Ganashatru: Enemy of the People (India)

The film is an adaptation of a play by Henrik Ibsen’s ‘An Enemy of the People’. It is set in a small town in Bengal. Dr. Ashoke Gupta is the head of a town hospital. Gupta's younger brother, Nisith, is head of the committees running both the hospital and a temple which is also a major tourist attraction. Each was built by a local industrialist. Dr. Gupta is convinced that the holy water of the temple is contaminated due to faulty pipe-laying. It is causing an epidemic in the town. He warns his brother Nisith. Nisith, the industrialist and other town officials reject the idea that holy water might be the cause of the epidemic. They refuse to close the temple to carry out the repairs. Dr. Gupta wants to write an article in the newspaper to warn people, but giving in to the pressure from the powerful people, the editor refuses to publish it. Left with no alternative, Dr. Gupta organises a public meeting that is also sabotaged. And Dr. Gupta is proclaimed an enemy of the people.

India 1989

Bengali with English subtitles. 100 minutes. Festival Rating

Director: Satyajit Ray

Producer: National Film Development Corporation of India

Cast: Sumatra Chatterjee, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Mamta Shankar

Satyajit Ray(1921 to 1992) was a genius film-maker, widely regarded as one of the best artists in the history of cinema. He won 32 Indian National Film Awards and was given an Honorary Oscar. A cultural icon in India, his work has influenced film makers around the world including Martin Scorsese, James Ivory and Danny Boyle. In one afternoon, see three Ray films – Ganashatru: Enemy of People, Aparajito: The Unvanquished  andAgantuk: The Stranger.

• Print
• Share this
• Add to Calendar
• Add to My Planner