正义者

　　Siddartha(DhritimanChatterjee)isforcedtodiscontinuehismedicalstudiesduetounexpectedandbrutaldeathofhisfather.Hehastonowfindajobinstead.Inonejobinterview,heisaskedtonamethemostsignificantworldeventinthelasttenyears.Hisreplyis&#39theplainhumancourageshownbythepeopleofVietnam&#39,insteadoftheexpected-manlandingonmoon.Theinterviewerasksisheisacommunist.Needlestosaythathedoesnotgetthejob.　　Hereachesacoffeeshopwhereheisofferedtoworkforthecommunistparty.Whenhedoesnotshowanyinterestthepartyleadertellshimaboutanopeningforamedicalrepresentative.Toescapefromtheheatandhaveasnooze,hegoesintoacinema.Asagovernmentpropagandanewsreelisbeingshownbeforethefeature,abombexplodesinthecinemahall.Inthestampedethatfollows,Siddartha,breakshiswatch.Hegoestoawatchmakerbuthecannotaffordtherepairs.　　Waitingtocrosstheroad,henoticesasexygirl.Hedriftsbacktohisdaysasamedicalstudentinaflashback.Theprofessorisexplaininganatomyoffemalebreast.ManyflashbacksanddreamsoccurtoSiddarthathroughthefilm.　　Onhiswaytohostel,hehasanencounterwithsomehippies.Alongwithanex-classmate,hegoesouttoseeapornfilmbuttotheirdisappointment,thefilmturnsouttobenot-so-pornographic.　　InsuchconstantwanderinginaCalcutta,disintegratedrelationshipswithhissisterandaNaxalite(militantcommunist)brother,hisfriendshipwithKeyaisonlythingthatkeepshimsane.　　Keyaisasimplegirl.Theyenjoyeachother&#39scompanybuttheycannotmakeanycommitmenttoeachotherduetothecircumstances.　　Afteryetanotherattemptatajobinterview,Siddarthaleavesthebigcitytotakeamodestjobofasalesmaninafaroffsmalltown.HewritestoKeyathathestillcherishestheirrelationship.Andthathehasheardthatbirdcallagainbutthistimeitisforreal,andnothismind.Aftercompletingtheletter,hecomesouttothebalconyofhismodestroom.Thebirdcallsagain.Healsohearsthesombrechantsofafuneralprocession.Asheturnstothecamera,thepictureisfrozen.　　ThisisthefirstfilmoftheCalcuttaTrilogy.TheothertwowereandSeemabaddha(CompanyLimited,1971)andJanaAranya(TheMiddleMan,1975).AllthethreefilmsstudytheeffectthebigcityofCalcuttahasontheeducatedyouthandthepriceitextractsfromthem.　　TheseventieswereadifficultperiodforIndiaandWestBengal.TheCorruptionwasrampanttheNaxalitemovementhadcreatedhavocinCalcutta.Infact,theyhadturnedpartsofCalcuttainto&#39liberatedzones&#39.BythetimetheNaxalitemovementdieddown,in1975,Mrs.IndiraGandhi(then,PrimeMinisterofIndia)suppressedthefundamentalrightsanddeclared&quotEmergency&quotforherownpoliticalsurvival.Herson,SanjayGandhibecameadictatorofsortswithoutanyofficialdesignation.Theoppositionleaderswerethrownintoprisons.　　Abouthissocialresponsibilitiesasafilmmaker,inaninterviewwithCineastemagazine,Raycommented,&quotYoucanseemyattitudeinTheAdversarywhereyouhavetwobrothers.TheyoungerbrotherisaNaxalite.Thereisnodoubtthattheelderbrotheradmirestheyoungerbrotherforhisbraveryandconvictions.Thefilmisnotambiguousaboutthat.Asafilmmaker,however,Iwasmoreinterestedintheelderbrotherbecauseheisthevacillatingcharacter.Asapsychologicalentity,asahumanbeingwithdoubts,heisamoreinterestingcharactertome.Theyoungerbrotherhasalreadyidentifiedhimselfwithacause.Thatmakeshimpartofatotalattitudeandmakeshimunimportant.TheNaxalitemovementtakesover.He,asaperson,becomesinsignificant.&quot　　InalettertoSetonin1970,RaywrotethatPratidwandiwasthemostprovocativefilmhehadmadetillthen.Thefilmissaidtohaveevokedextremereactions.&quotPeopleeitherlovedthefilmorhatedit&quot,DhritimanChatterjeetoldAndrewRobinson,Ray&#39sbiographer.