Original subtitles

Who is it from?

I can't guess from the handwriting.

M. Mitra

Must be someone on your mother's side.

I don't know of any M. Mitra.

They say, there'll be no power cuts during the holidays.

Well? Who's it from?

Whose letter is it, Mummy?

- Just a moment.

Ok. Like a massive...

Well?

Is it some bad news?

I don't know.

Don't know?

Who's that from, Mummy?

Your great uncle!

The one who ran away from home?

But he's been missing for ages!

35 years! He left in 1955.

I was only two then.

And your uncle?

He left immediately after graduation.

I don't remember him at all.

Later, my mother told me everything.

Last time we heard from him was in 1968.

He never wrote to any of his relatives.

Only to Mr. Sital. A post cover every 6 months or so.

From various places in Europe.

It was not possible to reply because he gave no address.

This Sital was a family friend, wasn't he?

Yes. He was grandpa's neighbour.

He has been to see us also.

Oh yes. He was in the Governor's accounts department.

He has retired and is living in Shanti Niketan, isn't it?

It was from him that uncle learnt about us.

Where has he written from?

New Delhi.

Qutub Hotel.

Any way, just read me the letter, will you?

I must say his command of Bengali is admirable.

My dear Baby.

Baby? Who is baby?

Let me read it, will you?

My dear Baby.

I don't know your real name.

Oh! I'm addressing you in this fashion.

I hope you won't mind.

That's very florid style.

When I left home, you were no more than a baby.

I have finished my travels in the West...

... and have only just arrived here.

... learnt from Mr. Sital that...

... you're my only close relation left...

... and are settled happily. Your husband and son ...

I shall soon resume my wanderings.

In the meantime, I dearly wish...

to spend a week as the guest of my niece...

... in the city of my birth.

Won't know this uncle of yours by sight...

... as I won't know you.

I realize that in the instances my request...

... amounts to an imposition.

In our country, in the old days, ...

...hospitality was extended even...

... to total strangers.

It is the thought of this tradition...

... that gives me the courage to make this request.

I have decided.

We leave by the Rajdhani Express on the 16th ...

... and arrive in Calcutta on the 17th morning.

I shall then turn up at your house in a taxi.

It is certainly up to you to accept me...

...as a guest or not.

Let me assure you.

I'm used to experiences both bitter and sweet.

Yours affectionately, ...

Uncle Manmohan Mitra.

You have no memories of your uncle.

You even recall whether he is stout or thin or tall or short.

No.

So there is only one thing. Send an immediate reply...

... by telegram, A letter won't do.

Tell him a bare faced lie?

What do you mean a lie?

That people go on holidays...?

... doesn't know I'm an executive...

... as if I were a professor?

We are enjoying a long holiday on autumn, wouldn't I?

That you're not professor.

How can you be sure that this man isn't lying?

You know how common fraud is these days?

There's a priceless art collection...

... in that sitting room alone. Subjects worth a million rupees.

Take just one bronze figurine...

.... from the top of the book shelf...

... and you can make a fortune...

... by selling it to a foreign tourist.

You mean he is coming to commit a theft

Uncle was a great favourite of my mother.

Dad too was very fond on him.

Did not without reason.

Uncle was very gifted.

Never stood second in his life.

Here a person can change beyond recognition.

It doesn't seem so from the letter.

I'll assume that he is indeed your uncle...

... and a model of virtue.

Won't you give your husband a little thought?

What do you mean?

Says he's coming on the 17th, Friday.

That he'll stay for a week.

Means, the whole weekend would be ruined.

The autumn festival starts on 21st.

I thought I'd relax during the holidays.

Now comes this old man...

...claiming to be your uncle.

Come in dear sir. Sit down in. Have a meal dear, sir.

Don't like it at all.

What?

Your attitude, what else?

You can't send this telegram in answer to this letter.

As a thoroughly decent letter! - I don't deny that.

In fact, its a little too decent. - That's the trouble.

How can a man who's been away from home so long...

... write such elegant Bengali?

May be he got someone else to write for him.

But the sentiment is surely his own.

No. There's a snag in it.

Very well.

Is grand uncle coming, mummy?

