film.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/photo-features/teen-kanya-to-chaar-bengali-anthology-films-you-shouldnt-miss/photostory/65486051.cms) The three episodes are linked by female central characters, and each is shot in a different narrative genre: a social realist drama, a ghost story, and a romantic comedy.[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) • [7](https://filmref.com/2017/12/22/teen-kanya-1961/)
## The international version
The international release, titled *Two Daughters*, contains only *The Postmaster* and *Samapti*. The Satyajit Ray Org attributes the omission of *Monihara* probably to concerns about length and to subtitles for that segment not being ready, while BFI program notes state that Ray himself cut the third story when the film was first sent to Britain, to make a shorter film.[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) • [8](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/satyajit%20ray%3Cbr%3Ethe%20language%20of%20film/2022/08/07/teen-kanya/) The two-story version runs 114 minutes according to MoMA, against 178 minutes for the full three-story film in BFI's listing.[12](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/126) • [8](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/satyajit%20ray%3Cbr%3Ethe%20language%20of%20film/2022/08/07/teen-kanya/) The Tuli Research Centre notes that critics have often recommended the edited version for a more cohesive and emotionally resonant experience.[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/teen-kanya-1961/research-centre/all/teen-kanya-samapti-1961-cinema-photographic-still-6984) The Academy Film Archive preserved the international version in 1996, and it was released on VHS in 1997; DVD editions containing all three stories later became available.[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0fjTvOIDg0)
## Production
Ray produced the film through Satyajit Ray Productions, with distribution by Chayabani Private Limited.[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) • [3](https://www.bengalfilmarchive.com/bn/filmography-details.php?t=OTMy) The crew included Soumendu Roy on camera, Dulal Dutta as editor, Bansi Chandragupta for art direction, and Durgadas Mitra on sound; the songs use Tagore's lyrics, sung by [Ruma Guha Thakurta](https://www.edgepedia.org/ruma-guha-thakurta) and Khona Raychaudhuri.[2](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/) • [3](https://www.bengalfilmarchive.com/bn/filmography-details.php?t=OTMy) Roy's own unpublished shooting diary records the shooting dates of *Teen Kanya* as 1961.[13](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/ray-cinematographers-diary-to-reveal-technical-details/articleshow/99947852.cms) A handwritten shooting-script notebook, or *Kheror Khata*, with sketches for the film is held in the Satyajit Ray Society collection documented by the National Digital Library of India.[14](https://www.ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/ch_document/satyajit_ray_society/1234567_ray/112)
## Place in Ray's work
*Teen Kanya* was Ray's second film after completing the [Apu Trilogy](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-apu-trilogy), and the first on which he composed his own music; MoMA notes that composing his own scores from this film onward let him add to the emotional resonance of his work.[12](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/126) It began a series of Tagore adaptations that continued with *Charulata* (1964), based on "Nastanirh," and *Ghare Baire* (1984).[15](https://criticalcollective.in/Pdf/WWM_Chapter_1379.pdf) The film's focus on women and social convention has also made it a recurring reference point in later Bengali anthology filmmaking.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/photo-features/teen-kanya-to-chaar-bengali-anthology-films-you-shouldnt-miss/photostory/65486051.cms)
## References
1. [Teen Kanya (1961), Tuli Research Centre for India Studies](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/teen-kanya-1961/research-centre/all/teen-kanya-samapti-1961-cinema-photographic-still-6984)
2. [Teen Kanya (Three Daughters / Two Daughters), Satyajit Ray Org](https://satyajitray.org/teen-kanya-three-daughters-two-daughters/)
3. [তিন কন্যা, Bengal Film Archive](https://www.bengalfilmarchive.com/bn/filmography-details.php?t=OTMy)
4. [Teen Kanya (1961) full movie upload notes, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0fjTvOIDg0)
5. [Satyajit Ray, MANAS, UCLA South Asian Studies](https://southasia.ucla.edu/culture/cinema/directors/satyajit-ray/)
6. ['Teen Kanya' to 'Chaar': Bengali anthology films you shouldn't miss, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/photo-features/teen-kanya-to-chaar-bengali-anthology-films-you-shouldnt-miss/photostory/65486051.cms)
7. [Teen Kanya (1961), Strictly Film School](https://filmref.com/2017/12/22/teen-kanya-1961/)
8. [Teen Kanya, BFI Southbank Programme Notes](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/satyajit%20ray%3Cbr%3Ethe%20language%20of%20film/2022/08/07/teen-kanya/)
9. [Teen Kanya (Satyajit Ray) 1961, Indiancine.ma](https://indiancine.ma/KDF/documents)
10. [How Aparna Sen balanced her deep respect for Satyajit Ray with a critique of his choices, Scroll.in](https://scroll.in/reel/1006984/how-aparna-sen-forged-a-deep-friendship-with-satyajit-ray-despite-differences-in-age-and-opinion)
11. [Satyajit Ray's first words after Aparna Sen made her directorial debut, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/did-you-know/satyajit-rays-first-words-after-aparna-sen-made-her-directorial-debut/articleshow/71758588.cms)
12. [Teen Kanya (Two Daughters), 1961, MoMA](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/126)
13. [Ray cinematographer's diary to reveal technical details, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/ray-cinematographers-diary-to-reveal-technical-details/articleshow/99947852.cms)
14. [তিন কন্যা [Three Daughters] (1961), National Digital Library of India](https://www.ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/ch_document/satyajit_ray_society/1234567_ray/112)
15. [Geeta chapter on Ray, Critical Collective](https://criticalcollective.in/Pdf/WWM_Chapter_1379.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Films in other Indian languages*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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