Ahindra Choudhury
When Mr. Mukherjee's wife drowns herself in the Ganges to save her ailing husband, people start showering her with respect. Years later, things head towards the same direction for her daughter. Uma meets her rival Mrinaal with almost compassion, keeps her son at her refuge and follows the same path of her mother Kangkabati.
Ambernath a well-educated Sanskrit pundit was different from his childhood. The way he thought and described everything was quite different from others. His master Jagannath Tarka Churamoni loved him a lot and after his death, Ambernath took his place. In such a situation Bani the daughter of local zamindar and Ambernath met. After few days, they got married. Bani were very skeptical about her husband and they were not happy with their relation. Later Ambernath left his wife and stayed alone. In the meantime, Bani also understood the affection and love she had for her husband. She came to know about life and commitment. One day Bani heard that Ambernath was very ill and he stayed in a lonely place. Bani rushed there and put her every effort to make him healthy. Later they came to know each other and lived happily.
The lesser known 'Sannyasi Rebellion' of the 18th century forms the base of this film. Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay's 'Anandamath' is regarded as one of the most significant patriotic novels that fueled the national movement. India's national song 'Vande Mataram' was actually taken from this novel, which was once banned by the British rulers.
The wealthy, self-obsessed, and possibly crazed Manoj (Barua) is sent by his concerned family to the rural estate of his future father-in-law. Along the way, however, he gets lost and soon finds himself taking shelter in the abode of railroad stationmaster whose beautiful, down-to-earth daughter, Meena (Kenan Devi), Manoj finds irresistible. When his haughty, progressive-minded fiancee gets wind of this, she freaks out and soon there is a showdown between the two women. In the aftermath, Manoj finds reason to go with his heart and marry Meena.
Manoj is from the aristocratic class but has some sort retrograde amnesia; he belongs to the upper-class but is also an outsider, something that enables the possibilities of movement across the class-lines for him. This trope is essential for Barua to articulate the criticism of the indolent upper class in the film. Thus Manoj is both an object of criticism and ridicule while also being one of the critics.
Indranath’s son is ill, Guru Omkarananda suggests he pray to the goddess Kamala. His son improves but bad luck follows Indranath; his son and daughter die. Unable to stand the grief the Queen/Kalyani loses her mental equilibrium. Goddess Kamala manifests as Rupasi, the daughter of Omkarananda. Virodhananda and his son Tribhanga are the incarnation of Narad and Narayan on earth. The kingdom goes through difficult times. Omkarananda is arrested and Rupasi goes to meet Bastabesh/Indranath who is attracted to her. Rupasi takes refuge in Birodhananda’s house to avoid Bastabesh’s advances. Birodhananda is interested in getting his son Tribhanga married to Rupasi. Bastabesh goes after Rupasi/Kamala who blinds him. Finally the gods perform their miracle and a repentant Bastabesh is restored his sight and kingdom.
An early example of social realism that reached its height with 'Udayer Pathey' and more memorably with 'Chhinnamul', 'Doctor' was meant as a stringent critique of practices that were beginning to be deemed as persistant evils that plague society, namely superstitions, religious dogma and discrimination on the basis of caste. However, that would be a far too simplistic reading of the multiple thematic elements that tie together the narrative of 'Doctor'. The idea of caste based discrimination, violence and upper-caste hypocrisy is placed alongside the notions of generational conflict in a father-son relationship and the idea of a ever-widening generation gap especially in the historical and socio-political context of the film.
