Poor health dogged Satyajit Ray during his last days. Critics have opined that his last works do not measure up to his earlier films. GANASHATRU, based on a play 'Enemy of the people' by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, is among the final works of the most famous Indian filmmaker ever. The film may be weaker in comparison to some of his best works, but this drama has a Contemporaneity in the Indian context, and in this respect, the film has a greater relevance than his well-appreciated works. The film which showcases the story of an upright doctor (Soumitro Chattopadhyay) facing a hostile municipal chairman his own brother (Dhritiman Chattopadhyay) and a hostile society for suspecting contaminated water from a temple to cause a lethal strain of Hepatitis killing several people in a mofussil town, is in essence a thought-provoking 'science versus religion' essay. Ray is possibly the only reputed Indian filmmaker who has questioned blind religious beliefs in his works (Devi, Mahapurush, Ganashatru).
13 Reviews
Striking parallels to today
gbill-7487731 July 2021
A public health hazard threatens the lives of an entire city, but when a doctor discovers the truth about its cause, a politician fears that disclosing it will hurt tourism and the local economy. Moreover, in contradiction to science, religious leaders believe that the town will be protected without taking any action, relying on superstitious beliefs. The health issue thus becomes politicized, the heart of this drama, and the one who is trying to tell people the truth is branded an "enemy of the people" by those not acting in the community's best interest. It's brother against brother, when everyone should be working together to prevent an epidemic. The politician distorts the truth in a fiery speech to a crowd, playing on their anger and ignorance, and manipulates others into speaking against him as well.
Satyajit Ray saw in Ibsen's 1882 play truths that applied to India over a century later, and it's easy to see the parallels to the events in America and other nationalist countries over the past couple years, which are really quite striking. That's something that could have really resonated with me, but the trouble is, the film is too lethargic to really enjoy. Most of its scenes are indoors, dialogue-heavy, and repetitive. There is just not enough meat on the bones of this story, and the characters are flat. It has its heart in the right place, and imagining people in the current public eye as the characters in the film provided some level of enjoyment, so for those things it was worth seeing, even if it did fall a little short.
Satyajit Ray saw in Ibsen's 1882 play truths that applied to India over a century later, and it's easy to see the parallels to the events in America and other nationalist countries over the past couple years, which are really quite striking. That's something that could have really resonated with me, but the trouble is, the film is too lethargic to really enjoy. Most of its scenes are indoors, dialogue-heavy, and repetitive. There is just not enough meat on the bones of this story, and the characters are flat. It has its heart in the right place, and imagining people in the current public eye as the characters in the film provided some level of enjoyment, so for those things it was worth seeing, even if it did fall a little short.
Medical Science faces off Mass Religious Beliefs in this Satyajit Ray's Brave Classic. Far better than many of his acclaimed works.
SAMTHEBESTEST25 April 2021
Ganashatru / Enemy Of The People (1990) :
Brief Review -
Medical Science faces off Mass Religious Beliefs in this Satyajit Ray's Brave Classic. Far better than many of his acclaimed works. I must say, Satyajit Ray during his last days was on different level altogether. He had few underwhelming (for his high standard i mean) flicks getting overhyped in the rush of his top 10 films during 70s and 80s but his late 90s work is highly underrated. Ganashatru was Ray'a second last film and Agantuk was his last one and these two are surely getting place in my top 10 films of Satyajit Ray. In this adaption of the Ibsen stage play, an idealistic physician discovers that the town's temple waters are dangerously contaminated. But with the community relying on the holy attraction for tourist dollars, his warnings go unheeded. His continuous efforts to spread awareness brings him down and how. Like one quote in the says in the film, "Honest is the one who suffers most." Now you get it. I personally think that the adaption factor has kept this underrated for years and if not, then may be the late 90s audience and their taste for mainstream cinema. Anyways, for me Ganashatru is certified Classic and i would be more than happy if this review helps people to watch it and personally experience whatever i am trying to say. Every actor in the film works like he/she knows exactly what should he/she must do in the role Soumitra Chatterjee, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Mamata Shankar, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Bhishma Guhathakurta, Deepankar De and Subhendu Chatterjee all gave terrific performances. Ray's direction is simply amazing. It isn't intricate, rather it's natural yet intense. That feel-good-bad touch is the best working factor. Overall, another Ray Classic which deserves as equal appreciation as his any top 10 works according to your choice.