Ask Daddy.

What is it now?

Are you cross with me or something?

A fake uncle is better than no uncle.

Is that what you wish to say? - Wish to say only one thing.

What's the need for a letter or a telegram?

He says he is coming here on the 17th.

Let him come.

If I find him a fake...

... or is real, but has come with an ulterior motive, ...

... then you won't have to do anything.

I'll myself whisk him away with a broom.

Just think - a fake great uncle!

National Film Development Corporation Presents

Film by Satyajit Ray.

With Utpal Dutt, Dipankar Dey. Mamta Shankar. B. Bhattacharji.

Robi Ghosh. Dhritiman Chatterji. Subrata Chatterji.

Pramode Ganguly. Ajit Banerji.

Camera: Barun Raha

Art Director: Asoke Bose

Editing: Dulal Dutta

Re-recording: Hitendra Ghosh

Produced by: NFDC Ltd.

Written, Scored and Directed by : Satyajit Ray

Sweep well under the cupboard. There's a lot of dust there.

Madhu, when you've done the bed...

... bring a flask of cold and put it on the table.

You stay there and call, but when he comes...

Mummy!

Come down for the luggage, You there.

What is your name?

Satyaki

Lord Krishna's pupil or Sudhindra Bose's son?

Your name? - Anila.

Did you get my letter? - Oh, yes.

I didn't get a reply.

I hope you didn't write asking me not to come.

No, no.

You think I don't know I've put you in a spot?

Asking you to accept someone you've hardly seen...

... as your uncle...

Why do you say that?

It's good to find back a thing one had taken for lost

I presume your husband is...

...in the office - There's no work tomorrow and day after ...

... and the Durga festival starts on the 21st.

I see.

Can I get you a cold drink?

A little rest and then you can have your bath.

Very well, but no ice please.

Half a mind to buy some sweets for you and the boy.

Then I realized I didn't know where to go for these...

... would probably end up buying inferior stuff.

The old confectioners Ganguram... still there?

Oh yes, there are many new ones.

Why this tastes a lot like Coca Cola?

Is this made here? - Yes.

Good Lord! - This isn't how you spell Thumbs up, Satyaki?

Oh, no.

That's better.

You go to school, I suppose?

Yes, now we have a month's holiday for festivals.

On the way, I saw some houses with decorations...

... which suggested I'd come during the festival.

Have you watched a Durga festival in all these years...

you've been away? - No.

But I've seen Lord Krishna's Chariot.

D'you know where?

Madison Avenue in New York

It's the same here.

Swarming with white skinned followers of Krishna.

They are the men that ring out the Chariot, not we

Do you know the 108 names of Lord Krishna?

No.

My grandma used to sing it.

I'll teach you.

You'll have a bath, won't you?

If it isn't too much trouble.

Not at all. Your room's upstairs.

Satyaki will show you.

You have a lovely house.

My father-in-law built it.

And your husband has inherited it?

Come, Satyaki

By the way, I know nothing about your taste in food

Dear, I'm Omnivorous and a small eater.

So, you have nothing to worry about.

Has he come? - Yes, just 10 minutes ago.

What shall I say? Seems a jovial person.

He uses endearing terms when talking to me. I quite like it!

But you haven't addressed as dear uncle, already?

I'm not so gullible.

Goodness! Does he resemble your mother?

No, but one thing he shares with her.

What? - A singing voice.

He's already been singing for you?

Oh, no. Just a couple of lines.

How's his Bengali?

Better than yours or mine.

What? I find that very suspicious.

Listen. - What now?

Ask to see his passport.

There's no sound proof of identity than that.

Are you out of your mind? You think a woman can do that?

You do that when you meet him.

I can't be bothered. I'm hanging up.

We've come.

Kurta Pyjama. I hope this dress will do.

Certainly!

I had nothing that I could wear here.

So I bought these in Delhi.

Come in.

That's fish.

Sit down, please.

Since you're omnivorous, you mustn't skip any items.

But I also said 'small eater,' remember?

I suggest you put aside the meat for dinner.

I'll have the fish now.

Do you know what this is?

I told you how long I don't taste Bengali dishes.

You wouldn't believe me.

