Ganashatru (Enemy of The People; 1989)
When it comes to obligations to God and religion, somehow man forgets all the common courtesy towards fellow mankind and has no qualms in creating anarchy, the exact opposite thing that religion is trying to propagate - Peace on Earth!
After meeting a cul-de-sac, Dr Gupta arranges for a public forum. Getting a hall was no easy task; the industrialists were too powerful to intercept. Finally, when a meeting was set, it was sabotaged by Nishit, the temple trustee and the Editor. They managed to convince the general public that the doctor was an atheist and was a danger to the practice of their sacred religion. A mob ensued.
Director: Satyajit Ray
When it comes to obligations to God and religion, somehow man forgets all the common courtesy towards fellow mankind and has no qualms in creating anarchy, the exact opposite thing that religion is trying to propagate - Peace on Earth!
No amount of rhetoric will change what had allegedly been carved on stone by divine forces. When one argues using scientific arguments to save mankind, he is accused of mocking religion and is being a non-believer. People forget that believing in God is different from believing in a religion!
Dr Ashoke Gupta noticed that many of his hospital and private patients have been down with infectious hepatitis. He suspects that this could be due to a leakage in the sewage pipe. He fears that many devotees to the nearby may also be infected as they are usually given to drink holy water which is from the same source.
Dr Gupta (Soumitra Chatterjee) puts forward this proposal to his brother, Nishit, an industrialist and a trustee in the local temple. Nishit is an influential figure in the small town that they live in. He was also instrumental in securing Dr Gupta's job. Nishit opposes the good doctor's intention to get his proof published in the local newspaper to alert the general public. He even had laboratory results to prove his claim.
As the town economy thrived on pilgrims to the temple, the panic was terrible for business!
The temple chief reassures that the tulsi leave and other additives, together with divine intervention, had reassured the safety of devotees for time immemorial in the Hindu culture.
After much deliberation, Dr Gupta brings his article to the local press for publication. Here, it is met with a lot of resistance. Due to pressures from the temple and local municipality, the Editor declines. He cites fear of poor public ratings of his newspaper as his reason for his refusal even when Dr argues that the papers had a moral duty to alert a potential catastrophe.
After meeting a cul-de-sac, Dr Gupta arranges for a public forum. Getting a hall was no easy task; the industrialists were too powerful to intercept. Finally, when a meeting was set, it was sabotaged by Nishit, the temple trustee and the Editor. They managed to convince the general public that the doctor was an atheist and was a danger to the practice of their sacred religion. A mob ensued.
The loving doctor who, all this while, had been a saviour to many in his 26 years of service becomes public enemy No. 1!
His daughter, a teacher in the local school, is dismissed after pressure from students' parents. The doctor is dismissed from the hospital, and even the landlord wants to evict him.
In the midst of all that, Dr Gupta gets a new lease of life when his daughter's boyfriend, a person in the art circle, reiterates that his friends in the theatre scene were fully behind him. The Editor's assistant, who had resigned after the debacle, promised to get his interview and article published in a more prominent newspaper in Calcutta. Dr Gupta is relieved knowing that he is not alone. An entertaining drama.
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