Taxi driver's moral dilemma

Abhijan (The Expedition, Bengali;1962)
Director, Script: Satyajit Ray
Yet another gem from master film maker.
Narsingh (Soumitra Chatterjee) is a disgruntled hard drinking taxi driver whose wife has left him. He is quite proud of his ancestral heritage, coming from a string of horse riding warriors. Unlike his ancestor who found pride in galloping on their horses, this Rajput has to make do with his 26 horse-powered 1930 Chrysler which he uses as his taxi with his loyal companion, Rama.
One day, after driving dangerously, Narsingh is dismissed by his boss.
Disappointed, he and his assistant head back home.
En route, he is stopped by a rich man Sukhanram and his maid (as he is initially told) Gulabi (Waheeda Rahman) who are stranded by their dismantled bullock cart. After helping him to get home, the rich man proposes to Narisigh to start a taxi service from his town Shyamnagar to Panchmati.
While checking out the new town before agreeing, he bumps into his childhood friend, Joseph Das. Even though they had grown together, they had gone separate ways. Joseph and his family, because of their low caste, had migrated from his home town.

Narsingh and Joseph

Chrysler 1930s

Joseph and his family had professed Christianity, probably to escape harassment. He is now working as a driver with the district officer whilst his sister, Neeli, is an English teacher in the local school. Narsingh blends well with the family in spite of difference in caste strata. Neeli also teaches Narsingh English.
Narsingh starts plying the taxi route. Sukhanram, a shadowy character with many vices up his sleeves, tries to tempt Narsingh to transport opium for him.
Meanwhile, Gulabi who is actually part of Sukhanram's human trafficking merchandise develops a soft spot for our bearded brooding hero. Narsingh, on the other hand, likes Neeli who in turns is secretly in love with a handicapped teacher. Neeli and beau's relationship is scorned upon by the town folks and her mother because of his handicap. The couple decide to elope and the irony is that Narsingh has to help to transport them to the ferry terminus in the cloak of the night!
The hero tries to deal with the morality dilemma that goes through him - his wife whom have left him, the rich man with his unlawful activities, the apparently religious cross flashing Neeli doing something wrongful like her relationship and elope with her lover, the lack of respect that he gets in spite of his warrior ancestry and how he feels wrong to make the bundle of money laid in front of him as it is illegal.

Gulabi (Waheeda Rahman)

He starts a relationship with Gulabi. Gulabi, on her side, has her own sob story. Losing her mother at birth and growing up as a miserable outcast with her grandmother, she did try to take her own life. As she is about to complete her endeavour, she realised that she was not ready to part with too many good things that were to happen, e.g. Dusheera (Vijayathasimi) celebration and her girlfriend's wedding!
After much deliberation, Narsingh decides to go over to the dark side!
During his first shipment (in his taxi), Joseph stops him to warn that Sukhanram's house would be raided by the authorities. Upon seeing the merchandise in his cab, Joseph realizes that his friend too had join the gang. After a heated self soul searching, Narsingh decides not to go to the path of destruction.
He returns the hot item to his boss, rescues Gulabi from being sent off as a comfort woman and returns to his home town to start life anew! End.
After seeing Waheeda Rahman in so many motherly roles in so many Hindi films, it is refreshing to see that this Chennai born lady as a knock out beauty with her mesmerizing expressive big eyes and a heroine. She does not have say much, the eyes talk!

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