Satyajit Ray's Bengali film is set in the first decade of twentieth century colonial rule. The division of Bengal was greeted with nationwide resentment leading to the Swadeshi( nationalist) movement. One of the mercenaries in this uprising is Sandip Mukherjee (Soumitra), a man who is aggressively activist with high political ambitions. In contrast, his friend Nikhilesh (Victor Banerjee) - a landlord and a royal - is mellow but equally liberal in thought. In an age when women were confined to matters of the household, Nikhilesh encourages his wife Bimala (Swatilekha) to come out of her domesticity and get acquainted with the outside world. He also frequently entertains Sandeep in his house, an arrangement of convenience for the latter, as he can maintain his lavish lifestyle by borrowing money from his friend on various pretexts. On one such ocassion, when Sandeep and Bimala meet, she is overwhelmed by his dashing character and radical thinking.
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Although Nikhlesh's disapproves the extremism practiced by Sandeep in the name of Swadesh, Bimala secretly supports him and aids him with money from her husband. Nikhilesh is aware of this and also the fact that Bimala is in love
with Sandeep. But he believes that Bimala must realize herself, that behind Sandeep's patriotic exterior is, in reality, a shallow man.
The review of this Movie prepared by Biswa