RATING - 8/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Medical Science faces off Mass Religious Beliefs in this Satyajit Ray's Brave Classic. Far better than many of his acclaimed works. I must say, Satyajit Ray during his last days was on different level altogether. He had few underwhelming (for his high standard i mean) flicks getting overhyped in the rush of his top 10 films during 70s and 80s but his late 90s work is highly underrated. Ganashatru was Ray'a second last film and Agantuk was his last one and these two are surely getting place in my top 10 films of Satyajit Ray. In this adaption of the Ibsen stage play, an idealistic physician discovers that the town's temple waters are dangerously contaminated. But with the community relying on the holy attraction for tourist dollars, his warnings go unheeded. His continuous efforts to spread awareness brings him down and how. Like one quote in the says in the film, "Honest is the one who suffers most." Now you get it. I personally think that the adaption factor has kept this underrated for years and if not, then may be the late 90s audience and their taste for mainstream cinema. Anyways, for me Ganashatru is certified Classic and i would be more than happy if this review helps people to watch it and personally experience whatever i am trying to say. Every actor in the film works like he/she knows exactly what should he/she must do in the role Soumitra Chatterjee, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Mamata Shankar, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Bhishma Guhathakurta, Deepankar De and Subhendu Chatterjee all gave terrific performances. Ray's direction is simply amazing. It isn't intricate, rather it's natural yet intense. That feel-good-bad touch is the best working factor. Overall, another Ray Classic which deserves as equal appreciation as his any top 10 works according to your choice.
RATING - 8/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Surely not the best of Ray
debpk777 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Ganashatru is a straightforward film that highlights the impact blind superstition can have and how superstition can be cynically misused by the administration. Dr Ashok Gupta questions the quality of the water used in the local temple and for preparing the 'charanamrit' (holy water) people drink. It hurts the religious sentiments of people whose blind faith will brook no stigma against the local temple. The businessman sees a loss of business, the bureaucrat a loss of tourist inflow and everyone is up in arms. No matter that Dr. Gupta is not against religion. No matter that he is willing to present scientific evidence. No matter that, in the past, he has been much admired by the very people who now vilify him. As the juggernaut nearly overwhelms Ray's protagonist, hope raises its head in the form of the youth who rally behind the beleaguered Dr. Gupta.
Ray is clearly sending out a message against religious dogma in this film. In a way he was foretelling the strife that occurred in India barely two years after this film was released. Ray, the humanist, still sees hope, not in the old guard who profit from dogma but from among the educated youth, for they will make the country of the future.
But this film is certainly not among Ray's best. In fact, together with Sakha Praskha, this film represents the nadir of Ray's great career. For a master of detail, Ray makes elementary mistakes. He forgets that Public Health is not the responsibility of the Municipal Body alone, and there is a full Health Department, whose job is to monitor such outbreaks and take remedial action. It is there in every district and small town. Dr. Gupta as the city hospital in-charge would have had regular intercourse with such officials. Ray (In the form of Dr. Gupta and his brother the Municipal Chairman) does not seem to know that small town judges cannot hear public interest litigation and that even a biased judge would need to counter scientific evidence when presented. There an numerous such small and large errors.
The film moves at a very slow and stilted pace but picks up momentum towards the end. The best part of the film is the acting. Soumitra id very good, but he is overshadowed by Dhritiman Chakraborty and in some scenes by Dipankar Dey. The ladies have a limited, supportive role, but Ruma Guha Thakurata does well as the long suffering wife who stands by her husband and admires him for his ethical stand.
Technically, camera work of Barun Raha is competent and not flashy. Music by Ray is wonderful as usual.
Its good to see Criterion/Eclipse bringing out Ray's works. The DVD is the best available in the market, although the images could be a little sharper and there is some hiss in the audio.
Ray is clearly sending out a message against religious dogma in this film. In a way he was foretelling the strife that occurred in India barely two years after this film was released. Ray, the humanist, still sees hope, not in the old guard who profit from dogma but from among the educated youth, for they will make the country of the future.
