As any other intellectually inclined bengali film-buff,needless to say that I have grown up on a staple diet of movies by Satyajit Ray & Tapan Sinha,the two directors of bengal with the widest bodies of work.While,many of Tapan Sinha's films have got destoyed in a fire,Satyajit ray being a more well-konwn figure in World-Cinema has achieved the posthumus privilege of his works to be well looked after.Hence,its not really difficult to get hold of his films & finish watching all of them...a feat which I achieved a week ago with "Pratidwandi"(The Adversary)-the only Ray-film that I had not seen earlier.
"Pratidwandi" is the first film of Ray's 'Calcutta Trilogy' & was followed by 'Simabaddha' & 'Jana Aranya'. What started in the first film was prevalent throughout the trilogy,was Ray's harsh & critical outlook on thr troubled 'Calcutta' of the 70's.
The youth was utterly confused & frustrated.While,on one hand some of the brightest minds were giving in to the naxal-movement,industrialization was starting in the city...however,unemployment & corruption were rampant,adding to the agony & struggle of the middle-class.In 'Pratidwandi',the protagonist Siddhartha is shown as a vascilllating character who can neither be gutsy enough like his revolutionary brother,nor relate to her ambitious,compromising sister & ends up being a failure.His girlfriend Keya seems to be the only silver lining in his otherwise bleak existence.
Style-wise,'Pratidwandi' was probably ray's most unique & experimental film as he used some innovative techniques like 'X-ray digressions' & metaphors from the protagonist's reminiscence of his medical classes.'Pratidwandi',as a film,might not be compared to 'Apu trilogy' or 'Charulata',but is indeed one of Ray's most challenging & progressive films.
"Pratidwandi" is the first film of Ray's 'Calcutta Trilogy' & was followed by 'Simabaddha' & 'Jana Aranya'. What started in the first film was prevalent throughout the trilogy,was Ray's harsh & critical outlook on thr troubled 'Calcutta' of the 70's.
The youth was utterly confused & frustrated.While,on one hand some of the brightest minds were giving in to the naxal-movement,industrialization was starting in the city...however,unemployment & corruption were rampant,adding to the agony & struggle of the middle-class.In 'Pratidwandi',the protagonist Siddhartha is shown as a vascilllating character who can neither be gutsy enough like his revolutionary brother,nor relate to her ambitious,compromising sister & ends up being a failure.His girlfriend Keya seems to be the only silver lining in his otherwise bleak existence.
Style-wise,'Pratidwandi' was probably ray's most unique & experimental film as he used some innovative techniques like 'X-ray digressions' & metaphors from the protagonist's reminiscence of his medical classes.'Pratidwandi',as a film,might not be compared to 'Apu trilogy' or 'Charulata',but is indeed one of Ray's most challenging & progressive films.
