Pratidwandi
The sequel to his critics' entitled 'Calcutta Trilogy', Pratidwandi marks Satyajit Ray's legitimate entry into the world of politics. Perhaps his only clearly defined political film, The Adversary uses the "through-the-eyes-of-one-man" theory to expound typical Communist ideals of the late 1980s in Kolkata. And the elan in which the entire composition has been structured, amplifies Ray's mastery over the lens.
Deeply indebted to the French New Wave, in photography and montage to be precise, Ray uses to the metaphor of a crowded bus to align a class basis for his protagonist Siddharth Chowdhury (Dhritiman Chatterjee). He is on his way for an interview in a Government organisation. The questions are all placed thoroughly in clipped-British English and it ranges from the definition of the mitochondria, right up to what the applicant reserves as the most important milestone of the last decade. Instead of their wish of hearing about man's landing on the moon, Chowdhury speaks of the war in Vietnam, of which we were "completely unprepared. It is remarkable, because it showed us about the courage of the people of Vietnam." The bosses break into a thin line of sweat and stammer, "Are you a communist?"
Ray even uses Fellinisque dream sequences to break into the subconsciousness of the protagonist. From seeing his best friend, a revolutionary being shot by the police, to even himself coming before a guillotine - Chowdhury's mind is a complete mess. He can't land up a job, though his attractive younger sister works 'overtime'. Her boss' wife complains to her mother as to how she was having an affair with her husband. Chowdhury's troubled state wants him to kill the boss. But what can he do in the end? There is a an entire episode of his going to her boss' house to sort out the matter and yet he can do nothing. Its the money game, ostensibly the youth's take on capitalism. He returns from the boss' house and sees a driver of a limousine crash into a young girl. The people drive him out and beat him up. Even Siddharth tries to break in through the crowds, but his anger is not vented out on the poor proletariat, but at the Mercedez-Benz logo. Another take on capitalist tendencies in the naxalite injected state.
So where does his fervour end up? How does he fight this? He goes for another job and there too the crowd is enormous. People are waiting for their term to come, its summer and the interviewers have not only put in lesser number of chairs for the people coming for the job, but have also made available the use of only one fan. Siddharth leads a retinue into the office, rasing their demands. But they are subdued and just made to sit out and 'adjust'. The proletariat again adjust to the capitalists' tune. But then one of them faints. Siddharth is furious. Enough is enough. he breaks down the door and tramples over everything that comes into his sight. The table is wrecked, the people are pushed out of their chairs, a complete upheaval! The metaphor of a revolution. Siddharth has begun it.
But where does it end? How does he survive? How does he start working? Does he change in the system, or does he fall prey to it? He leaves the system, goes back to the pastoral, into the other line, where he starts work again. He may not have achieved anything, but he does not stay in there!
The sequel to his critics' entitled 'Calcutta Trilogy', Pratidwandi marks Satyajit Ray's legitimate entry into the world of politics. Perhaps his only clearly defined political film, The Adversary uses the "through-the-eyes-of-one-man" theory to expound typical Communist ideals of the late 1980s in Kolkata. And the elan in which the entire composition has been structured, amplifies Ray's mastery over the lens.
Deeply indebted to the French New Wave, in photography and montage to be precise, Ray uses to the metaphor of a crowded bus to align a class basis for his protagonist Siddharth Chowdhury (Dhritiman Chatterjee). He is on his way for an interview in a Government organisation. The questions are all placed thoroughly in clipped-British English and it ranges from the definition of the mitochondria, right up to what the applicant reserves as the most important milestone of the last decade. Instead of their wish of hearing about man's landing on the moon, Chowdhury speaks of the war in Vietnam, of which we were "completely unprepared. It is remarkable, because it showed us about the courage of the people of Vietnam." The bosses break into a thin line of sweat and stammer, "Are you a communist?"
Ray even uses Fellinisque dream sequences to break into the subconsciousness of the protagonist. From seeing his best friend, a revolutionary being shot by the police, to even himself coming before a guillotine - Chowdhury's mind is a complete mess. He can't land up a job, though his attractive younger sister works 'overtime'. Her boss' wife complains to her mother as to how she was having an affair with her husband. Chowdhury's troubled state wants him to kill the boss. But what can he do in the end? There is a an entire episode of his going to her boss' house to sort out the matter and yet he can do nothing. Its the money game, ostensibly the youth's take on capitalism. He returns from the boss' house and sees a driver of a limousine crash into a young girl. The people drive him out and beat him up. Even Siddharth tries to break in through the crowds, but his anger is not vented out on the poor proletariat, but at the Mercedez-Benz logo. Another take on capitalist tendencies in the naxalite injected state.
So where does his fervour end up? How does he fight this? He goes for another job and there too the crowd is enormous. People are waiting for their term to come, its summer and the interviewers have not only put in lesser number of chairs for the people coming for the job, but have also made available the use of only one fan. Siddharth leads a retinue into the office, rasing their demands. But they are subdued and just made to sit out and 'adjust'. The proletariat again adjust to the capitalists' tune. But then one of them faints. Siddharth is furious. Enough is enough. he breaks down the door and tramples over everything that comes into his sight. The table is wrecked, the people are pushed out of their chairs, a complete upheaval! The metaphor of a revolution. Siddharth has begun it.
But where does it end? How does he survive? How does he start working? Does he change in the system, or does he fall prey to it? He leaves the system, goes back to the pastoral, into the other line, where he starts work again. He may not have achieved anything, but he does not stay in there!
