The Seventh Art

CHAPTER 3: LOSS OF A BELOVED

August 16, Calcutta. Saket arrives at the railway station and takes a taxi to his house. He is surprised to see what is going on around: A large scale riot with masses of people running here and there. He also sees Altaf, his tailor among the Muslim rioters. Altaf recognizes Saket and makes way for the taxi to go. Upon inquiry, Saket finds out that the riots are indeed due to the partition claim by the Muslims of Calcutta.

The taxi manages to get out of the riot and reaches the calm and serene surroundings of Saket’s apartments. Saket asks the guard to bring his luggage up as he goes to his floor via the lift. He finds that many shops had to close because of the riot. He reaches his flat and plays a prank on Aparna (Rani Mukherjee) who gets frightened and takes up a pistol. When Saket reveals who it is, she gives his a slap and tells him that there is a telegram for him. He asks her casually whether it says that his father is ill or if he is no more. She says that it is worse than that and reads out the telegram. We find out that his father has called him back and has asked Saket to marry a girl they have chosen for him. It is here that we find that Saket is cut off from his parents and has left them for good. He has not even mentioned about Aparna and his later life. On Aparna’s apprehension, Saket promises that he will never marry another girl.

He kisses her as they both lean on the piano as Saket plays it. This is the second sight of the piano in the film. The image of the piano plays a vital part in describing Saket and will be recurrent in the story. A moment later, both of them are seen playing the piano together. They play it with such care and love. Their music is mellifluous and in harmony with each other. They make love as the melodious music proceeds.

Saket gets up from the bed and presents her the Thirumangalyam, the holy necklace that he had bought for her. Upon asking for a Bengali styled marriage, Saket takes the red ink pen from the table and puts a mark on her forehead. When Saket asks for reciprocation, Aparna takes out one of her Mettis (Toe rings) and slips it into his finger. The toe ring is supposed to be a symbol of marriage and the well being of the husband. The toe ring forms a vital part of the narrative and will occur regularly. Saket asks for something to eat, Aparna indicates that the shops are closed and there is only bread and butter in the house. He asks her to get ready to go to the market to get something to eat for which she replies that she is scared to go out. Saket ridicules her and starts for the market.

It should be noted here that the film has heavy overtones of religion, especially Hinduism and a lot of parallels are drawn between Saket’s life and the Hindu culture. These will be denoted whenever they appear. Hindu tradition mentions for vital stages of a man’s life – Balya (Childhood), Grihasta (Marital life), Vanaprastha (Exile/alienation) and Sanyasa (Relinquishing worldly things for salvation). Saket has just entered the second stage, Grihasta and is in the marital bliss. But he is unaware that this stage is a short lived one.

Saket takes his bike and sets out for the market. In some street he notices a young Sikh girl being chased by a mob. He manages to get the girl on his bike and takes her home. He slowly learns that the riots have worsened and it is unsafe to be in the streets. He returns to his apartments and finds out that something is wrong. He sees a corpse on the ground floor and runs to his flat. He finds that a group of men, led by Altaf are trying to break in into his apartment. Saket is held down as Altaf breaks in through the window. Saket tries to resist but is hurt. He is pushed harshly on the piano and lands on his face. He vents his anger on the piano and pounds his face on it. The music this time is anything but sweet. The somber and even a bit creepy tone reflects his state of distress. He is able to hear the cries of Aparna – “Ram, Ram”. He somehow coaxes one of the rioters to set him free and manages to kill the latter by pushing him out of the balcony. He reloads his pistol to shoot the rioters but is too late. Everyone has left. He rushed towards Aparna to check. She is found raped and her throat slit. Saket Ram is helpless and cannot even call the ambulance. Blood sprouts out of her throat as Saket tries to close it. Aparna passes away. Saket is mad. He cries, but it is of no use. He looks out at one of the dead rioters and with a shriek of anger he starts his rampage for revenge. This would mark his entering into the Vanaprastha from Grihasta. Saket would be exiling his true self to avenge his wife.

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