Walk a mile in his shoes

Jana Aranya (Bengali, The Middleman; 1976)

So far, this has been the most depressing of Ray's movie, where poverty and hopelessness are stretched to a pathetic state. It is actually must be a real problem in the highly populous region of the Bengal subcontinent with far too many intelligent people and a communist-socialist government to stifle growth in the 70s. It portrays the hopelessness of the middle class in controlling their fate.As per the trademark of Ray's movies, there is no dearth of exciting characters and hidden messages in this last offering of the Calcutta trilogy. First few minutes into the movie, you are already sucked into the film by the sheer magnetism of Ray's brilliance.

It starts with a scene at the examination hall of the final history paper in the Calcutta University where pandemonium and lawlessness is the rule of the day. Students are blatantly copying their answers right under the noses of the invigilators. Only the diligent Somnath Banerjee seems to do his test honestly. It then shows how the examination papers are transported to the examiners' humble abode. The long-sighted examiner at the threshold of retirement finds Somnath's handwriting too small to be legible. His attempts to borrow a higher powered reading glasses proved futile as his neighbour was out of town! His wife nags him to invest in a pair of glasses, but he refuses as the university would reimburse his expenditure. As a consequence, Somnath fails to secure a honours' degree much to his own and his own father's disappointment!

No Honours?

Somnath lives in a small house with a chronically depressed father who failed to provide well for the family, probably because of woe befell on the family, and his wife died after much suffering. Somnath has another brother and sister-in-law, who are all living under the same roof. The father is worried for Somnath who failed to secure good grades. In fact, all through the film, the father is in a constant melancholic state. First, it is the failure of Somnath to secure on Honours' degree. Then he gets depressed when all his friends' kids are doing well in their lives. Also, when the marriage proposals come for Somnath, and he rejects on the grounds of wanting to establish himself first.

Somnath goes on an interview attending spree. He finds that the interviews are a farce, interviewing 100,000 for a post of 100 and asking ridiculous questions like the weight of the moon! While filming scenes around the streets of Calcutta, the director subtly shows some of the unpleasant sights and behaviour of people. Like how Somnath has to squeeze his bag between his thigh while drinking coconut water for fear of snatch thief or filth on the streets.

He has a childhood friend, Sukumar who lives in the slump. Together, they are jobless. After umpteen unsuccessful job interviews, Sukumar plans to drive a taxi.

A mishap involving a slip on banana peel happens to our hero, dropped by an old friend, Bisuda, a street smart entrepreneur. Feeling pity for causing the accident, Bisuda introduces him to the world of business as a middleman - Seek orders for suppliers for a commission. Impressed with the ability to have an office (of one employee) and company (on paper only), Somnath agrees.

Epitome of sorrow

The ever broody Somnath's father is not happy that he has a secured a secure job which is not a job at all in his books. He laments what the future holds for him. This negatively charged man dreads about almost everything - his old age, his inability to provide for the family, about God for making his wife suffer in agony and not shortening her misery and the change in perception in society.

Somnath's confidante is his sister-in-law, Kamala. He confides all his dilemmas and even tells about his girlfriend who decided to marry a doctor because of the uncertainties in his life. When he starts working, he pays a portion of his salary to her as in most typical traditional middle-class Indian homes, the lady of the house is also the Finance Minister!

Sukumar

Little contracts here and a tiny commission there... Life goes on. A few interesting kind characters- there is no one in the film of giving the vibe of being a rascal. Everyone is just a regular guy with the sole purpose of providing for their loved ones. It is their way of thinking that a purist in the comfort of their armchair may not agree. A Mr Mitee character is one who leads a flamboyant life, smartly dressed and introduces himself as a public relations officer. He is the guy to get in touch if your deal for a commission hits a snag. He knows all the low down dirty secrets about basically everybody in town, and there is nothing he cannot do. He walks the talk.

Somnath is eyeing getting a big contract for optical lens whitening agent. When the chances of securing the deal were heading nowhere, a desperate Somnath gets Mr Mitee's help. Mr Mitee who already has a big database on the buyer- that his wife is a cripple and that he married her for money and his weakness for the flesh, arranges for a sex worker for his entertainment to lubricate the deal. This is where Soumnath's crucial dilemma sets in. Born and bred in a middle-class Brahmin and ensuing values, he cannot stomach the idea of being privy to these kinds of acts to earn money. After much deliberating and deliberating, he finally gives in.
Mr Mitee and Somnath goes around to ensure Mr Mitee's regular suppliers of girls! It is an exciting array of girls who are performing this 'guest relation service' - a drunkard white collar's wife who whores to supplement the husband's meager income to finance his habit, a widowed mother of two daughter who has no qualms in using her own flat and her own daughters for the clandestine tryst. Somnath is still in two minds about partaking in this deal when all the girls are not available. The persistent Mr Mitee finally goes to a dingy shack and finally gets his supply. To Somnath's surprise, the prostitute turned out to be Sukumar's (his buddy) sister who goes with the business name of Jhotika.
Again, another dilemma - using his sister for his selfish monetary needs. In spite of Somnath's offer for cash without doing the job, Jhotika refuses. She would not take money for work she did not do! So, Jhotika goes to work, and Somnath gets the work.

Should I do it?

He returns home to murmur to his father that he had gotten the big contract that he was talking about. For the first time in the movie, the father smiles from ear to ear. I guess he is happy that his son knows how to make money, not the way he made it. Or is it like the Tamil proverb says, 'Money would make even a dead man's mouth open!' END.

This is easily one of Ray's powerful depiction of hopeless situations in the lives of the middle class. There are so many rules and regulations that are made for them to follow, and living gets harder and harder each. Opportunities become scarce and yet social norms govern their daily lives. When things get desperate, desperate measures are called in. It may be easy for armchair critics to admonish and preach, we should walk a mile in their shoes to feel their pinch and stitch!

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