Seemabaddha

While thematically Seemabaddha is similar to Jana Aranya, the dramatic element comes only near the end of the film. Instead it plays more like a slice of life film.

I have seen a lot of bollywood movies, they have never been able to give me insight into India as Satyajit Ray's movies have. That is why Seemabaddha was a revelation for me, mostly how little some things have changed.

Seemabaddha begins with visit of Tutul who is sister-in-law of Shyamalendu Chatterjee, movie's protagonist who is a sales manager in a big firm. From then on it mostly shows their daily lives as seen through eyes of Tutul, who is quite critical of her brother-in-law and liked him more when he was teaching. Tutul represent the traditional middle class India, while Shyamlendu is part of upwardly mobile young India. It is about the conflict in both their values. Of course like in most of Ray's movies everything is very subtle, and viewers have to come to their own conclusions.

While it lacks the dramatic elements of most of his high other movies I still loved this movie as it showed me a picture of India I had not seen before.

Smart's a misnomer in offices of social wherewithal keeping records on paper for another day at heroism buttressed by inks on winks and dinks off kinks to keep the smarts smart in contexts declared historical for modernity beating in their cusps. The cusp of edges are depressions in vessels of hegemony challenged to survive in time like calendars do with companies and banks marketing raison détres of yore as choices hard chore brooked not with narratives parading as cultural artefacts peculiarly regional but with professional elan on dark schmooze keeping paperwork for distant fans air conditioning for the last man standing, deliberately, for lack of choices in any further professional manoeuvres at offices taken by those that call dibs on files and folders alien to smart cut trouser hems and locals to kitty parties without a regional licence in turn.

This is Part 2 of the Calcutta trilogy. Stepping forward from the unemployed rebel of The Adversary, we have a view of the workaday life of a rising executive Shyamal Chatterjee in a British owned fan manufacturing company (Peter Fans) in Calcutta. He has climbed rapidly to become the sales manager and is eying a directorship.Their son is schooling in a boarding in Darjeeling. There seems hardly any cloud of discontent in their monotonously blissful routine of office politics and evenings spent at clubs and restaurants.A sister-in law (Tutul by name) visits from Patna and we see the routine of innocuous flirting. The sister is only mildly impressed by the prosperity and adroit social climbing of her brother-in-law.

We get a nostalgic and somewhat drab recap of that period when there were only two brands of cars made in India, fans were more ubiquitous and air conditioning a rarity, television were still a decade ahead, and the villainies were also on a humbler scale, even in Bollywood. The world population was half the current figure. The wheel of life ambulated at a more leisurely pace. The ceiling fan and bicycle are appropriate symbols of this fleeting era..

And then there is real big trouble when a costly consignment of fans meant for Iraq is found liable for rejection on account of faulty painting. Shyamal's future is in jeopardy because the sales agreement includes a heavy penalty clause for late delivery. He has come a long way from the clever student and humble schoolteacher that he was as he conspires with the personnel manager to brew up labor trouble culminating in a temporary lockout and an explosion in the factory which leaves the guard badly, but not fatally, wounded. So what if he had died, joke the conspirators complacently, so many die in Calcutta every day, and the company would have sent a wreath. Both achieve their coveted career advancements, thus cashing in on an adverse situation.

The movie ends as Tutul returns the watch lent to her by Shyamal.

Not a masterpiece but certainly a vignette and a memorable slice of real life. No character is wasted and Harindranath Chattopadhyaya, as the worldly wise wog director of the company is particularly amusing as he gives a trade-mark performance. Ray is incapable of dishonesty or exaggeration for the sake of popularity and he paints the era as drab as it was.

Seemabaddha / Company Limited (1971) : Brief Review -

Satyajit Ray shows the fatal world of corporate business where the alternate meaning of success is self desolation. Seemabaddha is brilliant take on politics and propoganda run by business minded tycoons who care about nothing but their own benefit. Satyajit Ray uses a common man with high ambitions to showcase the change appeared in humans because of corporate race. The best part I liked is that he doesn't use highly greedy character like we assume, rather he makes protagonist look like a normal guy who wants get promoted for his own hard work and dedication. The films deal with the rapid modernization of Calcutta, rising corporate culture and greed, and the futility of the rat race which is worth watching even for today's era. In early 70s it must have created a rage as the nation was struggling to make everything simple for Middle class people. Seemabaddha is about Shyamal Chatterji, a hard-working and genius employee who wants to become a director of the company he works for. His general ambitious turns into obsession and then how things changes for him is all you get to see here. Barun Chanda in lead role is simply amazing. He had couple of fumbles which can be overlooked, otherwise he's just flawless rest of the time. Sharmila Tagore plays a girl who doesn't have much to say but her expressions says a lot. In supporting roles, Paromita, Harindranath and others are comfortably good. Well, Seemabaddha isn't that perfect, it definitely has couple of issues like Shyamal & Tutul's bonding and screenwriter wasting some potential scenes. Nevertheless, Satyajit Ray still makes a solid drama in his own club. Overall, it's Very Nice. Unlike other Satyajit Ray movies this one isn't Classic but very close to it.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

This is a good movie, but not one of Ray's best. The acting is pretty good by the main leads and it has a good story; however it loses something in the execution. The direction does not involve the audience and keeps them at a distance.

Its the story of the rapid rise of an educated and street smart person, up the corporate ladder of a successful Britain-based multinational company; and his experience in that position. This is juxtaposed with his personal life. The film concentrates most of its running time with the character's family.

The movie starts with a prologue which provides us with an information overload and forces us to pay attention from the very first minute. This information is essential as the entire movie revolves around it. However the story does not lose anything if people are unable to grasp all the information thrown at them within the first 5 minutes. The story flows smoothly however a key element in the story is not made clear which makes the ending seem pretty melodramatic which it isn't and had this element been conveyed properly, the end would make complete sense. Nevertheless, the Angel DVD's summary of the film clarifies this aspect which is unfortunate and shows a lack of direction from Ray.

This movie should be considered as supplementary to the other and much better Ray films: Jana Aranya (The Middleman) and Mahanagar (The Big City) which also deal with the corporate world and its effect on people's personal lives.

In the end the movie does not leave us very impressed, but hard core Ray fans will watch it anyways. Five stars for a good story, cinematography and the acting.