Satyajit Ray - Seemabaddha (1971)

Shyamal (Barun Chanda) is an ambitious Sales manager in a British fan manufacturing firm in Calcutta, where he is expecting a promotion shortly. He is married to Dolan, and lives in a company flat. He aspires to become the company director.

His sister-in-law, Tutul (Sharmila Tagore) arrives from Patna to stay with them for a few days. She is given a tour of the life they lead - in restaurants, beauty parlours, clubs and race courses. Tutul has been a great admirer of the ideologist Shyamal and was envious of her sister's marriage with him.

Life goes on smoothly for Shyamal until he learns that a consignment of fans meant for exports is defective just before the shipment of a prestigious export order and Shyamalendu is held to blame. He hatches a plan with the labour officer to provoke a strike at the factory. A factory watchman is badly injured and false riot is organised and a lock-out declared.

For his 'efficient' handling of the crisis, Shyamalendu is promoted and there is congratulations all around. However Shyamalendu has fallen in the eyes of both Tutul and himself. Shyamalendu is left at the top, successful - and desolate. (Wikipedia)




Detailed, methodical, textured study of an aspiring member of the bourgeoisie. The protagonist, Shyamal, is a go-getting export manager at a British-owned fan manufacturer based in Calcutta. He has a new flat with all mod cons, a devoted wife and the chance of promotion to the board of directors. His intelligent sister-in-law comes to stay, and he shows his lifestyle off to her: horse racing, golf, clubs and soirées. A hitch comes up with an export order, and our man gets involved in some shady dealings involving stoking industrial unrest and a bomb at the factory, which badly injures a lowly night watchman, and it is apparent by the end of the film that, to gain the world, Shyamal has lost his soul.

The film is reminiscent of the grittier end of British social realist drama, and therefore a pleasurable contrast to the usual banalities of Bollywood. It shows Ray to be an incisive critic of the embourgeoisiement of Indian society. There is a poignant scene in which Shyamal's country bumpkin parents visit his flat and are ushered into a side-room as a drinks party plays out - they are an embarrassment in the shiny new India - but it is really the soul-rotting dehumanisation Shyamal is willing to be embroiled in which should embarrass. The sister-in-law is an intriguing symbolic figure, standing as she does for Shyamal's conscience and soul. Her ghostly disappearance, leaving him sat alone with the knowledge of his sin, is an eloquent and haunting final image. (IMDb user review)





This is the second film of the Calcutta Trilogy. The other two were and Pratidwandi (The Adversary, 1971) and Jana Aranya (The Middle Man, 1975). All the three films study the effect the big city of Calcutta has on the educated youth and the price it extracts from them.

With an effortless conviction, Ray builds up the narrative, and characters including the minor ones. The film has a poetic and understated ending. As triumphant Shyamal returns home after being named a director, the elevator is out of order. A joyous Shyamal begins to climb the stairs. As he ascends his steps become slower. When he reaches the top, both physically and metaphorically, his joy has vanished. Tutul who has witnessed fall of her hero, sits beside him, they exchange glances. Without making a sound Tutul removes the watch that he had gifted her. She places it on the table. We see Shyamal from above a ceiling fan, with his head bowed in his hand and Tutul fading away. (SatyajitRay.Org)