This is curried spinach.

You know Popeye the sailor, Satyaki?

Oh yes, it's spinach that gives him strength.

Here's something new.

Good Lord! What are these? - Fancy crisps.

The women of Midnapore prepare them at home.

Edible embroideries. This could only happen in Bengal.

Give me one, mummy.

Won't you join us, dear?

I'll eat, when you've finished.

That means, you haven't become a Memsahib yet.

You say you haven't tasted Bengali cooking all these years.

But there are any number of Bengalis in the West.

In New York alone, we know so many of them.

Haven't you had anything to do with them?

Once I've broken free of my moorings...

...why hobnob with Bengalis anymore?

But you haven't forgotten the language.

You speak it well, write it well.

I'll take lentil first then fish.

So do we.

You know what, dear?

Unless you wish to forget your mother tongue, you don't forget it.

But if you do, you can do so in 3 months.

And for that you didn't have to leave the country.

In Delhi, I find children addressing their parents...

... as Mummy and Daddy.

Do you do the same, Satyaki?

- Certainly not!

The crisps are eaten with lentil.

Shall I give you one? - Very well. Fancy Crisps

Why did you leave home?

Mother told me everyone loved you.

And you were a fine student with a bright future.

But yet why I left home? - Yes.

There's a lovely word in German, 'Wanderlust'.

It means the irrepressible urge to travel.

Is that the only reason?

It's true that I've always felt that urge.

But there was another reason.

Will you take the fish now?

I'd rather have the mutton.

Fish bones will hamper my speech.

Enough. Enough.

You haven't said what the other reason was.

So you are listening to me, are you?

I'll tell you. It'll amuse you!

I used to draw very well as a small boy

Yes, mother used to say so.

I had decided to join an art school...

... after finishing my studies.

One day, in my first year at college...

... a foreign journal fell into my hands.

I opened it and found a full page picture of a bison.

Not a photo, but a painting.

You know what a bison is?

Yes, they have horns on their heads.

Yes, this bison was charging...

...with head bent and horns sticking out.

You know, dear? It was an extraordinary painting.

Such poise! Such a bold stance!

As if it was painted by Da Vinci.

Who was this painter?

Who was that unique draughtsman?

Then I read the caption underneath.

It said the bison was painted 2000 years ago...

...in the stone age...

... in a place called Altamita Spain ...

... by a cave dwelling primitive man.

I found it so astonishing that I said to myself...

...Salutes to you Mr. Bison.

Whatever else I may become, I shall never become a painter.

Because there is no art school in the world...

... where you can learn to draw a bison like this.

This gave me the urge to explore the question ...

... of savagery and civilization.

And to this was added wanderlust.

The two together made me leave home.

You've said you were planning to set off again.

This visit to Australia.

I haven't been to that part at all.

This is Greek coin, a Drachma

This is Polish - Zloty.

This is Mexican - Peseta.

This is a Sol - from Peru

Anish's uncle also collects coins, I know what they're called.

What ?

I don't collect coins.

It's not my hobby.

These were lying with me.

And now they belong to you. - To me, really?!

You can show these to your friends.

I've already told my friends.

Some of them, not all. - What?

That we have now a guest in our house, ...

... who may or may not be my great uncle.

They're going to see you in a little while.

Come along now. Don't you want him to rest ?

I'm going.

What?

A German word. It means, we'll meet again.

Just think - Andes, the highest mountain in South America.

On this mountain, at a height of 8000 feet ...

... a city built of stone.

For 4000 years the city had laid hidden ...

... from human eyes,

Then, in 1911, ...

... the year Mohun Bagan beat the British football team ...

... and won the IFA shield,...

... that very year an explorer called Hiran Bingham,...

... suddenly chanced upon this city.

What name did I say ? - Machu Pichhu

Here you are.

Have you been to this city?

Of course, the picture is taken by me.

I went twenty years ago on mule back.

I was struck dumb.

Everything there is made of stone.

Yet there are no stones for miles around

Where they found the stone ...

... and how they carried it up to the hill side, ...

... nobody knows.

It was truly wonderful, the Inca Civilization.

Tell us another story! - No, not a story.

This time I'll show you a trick.

