by Ria Banerjee

The early cinema of the auteur Rituparno Ghosh plays out as a chamber piece drama wherein the hypocrisy of the middle-class bourgeoisie is presented as a part of their cultural and spiritual milieu. Ghosh’s modernity is best exemplified through his sustained efforts to redefine the time-tested tropes of melodrama, domestic violence, sexual abuse, promiscuity, and betrayal by pandering to the changing sensibilities of the middle classes. The fragmented being of the characters, the focus on the internal and intimate spaces within the domestic confines, and the rendition of heightened emotional anxiety generated within those spaces carved a niche for Ghosh in the cinematic fraternity. Ghosh was particularly revered for exploring the psychodynamics of his female leads in the dramaturgy of human existence.

Dosar(2006) is an arresting take on the idea of adultery and the aftermath of such a transgression. The opening scene of Dosar foregrounds the romantic escapades of Kaushik( essayed by Prosenjit Chatterjee) and Mita ( Chandrayee Ghosh) – office colleagues who have often continued their clandestine rendezvous in hotel rooms- until an accident claims the life of Mita and leaves Kaushik bed-ridden. Kaberi’s ( Kaushik’s wife; played by Konkona Sen Sharma) discovery of her husband’s infidelity sets the diegesis rolling and interrogates the edifice of marital sanctity in the aftermath of such an accident. Ghosh’s realistic concern as the auteur overrides the ideal that underlines the rhetoric of feminist discourse- Kaberi internalises the vacillations of a woman who walks the tightrope between the real and the ideal. Kaberi porters between two worlds- her legal/ marital obligations towards her husband and the ignominy of being a victim of marital infidelity. Ghosh’s preoccupation as a director lay in unearthing the inscrutable recesses of the female psyche. The veneer of intrepidity that Kaberi flaunts ends up masking her fallibility as the betrayed wife. Her sporadic outbursts offer the cathartic release of her suppressed anger- in an iconic scene, Kaberi toys with the word ‘brave’ as she unflinchingly breaks the news of Mita’s death to Kaushik in the presence of his Boss. Ghosh subverts the expectations of the audience by charting Kaberi’s trajectory from severe disillusionment to final reconciliation with her husband.

Ghosh unabashedly illustrates the deep-rooted misogyny and sexism that informs social relations. The liaison between Kaushik and Mita is brutally hushed by the office, erasing all memories of Mita as a former worker while Kaushik’s moral treachery elicits sympathy and forgiveness. The sexist rhetoric deployed while referring to Mita reflects the differential treatment meted out to men and women even when they enact similar violations.

It is here that Ghosh recalibrates the idea of female agency. Agency is the ability of someone to articulate their own free will. While Kaberi is convinced that Kaushik’s betrayal does not merit forgiveness, she never leaves him. Kaberi’s idea of agency undergoes a change as she eventually looks at the past from a different filter- she resolves her inner conflict not by abandoning ( or divorcing) Kaushik but by confronting him. This confrontation takes place at her own pace, on her own terms. Ghosh’s storytelling takes place in quotidian spaces- lives are rooted in private, claustrophobic, and insular spaces, and conflicts, too, must be resolved there. The insularity of the private space bestows on Kaberi an agency of its own. Ironically, Kaberi’s worldview is shown to change drastically when she begins to discourage the extramarital liaison between Brinda and Bobby( members of her theatre group). Her own experience of being at the receiving end makes her evaluate the situation of Bobby and Brinda judiciously.

Ghosh weaves a visually compelling tapestry of human emotions in monochrome to communicate the myriad shades that underline human interactions in the social sphere. The movie goes beyond the binary of questionable morality and socially ratified human behaviour- it is a commentary on celebrating humans as fallible creatures and relationships as an ever-evolving facet of human existence.

About the Author:

Ria Banerjee is an M.A. (First Class First) in English Literature from Shri Shikshayatan College, affiliated to Calcutta University. She is currently engaged as a faculty in Prafulla Chandra College, Department of English.