When was the last time you paused in between your breakneck schedule to pause and reflect on the meaning on what you are doing? Back in the nineties, #SatyajitRay wrote a story about a Kolkata based doctor who is travelling to Jamshedpur to deliver a 20-page lecture and has a moment of epiphany along the way. It sets him thinking and sets you pondering on some basic life questions.
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews #Uttoran, directed by #SandipRay and available on #MUBI. Released on 12 October 1994, this is the story of Nihar Sengupta (#SoumitraChatterjee), a successful doctor who discovers that despite the advancements of modern medicine, the poor villagers in India are deprived of basic healthcare and instead find themselves gullible to witchcraft. In a moment of realization, his life undergoes a significant transformation.
1. #SoumitraChatterjee carries on from where he left off. One of Bengal cinema’s finest actors, he is superb in his portrayal of the urbane doctor. You almost get the feeling of another #SatyajitRay film with the same cinematography, music and framing. The tonality of the film is realistic, almost bordering on a harsh portrayal of the life of the under-privileged.
2. As Dr Nihar travels by road, he comes across an old man, Haladhar who is very sick and lying on the ground. He admonishes the villagers and asks them to take him back home and provide him medical help. The villagers take him back but then the witch-doctor takes over with his mumbo-jumbo. In a moment of awakening of his conscience, Dr Nihar comes back to tend to the patient. The influence of superstition and the poison of ignorance is prevalent in India’s villages even today and these scenes are disturbing.
3. The film sets up quite a few sub-plot threads that are never quite completed but ask the questions and leave it there. For example, the comparison between the teenage daughter of the Senguptas – she is sullen and arrogant and possibly in the wrong company; she is contrasted with the 17-year-old widow Manashi – the daughter of Haladhar. The doctor’s visit for his rich and urban patients is an occasion to socialise and make small talk while the poor struggle with no access to medical help. A 20-page speech on medical progress at a rotary forum takes precedence over a patient dying!
4. There are some poignant moments in the film that are captured brilliantly. “Where do so many tears come from?” asks Manashi of the doctor babu. The other occasion is when Manashi prepares dinner for the Doctor and thanks him for the “khoti” he has had to undergo. Doctor Nihar turns emotional and thanks her instead; he has learnt a lesson for life!
5. The film is a blunt commentary on poverty, rich-poor divide and how ignorance is exploited. Director of Photography #BarunRaha and editor #DulalDutta bring some technical finesse to add to the overall narrative.
#Uttoran with a run time of under 90 minutes is a gem for all the fans of the master. The film has not really been promoted and is not talked about. I found it thought-provoking and relevant to current times.
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