I'll ask you a few questions.

Let's see if you can answer them correctly.

Tell me, "Which is large, Moon or Sun?"

Sun?

How do you know?

Just a moment.

Suppose this is Moon...

.. and this is Sun.

In the sky, they look the same size, don't they?

That's because the sun is much further away?

How much?

I'll tell you.

The sun is 95 million miles away.

While the moon distance is only five hundred thousand miles.

That's why, Sun looks bigger.

Suppose the moon had been 200000 miles away, ...

...then it would have looked bigger.

Like this. Isn't that so? - Yes.

And suppose the moon had been 800000 miles away...

Then it would have looked smaller.

Somewhat like this, isn't it?

But neither happens.

The moon is just so far away that makes it look the ...

... the same size of Sun.

That's why, when the Moon takes it position, ...

... in front of the Sun and slowly covers it, ...

... disc matching disc.

Solar Eclipse!

Yes, total eclipse of Sun.

And when the earth's shadow falls on the Moon ...

... then also the two discs match perfectly.

Lunar Eclipse!

Total eclipse of Moon!

What d'you think made that possible?

You don't know.

Ask the wisest man on earth and even he will say...

... he doesn't know.

Nobody knows.

It's a mystery!

I say it's one of the greatest mysteries of the universe.

Sun and Moon.

King of the day! Queen of the night!

And the shadow of Earth on Moon,... all exactly the same size.

Magic!

Listen!

What?

Come here a moment.

I'm convinced. - That he's your uncle?

Yes, and a very nice man.

So you are gullible, after all.

In these few hours, you found out everything about a man?

Women are capable of that.

They take people on trust.

And surely you can tell a lot,...

... from the way a man acts and walks and the look in his eyes.

And there is no doubt that he has been abroad.

He knows German.

And he has given my son some foreign coins.

Foreign coins?

I suppose you know one can buy foreign postage stamps.

There are dealers in coins too.

Tell me what coin you want. I'll get you one tomorrow.

Anyway, I only said what I felt.

Has he given any reasons for leaving home?

It was in that connection that he used a German word

Which means an urge to travel.

Wanderlust?

Yes, but he pronounced it differently.

Yes.

The word is used in English too.

And pronounced in the English way.

I studied German at the Goethe Institute for a couple of months.

Then lost patience!

I still have a stock of 5 or so German words.

What else did he say?

About what?

Leaving home, what else?

He said a lot. I'll take a long time to tell you everything.

I'm interested to know.

Bison. Does that mean anything to you?

There's a guest in the house. You are the host.

Do go and say hello to him. - Where's he?

Must be in his room.

He's been out with Satyaki's friends.

Came back a little while ago.

Come on, get up.

You'd better see about the broom.

Listen. - What is it now?

I have one favour to ask of you. - What?

Please pay your respects to him and touch his feet.

Sudhindra Bose.

No. no, most certainly not.

When your mind is free of doubt, then you can touch my feet.

Not before then.

I have said in my letter a line telling you how ...

... I know who you are.

But you don't know who I am.

Unfortunately, there's no quick way of finding out.

If I am the real person or a fake one,...

... only time will tell you.

You decide whether you're prepared to wait.

But why do you say there is no quick way to know?

I feel.

Well. It actually bears your name ...

... and your picture too

Then it's all right. Why are you... ?

What does this prove?

My identity, you'll say. I say, not even that.

In these days of global corruption, ...

... do you know how easy it is to forge a passport?

Therefore, you have every right to disbelieve me.

I can't say that to your wife.

She is looking after the guest in an exemplary fashion.

And it is a question of blood relationship.

It applies to her, not to you.

Look there. I haven't opened my suitcase yet.

If it comes to that, I can be out in the street in five minutes.

But why do you say that ...

... my wife likes you

Forget it.

I am curious only about one thing. - What?

Why did you decide to come back after so many years?

Well, you're free to believe me or not.

It wasn't my wish to come back home.

I've done my job in the West.

Now I want to travel East.

I have to stop in Delhi anyway.

Till now, I haven't felt any ties of affection for my relatives.

Perhaps of the fact that I'm getting on in years.

