The novels had a female character named Leela who influenced Apu's alienation from his mother when he was living in Calcutta. After rejecting two aspirants, Ray found one actress to portray the character, but the actress was not allowed to act in the film by her fiancé. Eventually, Ray removed the character from the script reluctantly. Ray himself later commented that he thought Leela, with whom Apu had an understated affair, was a strong reason behind Apu's attraction of Calcutta, and that without Leela's presence in the film, Apu's attraction to Calcutta may seem to some extent artificial. "I'm never sure," he said, "whether Apu's attachment to the city without the element of the girlfriend is strong enough, the pull that the city exerts is a bit abstract." However, when he watched the movie later, he did not feel the absence of Leela.