Seemabaddha - সীমাবদ্ধ, Company Limited (1971)
Screenplay, Music, Direction: Satyajit Ray
Seemabaddha is the second of trilogy of what is referred to as the Calcutta trilogy. I guess it must be depicting the changes in Calcutta society and the challenges faced the urbanites in modern times. Will wait and see what the rest has to offer...
It tells the story of Shyamal, a son of a teacher from Patna who manages to secure the prestigious Senior Management Trainee post in a British electrical company after obtaining his M.A. in English. Before starting the film proper, before the opening credits, we are introduced to the protagonist for the viewers to get an idea of his background and the change of his lifestyle that he is living.
After starting as a trainee in Delhi, Shyamal rapidly climbs the ladder of promotion and is given the post of Sales Manager of Hindustan-Peters fan division. Things are looking promising for him - a nice flat, 7 year-old son in boarding school, bought flats for parents, servant, working with English management, living their high life, managed to secure a big shipment to Iraq....
In midst of all these, his wife, Dolan's sister, Tutul (Sharmila Tagore) comes to stay in their flat. Tutul, a graduate from Patna, new to city life, sees how her sister and brother-in-law's life has changed, incorporating western life style seamlessly as their own. Alcoholic beverages flow freely, cigarette puffing all over the place, ladies also indulging at same level with their spouses in banter and drinks. Sometimes Tutul finds it awkward, especially when Shyamal's parents made an unexpected visit to the flat once. Tutul also cannot stomach the fact that it is alright to go the horse races.
Shyamal finds that he finds it easier to converse with Tutul as compared to his wife. Perhaps, it is because she is too engrossed in her own life style or maybe Tutul is more naive and impressionable. I gather that Tutul is quite impressed with her sister's choice of husband and secretly wishes that she could land up with a well to do and ambitious husband like her brother in law. (Or are they have something on? It is left to our imagination!)
Of course, as in any of Ray's film, none of the messages are put right smack in your face but through subtle inneundoes.
A little thing that I learnt via this flick is the significant presence of ethnic Chinese in Calcutta (through a scene at a beauty parlour). Oh, yeah! There were plenty of characters in the film with big, probably with fake hair buns, like the one Amma and her contempories used to spot in RRF. Quick Google search revealed that Chinese made big landings through ports like Calcutta and Madras in British India. Calcutta is the only town now with a Chinatown.
When it seem like everything was going on just fine, it suddenly came to Shyamal's attention that the fan shipment to Iraq did not meet certain specifications. Rectification would take time, deadline would have passed and would incur great loss to his promotion and the company.
As he was casually discussing the problem with Tutul, which he had conspicuously hidden from wife, Shaamal gets an idea.
With the help of the labour officer, they devised a plan to start a commotion at the canteen over workers' dissatisfaction over the food served. It snowballs to an union strike.
It saves the company but at the expense of injury to an old faithful worker. Somehow, Shyamal is felicitated for handling of the strike, even though he started it in the first place and is made a company director. The injury and misery to the small men appears not to matter to the big men.
He feels happy but it appears that whatever respect he earned from Tutul seem to have vanished in this single act. In a symbolic gesture, when it was time for Tutul to leave, she leaves behind the watch that Shyamal had lent to her to use during her stay in Calcutta. Shyamal buries his head in shame. Guess, the climb to the top feels nice and we feel that we want to do it by whatever means. Our conscious, if we have one, will always prick us where it hurts us most!
A joyful depiction of subtle emotions in an intelligent manner, without the melodrama that we are fed day in and day out....
Seemabaddha is the second of trilogy of what is referred to as the Calcutta trilogy. I guess it must be depicting the changes in Calcutta society and the challenges faced the urbanites in modern times. Will wait and see what the rest has to offer...
It tells the story of Shyamal, a son of a teacher from Patna who manages to secure the prestigious Senior Management Trainee post in a British electrical company after obtaining his M.A. in English. Before starting the film proper, before the opening credits, we are introduced to the protagonist for the viewers to get an idea of his background and the change of his lifestyle that he is living.
After starting as a trainee in Delhi, Shyamal rapidly climbs the ladder of promotion and is given the post of Sales Manager of Hindustan-Peters fan division. Things are looking promising for him - a nice flat, 7 year-old son in boarding school, bought flats for parents, servant, working with English management, living their high life, managed to secure a big shipment to Iraq....
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| At the races |
Shyamal finds that he finds it easier to converse with Tutul as compared to his wife. Perhaps, it is because she is too engrossed in her own life style or maybe Tutul is more naive and impressionable. I gather that Tutul is quite impressed with her sister's choice of husband and secretly wishes that she could land up with a well to do and ambitious husband like her brother in law. (Or are they have something on? It is left to our imagination!)
Of course, as in any of Ray's film, none of the messages are put right smack in your face but through subtle inneundoes.
A little thing that I learnt via this flick is the significant presence of ethnic Chinese in Calcutta (through a scene at a beauty parlour). Oh, yeah! There were plenty of characters in the film with big, probably with fake hair buns, like the one Amma and her contempories used to spot in RRF. Quick Google search revealed that Chinese made big landings through ports like Calcutta and Madras in British India. Calcutta is the only town now with a Chinatown.
 |
| Sea IP Church, Calcutta. |
As he was casually discussing the problem with Tutul, which he had conspicuously hidden from wife, Shaamal gets an idea.
With the help of the labour officer, they devised a plan to start a commotion at the canteen over workers' dissatisfaction over the food served. It snowballs to an union strike.
It saves the company but at the expense of injury to an old faithful worker. Somehow, Shyamal is felicitated for handling of the strike, even though he started it in the first place and is made a company director. The injury and misery to the small men appears not to matter to the big men.
He feels happy but it appears that whatever respect he earned from Tutul seem to have vanished in this single act. In a symbolic gesture, when it was time for Tutul to leave, she leaves behind the watch that Shyamal had lent to her to use during her stay in Calcutta. Shyamal buries his head in shame. Guess, the climb to the top feels nice and we feel that we want to do it by whatever means. Our conscious, if we have one, will always prick us where it hurts us most!
A joyful depiction of subtle emotions in an intelligent manner, without the melodrama that we are fed day in and day out....
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