That's all right. You may rest now.

I'll just go and have a shower.

You win for the time being.

Passport? - It's okay.

Did he show it to you? - Yes, almost without my asking.

Then why say for the time being?

He must be the real uncle.

That man can twist me around his little finger.

D'you know what he said? - What?

He says that passport proves nothing.

He says passports are being forged everyday now.

Ask to see his passport. - Ask to see his passport now what?

How could I know that your so called uncle...

... was such a shrewd customer?

What it is, I don't know yet.

I think I'll find out...

... tomorrow evening.

What do you mean?

I have asked Pritish to come tomorrow evening.

Why him?

We need someone who can talk straight.

You know very well ...

... that your husband is not such a man.

I suffer from a chronic liability to come out into the open.

Pritish has no such complaints.

I have told him everything and he is most intrigued.

He has handled such cases of impersonation before.

Is he going to cross question him?

He can be very blunt, this friend of yours.

What d'you mean? Cross question?

The man claims to be your great uncle.

That's why, we've taken him as a guest.

We have to feed him, don't we?

It'll cost us atleast Rs.5 a day.

And yet we know next to nothing about the man.

There are certain essential things we must know about him.

Pritish will find out and do it as decently as possible.

To me it seems perfectly feasible.

That a man who had left his home when his niece was two,...

... now wants to see her again after so many years.

I see nothing wrong in that.

Very well.

If he has come for sentimental reason then I have nothing to say.

But if I find your uncle's up to no good ...

... and if he turn out not to be my uncle?

Well, you know what to do.

Sweep him away with a broom!

Chanda here.

Can't you recognise my voice?

It sounds so different.

It's nothing but excitement. Has he come?

Yes, he has.

Of course, it's true.

Well, how do you find him?

He's only arrived today.

My husband and I are bursting with curiosity.

Ever since you told us, we've been able to think of nothing else.

I hope you haven't told any one else.

Believe me. We've been itching to...

... but we haven't said a word.

Well, now that you know, Goodbye then.

No. no, wait, Mr. husband wants to talk to you.

I'm handing him the phone.

I have a request which you must keep.

What is it?

We'd like to drop in for just half an hour.

I see. But what if he finds out that...

Listen. I give you my word.

He won't find out.

It'll be just one of your usual social calls.

We'll go causally. Have a casual chat

And then come away casually.

All you have to do is tell Sudhin not to introduce me as an actor

At least he mustn't know in the early stages.

Do you want to come this evening?

We've double shows on weekend, don't you see?

All right, then come this evening.

Listen...

What's up?

Ranjan and Chanda are coming in a little while.

They say they won't let him know they've come to see him.

Jolly Good. Ring up all your other friends too.

Don't be silly. - Why not?

They can share the responsibility of entertaining the old man.

And listen.

Please introduce him as my uncle.

May I come in?

I hope I'm not intruding?

Not at all. Let me introduce you.

Mr. and Mrs. Rakhit

Manmohan Mitra.

I don't think we've...

You haven't. He is Anita's maternal uncle.

Maternal...

No. I'm making a mistake.

Another friend of ours.

I think it was Manju's uncle.

Manju never had an uncle.

You have three maternal uncles, don't you?

No, two.

Two. The elder one is dead.

The younger one left 35 years ago.

I'm getting all mixed up.

You mix up things all the time.

Anila's uncle left home 35 years ago.

He came back this morning.

Where from?

The West.

But this is sensational. Another Bhawal Sanyasi!

Do you know of the Bhawal Sanyasi great case?

I do. - World famous case.

Do you know how long it went on? Ten years.

There is no question of a court case.

No? - No.

You mean the fact that he's Mrs. Bose's uncle...

... is undisputed.

Well, you don't know the lawyers these days.

They'd have wrung you dry.

And you'd find yourself out...

... on the streets again with a begging bowl.

I see these are your famous home made biscuits.

Famous?

Delicious!

Now that he is back, shouldn't you announce it to the press?

I'll not. I'm not.

And if I find that a single journalist has got on to the fact...

I think you're at the bottom of it.

They won't get a single fact out of me.

But I could see a headline before my eyes.

Do you know that prodigal has two meanings, Mr. Rakhit?