But this film is certainly not among Ray's best. In fact, together with Sakha Praskha, this film represents the nadir of Ray's great career. For a master of detail, Ray makes elementary mistakes. He forgets that Public Health is not the responsibility of the Municipal Body alone, and there is a full Health Department, whose job is to monitor such outbreaks and take remedial action. It is there in every district and small town. Dr. Gupta as the city hospital in-charge would have had regular intercourse with such officials. Ray (In the form of Dr. Gupta and his brother the Municipal Chairman) does not seem to know that small town judges cannot hear public interest litigation and that even a biased judge would need to counter scientific evidence when presented. There an numerous such small and large errors.
The film moves at a very slow and stilted pace but picks up momentum towards the end. The best part of the film is the acting. Soumitra id very good, but he is overshadowed by Dhritiman Chakraborty and in some scenes by Dipankar Dey. The ladies have a limited, supportive role, but Ruma Guha Thakurata does well as the long suffering wife who stands by her husband and admires him for his ethical stand.
Technically, camera work of Barun Raha is competent and not flashy. Music by Ray is wonderful as usual.
Its good to see Criterion/Eclipse bringing out Ray's works. The DVD is the best available in the market, although the images could be a little sharper and there is some hiss in the audio.
Must be made a mandatory viewing in all Indian schools
sourish-chanda10 December 2010
Even after 63 years of independence India is still in the strong grip of religious superstition and many medieval prejudices. The caste system runs deep in the society and often determines person's identity. Daily newspapers run a dedicated section on astrology, alternate medicines like Homeopathy gets millions of dollars in government funding, the Nation is more opinionated on religious issues than on real issue like poverty and education and all these happens under the active support and promotion from the educated urban middle class contrary to what many would like to believe, the illiterate rural masses. The movie is a slap on the face of such so-called educated and a stark warning what could happen if religious sentiments of the people is misused or abused to achieve personal goals, a fact India would so painfully be facing within just 2 years after the release of the movie. Ray could see what is coming, and like all true artist for whom his work is more than just art and in reality a medium of communication has tried to fulfill his duties to make the people aware of what he saw was coming.
It is not one of "those" art films, in fact there is very little art into it. Ray was very fragile while shooting his last 3 films, so most of the shots are indoor and very archaic and to the point. Despite his illness he attempted this movie to tell his fellow citizen what grave danger the Nation is facing, there one can see the other side of Ray almost as a social reformer.
Unlike many others however, Ray delivered the message in a way that should hurt nobody, even though Ray himself was an atheist. The movie brings forth the eternal conflict between hard scientific fact and the opposing religious doctrine. In the movie the young generation ultimately favors science and this optimism about India that Ray has envisioned is the best part of the movie, indeed the most touching part.
The screenplay is very simple and banal yet appropriate and I can't imagine it can be made any better without tipping off the scale. Dhritiman excels Soumitra but that's my opinion. The advantage of working with known and trusted crew of such stalwarts is that it takes away a lot of hardship from an exhausted director without compromising any on the quality!
It is not one of "those" art films, in fact there is very little art into it. Ray was very fragile while shooting his last 3 films, so most of the shots are indoor and very archaic and to the point. Despite his illness he attempted this movie to tell his fellow citizen what grave danger the Nation is facing, there one can see the other side of Ray almost as a social reformer.
Unlike many others however, Ray delivered the message in a way that should hurt nobody, even though Ray himself was an atheist. The movie brings forth the eternal conflict between hard scientific fact and the opposing religious doctrine. In the movie the young generation ultimately favors science and this optimism about India that Ray has envisioned is the best part of the movie, indeed the most touching part.
The screenplay is very simple and banal yet appropriate and I can't imagine it can be made any better without tipping off the scale. Dhritiman excels Soumitra but that's my opinion. The advantage of working with known and trusted crew of such stalwarts is that it takes away a lot of hardship from an exhausted director without compromising any on the quality!
Ibsen Goes To Bengal
timdalton00724 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
One of the interesting things about stage plays being brought to the screen is they can make changes, big and small to them. Interpretation is everything and it can mean moving a play forwards in time or moving it across the world or even changing it so that the bare bones remains but a new tale has been built on its remaining super structure. An Enemy Of The People (aka Ganashatru) is a case in point as it takes Henrik Ibsen's play set in a Swedish village in the late nineteenth century and moves in to late twentieth century India, changing much in the process and yet clearly being an adaptation of Ibsen's original work. The results are intriguing if not entirely satisfactory.
