Ganashatru

An enemy of the people.

Dr Ashok Gupta (played by Soumitra Chatterjee, in the picture above) replaces the original Dr Stockmann in the Bengali adaptation of 'An enemy of the people', originally written by Henrik Ibsen.

In the realm of religious superstition held by the masses, Ganashatru illustrates honest endeavours of a professor who strives for the wellbeing of those masses.

Essentially - in the film - Dr Gupta is convinced that the holy water, which pilgrims in thousands drink, is contaminated; Dr Gupta sets out to prove his conviction. In the process, the solution he offers is at a cost to the thousands of pilgrims who travel from lands far far away to drink this water. Realising what effect the solution would have on tourism, bureacratic power in its very usual clichéd form takes precedence.

Indeed, challenging scientific wellbeing to religiously spiritual wellbeing is tricky. The pilgrims are induced to feel that Dr Gupta is the enemy.

Losing much of what he strived to acquire, Dr Gupta sinks into his chair and admits to defeat, 'Ami hare ghelam' (I have lost).

Asha acche. But there is hope