Two meanings?

One is wasteful. And the other is repentant.

I'm neither.

I'm happy to hear this.

May I ask you something?

Certainly.

We didn't know a thing.

Now that we are here, you know?

Are you back here alone?

There is no one else to keep me company.

You mean you never married?

Wife would mean a family and a house.

The whole point is, I didn't wish to be tied down to a home.

I see, I get it.

If you've come back to Calcutta after ages...

... did you start your journey from Calcutta?

Yes.

Well, how d'you find the city after such a long time?

Mind you, I'm in and out of Calcutta.

But I'm used to hearing the city denounced.

Why? It's certainly a civilized city!

You think so? - Why not?

Oh, the people are happier in the streets.

The high rises ascending proudly...

... and in the midst of these,...

... even after 35 years. I find men pulling rickshaws.

How can you have a civilization without these contradictions?

You seem rather bitter about civilization?

What would you say about a city like New York?

Why, its colossal?

Judging from what we see in the movies,...

... family after family with long faces squatting on it, ...

... while a placard says,...

... we are homeless.

Are you coming straight from New York?

No. South America. Brazil.

Brazil. Great heavens!

What's the matter?

He's probably thinking of Pele.

Pele?

You've been in Brazil and you haven't heard of Pele?

Oh yes, foot baller, isn't he?

He scored a goal with a back kick.

Mr. Rakhit my knowledge of football...

...is shockingly limited. I only know about...

... two Bengal teams, Mohan Bagan and East Bengal.

Football and another thing,...

... something you must have missed in the West.

What?

Something which is the monopoly of Bengal.

In fact you may call it an invention of the Bengalis.

The sweetmeat "Rasogolla"

Talk sessions.

There are simple sessions on park benches and by the lakes...

... and in coffee houses.

That which Bengalis thrive on.

Talk sessions made in Bengal.

D'you know 25 years ago, in Greece,

... there were gymnasiums.

Health gymnasiums, weren't they?

Not just looking macho...

... and juvenile's dictum.

We learnt it at school.

Mens Sana in corpore sano.

The Greek thus exercise both the mind and the body.

And there was a time when both took place in the gymnasium.

All these leading much of Athens.

Plato, Socrates, Alicibiades used to come.

There were discussions...

... on Philosophy, Politics, Mathematics...

... Art, Literature.

They were known as Dialogue, You can still read them.

Now how would you describe such an activity?

Why they sound very much like our talk sessions?

No gossip no backbiting, no braggado.

I don't wish to discuss the talk sessions that the Bengalis indulge in.

There must be some examples of productive discourse.

But what happens in most cases?

At least what happens in our time...

... and the norms have gone down these days,...

... could only be described as empty twaddle.

Its discourse was at that level here.

Then Tegore would have joined in them too.

True enough.

Tagore may get indulged in talk sessions.

Did he, Sudhin?

Did Tagore ever indulge in talk sessions?

I haven't really introduced him to you.

He is a well known actor.

Stage, Screen, TV, everything.

Won't you call that civilized?

Do you find material for comedy here?

Read nothing but tales of woe in the paper today.

I think there's room for satire.

As long as our politicians are there,...

- ... don't mean anything as classy as Aris... - Aris?

Not.

Sorry?

Aristophanes?

Yes. - Well, it's not quite at that level.

More like skits.

For instance, a certain gentleman.

I'm giving you an example.

A Bengali gentleman.

Actually, someone from East Bengal.

Mind you, I'm also East Bengali

Really? Well, so am I.

So is my wife.

And you?

East.

And you Sudhin?

West with a vengeance.

Sorry. You don't count.

Anyway, this gentleman...

Stand up, stand up.

Very well.

This gentleman has gone to the Writers Building...

... to see the Chief Minister

He feels that on certain occasions,...

... English works are better than Bengali.

Well, there he is. In front of the lift...

... the police stops him.

The police asked where do you want to go?

The man said I've come to see C.M.

CCM? You mean CPM? (Communist Party Marxist).

Do you have an appointment?

Yes, right now. 4 cm - I mean, pm.

Why sorry?

What's there to be sorry about?