The change in setting makes for the most intriguing aspects of the film. Ibsen's tale of an idealist doctor discovering the cause of a sickness going through his village only to find himself discovering that political and economic forces are keen for the truth not to be broadcast has proved universal and this film only shows why that is. Relocating the events to Bengal shows how the forces of change struggle around the world against the same forces no matter what the circumstances. Yet the film brings in a new aspect thanks to its setting as the debate between science and religion comes into play as the source of the sickness is shown to be a Hindu temple. It's an interesting addition that gives the film, and indeed Ibson's basic plot, a certain degree of timeliness. Indeed, it feels like the film could be set almost anywhere in the modern world with the change of a few names, fashions and technology. In that way, the film shows the strength of its original source material while also putting its own spin on it.
Unfortunately it also falls victim to the same malady that many filmed versions of stage plays often do. The film feels very stagey, being set indoors with the exception of a couple of shots in the film (in fact it appears that was one of the reasons why writer/director Satyajit Ray picked as his health was in decline) which isn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. The real problem with the film is its pacing as its moves at a glacial pace despite the nature of the dialogue and the conflicts between various characters but most especially the brothers at the heart of the human interactions playing out. It's a very stoic and contained film, even when it reaches the moments of chaos at its climax.
The climax for that matter is another problem. Ibsen's play ends with Doctor Stockmann (Dr. Gupta in the film) standing surrounded by his family as he realizes he must become "an enemy of the people" if he is tell the truth and be be true to who he is, creating a wonderful sense of ambiguity over the nature of the ending. The film ends on a significantly happier note as an unseen crowd comes to support Dr. Gupta and it looks very much like that the truth might well prevail. There is, I suppose, a need to give the tale a more optimistic ending but it also rings untrue with the events that the film shows before that and it lacks the dramatic impact that the original ending had. For all the interesting things that Ray brings to the film's script, this is the change that fails the most and that hurts the overall film as a result.
An Enemy Of The People (aka Ganashatru) stands as an interesting film, though deeply flawed. While it shows the timelessness of its source material while also bringing new elements to it, it nonetheless fails to capture the speed or energy of it while its change of ending rings hollow alongside the rest of it. It stands then as a film of mixed results that succeeds in some ways, fails in others but also shows what can be done with a century old play even if it doesn't live up to its promise.
The change in setting makes for the most intriguing aspects of the film. Ibsen's tale of an idealist doctor discovering the cause of a sickness going through his village only to find himself discovering that political and economic forces are keen for the truth not to be broadcast has proved universal and this film only shows why that is. Relocating the events to Bengal shows how the forces of change struggle around the world against the same forces no matter what the circumstances. Yet the film brings in a new aspect thanks to its setting as the debate between science and religion comes into play as the source of the sickness is shown to be a Hindu temple. It's an interesting addition that gives the film, and indeed Ibson's basic plot, a certain degree of timeliness. Indeed, it feels like the film could be set almost anywhere in the modern world with the change of a few names, fashions and technology. In that way, the film shows the strength of its original source material while also putting its own spin on it.
Unfortunately it also falls victim to the same malady that many filmed versions of stage plays often do. The film feels very stagey, being set indoors with the exception of a couple of shots in the film (in fact it appears that was one of the reasons why writer/director Satyajit Ray picked as his health was in decline) which isn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. The real problem with the film is its pacing as its moves at a glacial pace despite the nature of the dialogue and the conflicts between various characters but most especially the brothers at the heart of the human interactions playing out. It's a very stoic and contained film, even when it reaches the moments of chaos at its climax.
The climax for that matter is another problem. Ibsen's play ends with Doctor Stockmann (Dr. Gupta in the film) standing surrounded by his family as he realizes he must become "an enemy of the people" if he is tell the truth and be be true to who he is, creating a wonderful sense of ambiguity over the nature of the ending. The film ends on a significantly happier note as an unseen crowd comes to support Dr. Gupta and it looks very much like that the truth might well prevail. There is, I suppose, a need to give the tale a more optimistic ending but it also rings untrue with the events that the film shows before that and it lacks the dramatic impact that the original ending had. For all the interesting things that Ray brings to the film's script, this is the change that fails the most and that hurts the overall film as a result.
