Siddartha(DhritimanChatterjee)isforcedtodiscontinuehismedicalstudiesduetounexpectedandbrutaldeathofhisfather.Hehastonowfindajobinstead.Inonejobinterview,heisaskedtonamethemostsignificantworldeventinthelasttenyears.Hisreplyis'theplainhumancourageshownbythepeopleofVietnam',insteadoftheexpected-manlandingonmoon.Theinterviewerasksisheisacommunist.Needlestosaythathedoesnotgetthejob.
Hereachesacoffeeshopwhereheisofferedtoworkforthecommunistparty.Whenhedoesnotshowanyinterestthepartyleadertellshimaboutanopeningforamedicalrepresentative.Toescapefromtheheatandhaveasnooze,hegoesintoacinema.Asagovernmentpropagandanewsreelisbeingshownbeforethefeature,abombexplodesinthecinemahall.Inthestampedethatfollows,Siddartha,breakshiswatch.Hegoestoawatchmakerbuthecannotaffordtherepairs.
Waitingtocrosstheroad,henoticesasexygirl.Hedriftsbacktohisdaysasamedicalstudentinaflashback.Theprofessorisexplaininganatomyoffemalebreast.ManyflashbacksanddreamsoccurtoSiddarthathroughthefilm.
Onhiswaytohostel,hehasanencounterwithsomehippies.Alongwithanex-classmate,hegoesouttoseeapornfilmbuttotheirdisappointment,thefilmturnsouttobenot-so-pornographic.
InsuchconstantwanderinginaCalcutta,disintegratedrelationshipswithhissisterandaNaxalite(militantcommunist)brother,hisfriendshipwithKeyaisonlythingthatkeepshimsane.
Keyaisasimplegirl.Theyenjoyeachother'scompanybuttheycannotmakeanycommitmenttoeachotherduetothecircumstances.
Afteryetanotherattemptatajobinterview,Siddarthaleavesthebigcitytotakeamodestjobofasalesmaninafaroffsmalltown.HewritestoKeyathathestillcherishestheirrelationship.Andthathehasheardthatbirdcallagainbutthistimeitisforreal,andnothismind.Aftercompletingtheletter,hecomesouttothebalconyofhismodestroom.Thebirdcallsagain.Healsohearsthesombrechantsofafuneralprocession.Asheturnstothecamera,thepictureisfrozen.
ThisisthefirstfilmoftheCalcuttaTrilogy.TheothertwowereandSeemabaddha(CompanyLimited,1971)andJanaAranya(TheMiddleMan,1975).AllthethreefilmsstudytheeffectthebigcityofCalcuttahasontheeducatedyouthandthepriceitextractsfromthem.
TheseventieswereadifficultperiodforIndiaandWestBengal.TheCorruptionwasrampant;theNaxalitemovementhadcreatedhavocinCalcutta.Infact,theyhadturnedpartsofCalcuttainto'liberatedzones'.BythetimetheNaxalitemovementdieddown,in1975,Mrs.IndiraGandhi(then,PrimeMinisterofIndia)suppressedthefundamentalrightsanddeclared"Emergency"forherownpoliticalsurvival.Herson,SanjayGandhibecameadictatorofsortswithoutanyofficialdesignation.Theoppositionleaderswerethrownintoprisons.
Abouthissocialresponsibilitiesasafilmmaker,inaninterviewwithCineastemagazine,Raycommented,"YoucanseemyattitudeinTheAdversarywhereyouhavetwobrothers.TheyoungerbrotherisaNaxalite.Thereisnodoubtthattheelderbrotheradmirestheyoungerbrotherforhisbraveryandconvictions.Thefilmisnotambiguousaboutthat.Asafilmmaker,however,Iwasmoreinterestedintheelderbrotherbecauseheisthevacillatingcharacter.Asapsychologicalentity,asahumanbeingwithdoubts,heisamoreinterestingcharactertome.Theyoungerbrotherhasalreadyidentifiedhimselfwithacause.Thatmakeshimpartofatotalattitudeandmakeshimunimportant.TheNaxalitemovementtakesover.He,asaperson,becomesinsignificant."
InalettertoSetonin1970,RaywrotethatPratidwandiwasthemostprovocativefilmhehadmadetillthen.Thefilmissaidtohaveevokedextremereactions."Peopleeitherlovedthefilmorhatedit",DhritimanChatterjeetoldAndrewRobinson,Ray'sbiographer.
刘谊,黄梓城,王乙竹,李克纯
凯拉·奈特莉,马修·古迪,罗曼·格里芬·戴维斯,莉莉-罗丝·德普,安娜贝拉·沃丽丝,露茜·彭奇,柯尔比·豪威尔-巴普蒂斯特,索佩·迪瑞苏,楚蒂·斯泰勒,霍莉·艾尔德,鲁弗斯·琼斯,吉尔比·格里芬·戴维斯,哈迪·格里芬·戴维斯,Dora Davis,Davida McKenzie
林瑞阳,郑宜芬
金巧巧,刘世龙,陈冠达,陈致宇,王馨慧子
张智霖,陈乔恩,佘诗曼,薛家燕,唐文龙,马海伦,郑欣宜,林颖彤
索菲娅·奥特罗,帕特里夏·洛佩斯·阿奈斯,安·加巴拉因,马切洛·卢比奥,伊兹亚尔·拉兹卡诺,萨拉·科萨尔