Animesh Mitra, arrives in Kolkata for his college education. As he arrives, he catches a bullet in one leg during a police-student fracas and unwittingly gets marked as a political activist. His entry into Scottish Church College coincides with his entry into student politics of the CPI (M). Along the way, confused about his placing in politics, Animesh discovers love in the beautiful Madhurilata whose delicate and fragile appearance veils a firm, determined and independent spirit. Without involving herself with the political activism of Animesh, she becomes emotionally and morally committed to her love for him. Animesh shifts his political loyalties to the then-rising extremist politics of the Naxalites. He moves away from Kolkata to the Naxalite ghettos in Birbhum, Bolpur, North Bengal, leaving Madhurilata, who has walked out of her parents’ home, to fend with an unwed pregnancy, an uncertain livelihood and an unknown future. The Naxalite movement is crushed before it can gather strength to replace the power structure and Animesh is imprisoned as an under trial criminal, tortured and left a cripple for life. When the current Marxist government assumes power, it declares the unconditional release of 10,000 political prisoners in the State of West Bengal and Animesh is one of them. All this while, Madhurilata is waiting for him, taking care of their little son Arko, living in a shanty and working to support them all.
Technical Expertise
Ghosh had challenges to face, such as (a) the story placed in a particular time setting, 1957-1954. (b) the year when the story was written - 1983, (c) the time when he made the film, 2006, (d) his medium, cinema, which he owes his ideological obligations to and (e) his producers, namely, Prasar Bharati and Doordarshan Kendra, Kolkata. But instead of ‘looking back’ at a time gone by with the objective distance created by the gap - in time, in the shifting politics of the Left, Ghosh chooses to ‘look in’ at a past he could identify with. The narrative and cinematographic space of the film is divided into two. The first half explores the coming of age of Animesh, his involvement in the politics of the Left, his confusion, shifting priorities and almost against his will, his being drawn into a relationship with the soft, romantic Madhurilata, who wraps herself around him, metaphorically, like a creeper (lata). This part is a bit too verbose and obtuse; the focus of the political ideology remains vague, perhaps by design. The second half wanders across the Naxalite pockets following Animesh’s pull into the movement. This is intercut with Madhurilata’s personal struggle, enriched by brilliant cinematography, meaningful music and some beautiful poetry chanted all the time by Animesh’s close friend. The river bank functions both as a metaphor and a punctuation mark, the narrative returns to now and then to remind us about the steady flow of the river against the turbulent political youth upheaval that closes in 1974.
The film in its totality, however, lacks the power and the punch it demands. Ghose dwells more on the inner struggles of Animesh than on the absolute, unconditional love of Madhurilata. The acting cast lends him unstinted support. Parambrato as Animesh may look too soft and romantic even after he has become an armed extremist, but he does very well except in the love scenes where he appears awkward. Paoli Dam’s Madhurilata is just as it should be, soft but firm, bold but low-profile. Rudraneel as Animesh’s poet friend, Bratya Basu as the student leader, Shantilal Mukherjee as the extremist leader, Soumitra Chatterjee as Animesh’s cynical grandfather, Santu Mukherjee and Mousumi Saha as his parents get under skins of their characters. The film deserves four stars, one for the music, one for cinematography, one for the acting and one for art direction. Whose rebellion is it, anyway? Is it Animesh’s, who takes on a larger cause without a clear idea? Or, is it Madhurilata’s who neither bends nor breaks under pressure? Let the audience decide.