Musings of a Delhi Boy

When a multifaceted genius is inspired by the work of a raconteur par excellence, and adapts it on celluloid, with an ensemble cast of rare talent, we can expect nothing but the finest piece of art. Sadgati, directed by Satyajit Ray, and based on Munshi Premchand’s heart wrenching short story, is a mirror to the society as it would have existed during Premchand’s lifetime (1880-1936).

Produced by Doordarshan (and telecast on television), Sadgati, with a running time of less than an hour, keeps one riveted to the seat (taut editing by Dulal Dutta is a vital ingredient), as we empathize with the grossly disturbing trials and tribulations of a lower caste Dukhi (Om Puri), whose only fault is to seek time from the village priest (Mohan Agashe- impeccable as the high caste Brahmin) to visit his house to solemnize the engagement of his adolescent daughter, Dhania (Richa Mishra).

As Dukhi cuts grass in a field and carries the bundle on his head to take it as an offering for the priest, he suffers a bout of momentary dizziness due to hunger, but is stabilized by his concerned wife, Jhuria (Smita Patil). Unfazed, Dukhi spurns her request to drink some brew, citing the importance of his visit to the priest’s house.

But before listening to him, the self-obsessed Brahmin orders him to clean the sprawling verandah of his house, and then do more heavy work, which, finally, culminates in the back breaking task of cutting a heavy log of wood into fine splinters with a rudimentary axe under a merciless Sun. A fatigued and hungry Dukhi battles on. Meanwhile, the priest enjoys a hearty meal with his wife (his third- he boasts in front of some gullible folk, who have come to hear his discourse on the meaning of death) in the cool climes of his house.

The evolving tragedy reflects in the smoldering eyes of the priest’s young son, who witnesses Dukhi collapse into the throes of death. The anguished youngster wakes his father from a peaceful midday sleep, who, in turn, wakes his wife. The lady nonchalantly asks her husband not to lose his nerve, and just inform Dukhi’s fate to inhabitants of the outcaste village so that they can collect their corpse for disposal.

However, in an act of rare defiance, they refuse to take away the corpse, which is blocking the way of the high castes to their source of drinking water. A heavy downpour threatens to hasten the decay of the dead body. Herein unravels the moral dilemma for the beleaguered priest. In the shadows of an overcast dusk, he does the unthinkable- pull the lifeless body of Dukhi and dump it amid rotting carcass and skeletons of dead animals.

This is his sadgati (deliverance).

One is overwhelmed by the sheer talent of Om Puri and Smita Patil, as they get under the skin of Dukhi and Jhuria.

Puri- as he cuts grass sitting on his haunches, carries the bundle of grass on his head, sweeps the floor in the priest’s house, attacks the log of wood with a sense of vengeance- imbibes a body language and posture that are incredibly authentic. It shows why he was one of the finest actors to have graced the portals of Hindi cinema. Sadly, the star will no longer shine on screen, leaving a legion of grieving fans, and an art to which he could still have contributed substantially.

Smita Patil is not to be outdone- her diction, the distinctive style in which she wraps the sari on her lithe frame and the spring in her walk- are valuable lessons in method acting. Alas!!! She left us too soon.

Perhaps, it was the master, Satyajit Ray (who also composed the music, wrote the dialogues with Amrit Rai and gave us the screenplay), with his eye for detail, and perfection, who motivated his team to come up with outstanding, and flawless performances-art director Ashoke Bose makes the ambience of a decaying village come to life, which is dramatically captured on camera by Soumendu Roy- from wild grass growing in fields to an incessant, heavy downpour to clouds darkening the horizon like morbid omens, to a herd of cows passing through a filthy, water logged village street, even as each sound is captured by Amulya Das.