Ganashatru (An Enemy of the People) [1989]

Ganashatru, literally ‘An Enemy of the People’, was master auteur Satyajit Ray’s adaptation of the legendary play of the same name by Henrik Ibsen. Ray’s health was deteriorating alarmingly during this time and he was compelled to have a pacemaker placed in him. Consequently, the shooting was confined mostly to interiors. Having said that, though the film is considered among Ray’s lesser works, it was a pretty tight, engaging and competent film nonetheless – such is the quality of Ray’s oeuvre. The film, set in a small, peaceful town near Calcutta, has at its forefront the age-hold struggle between faith and science. Ashoke Gupta, a revered doctor who, while investigating a series of jaundice cases, becomes convinced that the ‘holy water’ being provided by a popular temple is the cause of those cases. And that sets him on collision course with his self-serving younger brother, who also happens to be the Mayor of the town, and who is absolutely opposed to Ashoke’s wanting to educate the people of it either through a newspaper article or ia public speaking. The film, which has a reasonably satisfying climax, is solidly performed by a motley crew of such respected actors like (Ray favourite and regular) Soumitra Chatterjee, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Mamata Shankar, Dipankar Dey et al.






Director: Satyajit Ray
Genre: Drama/Social Drama
Language: Bengali
Country: India