An Enemy Of The People (aka Ganashatru) stands as an interesting film, though deeply flawed. While it shows the timelessness of its source material while also bringing new elements to it, it nonetheless fails to capture the speed or energy of it while its change of ending rings hollow alongside the rest of it. It stands then as a film of mixed results that succeeds in some ways, fails in others but also shows what can be done with a century old play even if it doesn't live up to its promise.
Brilliant, One of Satyajit Ray's Best
nobody311024 February 2009
"Ganashatru" is certainly one of the best movies of Satyajit Ray, though not one of his most popular ones. The story is set up in a small town of India and is brutally realistic. The film depicts the superstitions and ignorance one might find in an Indian town (or for that matter in any Indian City). The main characters are brilliantly portrayed by Soumitra Chatterjee, Dipankar Dey, Subhendu Chatterjee and Dhritiman. The reason this movie has not had any popularity is mainly because of the blind religious superstitions that lives amongst most of us and has blinded us in seeing the truth.
A must watch, if one believes that film makers have a duty towards educating the society.
A must watch, if one believes that film makers have a duty towards educating the society.
Not one of Ray's best, but it's decent
zetes23 February 2014
Ray adapts an Ibsen play. This feels very much like a made-for-TV movie, and it's a bit of a slog, especially up front, but it gains momentum as it goes on and is pretty interesting. Dr. Gupta (Soumitra Chatterjee) discovers that the holy water from a popular local temple is infected with bacteria. Fixing the problem will be costly and a lot of people are against it, including Gupta's brother (Dhritiman Chatterjee), a bureaucrat. Eventually, Dr. Gupta finds himself in deep disapproval of the community, a virtual pariah. This is part of a recently released Eclipse set, Late Ray, but can also be watched on Hulu Plus.
Master piece
alfresco_01011 September 2020
Such an excellent movie shot in a House of 2 rooms, 1 press room and one shot outside a temple. And such powerful story; a good and powerful story is enough for compensate for any technicalities. So powerful. sometime reminds of Alfred Hitchcock movies which were shots with such minimum resources yet masterly and splendidly excellent results.
An Enemy Of the People But Their Friend
boblipton9 May 2021
Doctor Soumitra Chatterjee has been tracking the source of an epidemic and has concluded, after laboratory reports, that that water in the local temple has been polluted and causing the outbreak. Yet there are strong forces opposing him, not only the reigious conservatives, but business interests who see that temple as a souce of tourism and revenue. Even his brother is ranged against him, and more than willing to destroy him rather than close down the temple to fix the problem.
Satyajit Ray;s movie is based on Ibsen's 1882, and sticks mainly to the original's concerns, despite some changes made for its Indian setting. Ray's handling and ending is a little more standardized that the play, but it remains a powerful piece.
Satyajit Ray;s movie is based on Ibsen's 1882, and sticks mainly to the original's concerns, despite some changes made for its Indian setting. Ray's handling and ending is a little more standardized that the play, but it remains a powerful piece.
Disappointing
lyrxsf2 January 2006
This has to be one of Ray's lesser inspired works. He has made minimal effort to adapt the script of a play into an entertaining movie. The story, like all his movies, depicts struggle against social stigmas. But its dull. The characters fail to generate any bonding with the audience. The pace is extremely slow and the dialog stilted. This could be because Ray was cautious of the sensitive issue being dealt with in the movie. He may have deliberately presented such a clinical version to avoid a clash with the religious right. The collusion of media and bureaucracy exposed by the movie is admirable. Bottomline, I would rather watch the same performance as a play instead of the movie format.
"Ray, being very old"
smkbsws16 September 2020
Ray, being very old, could not pay much to this adaptation of Ibsen's 'The Enemy Of the People'. Almost like a biased film, this looked like to set Ray.. or, Ibsen.. Or, the protagonist.. as a prophet to 'enlighten' others. There might be hundreds of classics like this, but it never clicked for me. There is too much exposition in this film too. Being entirely shot indoor, Ray even did not make justice to his crew too. Later we got to know that Ray was very sick while making this film! Then, why to make something at his prime of career in those critical times?
B for Effort
theognis-808213 May 2021
An adaptation of Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People" is not the sort of project that made Ray famous. For a drama about an individual's integrity requiring him to endure the opprobrium of the mob, I much prefer "High Noon," written by Carl Foreman and directed by Fred Zinnemann, but a nice try by Satyajit Ray, who is very talented.
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