Tagore is a one-man answer to all accusations that men simply do not understand women. He does. In depth.
Nashtaneer (Broken Nest) takes you into the tight world of Charu, who grows from child-bride to woman. Often ignored by her husband in favor of his business, she drifts into a poetic game with her brother-in-law.
Trying to imitate his literary style, she stumbles upon her own. To her consternation, her individual style alienates her brother-in-law, as he starts viewing her as a competitor, while she yearns for his approval.
As the jittery brother-in-law distances himself, her husband begins to woo her in a clumsy attempt at poetry. She rebuffs him absent-mindedly, leaving him deeply wounded, leaving her raw & vulnerable and ending in a chain of events that have you feeling for every character.
It is a nuanced interplay, a tug-of-emotions that constantly leaves you at the edge of ‘If only…‘
This is sheer mastery in words.
Translated later into the movie Charulata. Directed by S. Ray.