Sujata (1959)
Director: Bimal Roy
Director: Bimal Roy
It is said that aptitudes of human being draw them into certain professions. Individuals with scholarly abilities dealt with the law and sciences; those with fine physical attributes would be assigned to guard the state; merchants will be from those good with dealing with money, and some may be good with acts that are repetitive in nature.
Over time, as specialisation set in, when people who had learnt every nook and cranny bit of the trade were an asset. Slowly the system divided people by birth to professions as apprenticeship started early in life. Thus started the caste system, otherwise, a social class system that is no different than in any other society.
This movie shows the ugly side of segregation of people by birth. By virtue of their birth, they are deprived many things which are considered basic necessities in life- education, a social support when their family is displaced and the dignity that every living being is entitled to.
Sujata is born to the Chandala caste of the untouchables. She is orphaned at birth as both her parents succumbed to cholera. The workers, unable to find a home for this newborn, dump her at the chief engineer's house. Yo-yoing between getting a new home and not, Sujata grows to adulthood under the care of the maid in the engineer's Brahmin household with his daughter, Rama. Deprived of education and parental love, Sujata treats her foster parents as her own parents but it is a one-sided affair. A religious aunt, the friend of the family, makes sure that she is reminded of her birth. Under the aunt's care is her orphan grandson, Adhir. When the children grow older, the parents try to matchmake Rama and Adhir but Adhir has both eyes transfixed on Sujata. Therein starts the drama. Sujata tries to do the right thing, to sacrifice her inner desires to pay back her foster parents' care and Adhir has to decide between keeping the religion-centric grandmother satisfied and rejecting his love based on caste!
A sombre movie with a suave hero in Sunil Dutt and demure actress in Nutan give a sober performance without too much of melodrama. It was nominated to the Cannes film festival.
Humanity is the only true relation between human beings!
Do not ever think that the class clash is all over! It is very much alive today as it was the 1950s. Some say that the beef ban is a form of collision of the the castes, the non-meat eating members of the upper caste exerting their superiority over the supposedly beef-eating 'lesser' Hindus, tribal people, Dalits and non-Hindus!