Left so soon? - Right.

Well. Mr. Rakhit, can I ask you something now?

Certainly. - How do you find me?

You've come to see me, haven't you?

What's the use of a new paper ... where there's a telephone?

It must be very hard to keep it to yourself. Isn't that so, Anila?

It's full of the stuff of drama.

Suspense, suspicion, conflict...

I hope you don't mind my saying so, Mr. Rakhit.

No, no, in fact, it won't be easy to keep up the pretense.

Now that it is no longer necessary, I feel...

... much relieved, is that it?

What's the matter?

I can't get it out of my mind. - What?

Ranjan's expressions.

I've never seen him deflated like that.

I must say I'm beginning to like your uncle.

There's no doubt he's a learned man.

One can see he was a good student.

What I like most about him is his sense of humour.

He knows how to laugh and how to make people laugh.

We know next to nothing about the man.

What he's been doing all these years?

Where he's been? Why?

Nothing.

Very surprising.

Listen, your uncle may be an early riser.

I'm not going to stir before nine.

What's the matter?

What's in your mind?

Will you please tell me what's the matter?

It's wrong to hide anything from your husband at bed time.

Do you know that?

This is not marriage counsel.

I made it up.

Now come on, out with it.

Come on.

Why did it come to my mind Why? Why? Why?

What came to your mind?

What?

If a man disappears,...

... how much time is given before he's taken for dead?

7 years.

Uncle left in 55.

He sent that card to Mr. Sital till '68.

Grandpa died in '70.

He had made a will.

My mother got a share. So did my elder uncle.

Grandpa was very fond of my younger uncle.

Now I see.

This surely calls for applause!

Your grandpa must have provided in his will...

... for your younger uncle. Isn't that what you believe?

Then if he did, how would uncle know?

We can think of it later.

We have to find out now whether he did make such provision.

How will you find out?

Isn't there anyone, who'll know?

I don't know. I can't think of anything else.

Listen.

That lawyer friend of your grandpa's. He came to our wedding.

A bit deaf and stinking rich.

Yet he gave us a book of verse as present.

Remember what a laugh we had over it?

Tridib Mukherji? - Right!

He was 70 or 80 at that time.

What makes you think he's still alive?

He may be.

And if he is, he'd certainly know.

Why did I have to think of it?

Why, why?

Are you regretting it? - Yes, I am. Very much so.

I have no doubt in my mind any more that he is my uncle...

... and the only reason he's come is to see me.

There can't be any other reason.

You refer to him as your uncle.

But have you ever addressed him as uncle?

I haven't heard you doing so.

Do you know, why I haven't? It's because of you.

You put such doubts in to my mind.

I want so much to call him uncle.

I try to so hard.

The word comes to the tip of my tongue, but...

... good thing it hasn't come out.

Listen, you must try to be strong now.

The pill may prove bitter. And you may have to swallow it.

You must be ready for that.

You're saying he is here because of ties of blood.

What if I say he's come to fill his pockets?

All these travels cost a lot these days.

I'm convinced he's come to claim his share.

That's the only reason.

How can you be so mean? So ruthless?

Who thought of it first?

This is what put it into my head - crime fiction-

The thought of a will wouldn't have struck me at all.

First, we must make sure if your uncle had a share. Right?

We must verify that.

We've to find out the truth, however bitter it may be.

TC, isn't it?

Are you out of my mind? Phoning him at this hour?

Tell me, TC or TR?

Address?

Ballygunge Circular Road. I don't know the number.

He hasn't come for his share.

I have no doubt about this any more.

He's come only to...

Is this Mr. Mukherrji's bungalow?

The lawyer, Mr. Mukherji?

I see.

But he's alive, isn't he?

I see, I see.

All right.

What I want to know is...

... who were Mr. Mitra's warishan (heirs)?

Who went to Washington?

Warishan - heirs!

Oh, air.

- H-E-I-R-S -

I see, heirs (Warishan).

Yes, Mr. Mitra's heirs.

Were his three children.

Did he provide for all 3 in his will?

Bromide?

In Mr. Mitra's will.

Yes, yes. The elder son got his share.

The daughter Nila got hers. Sizable amount.

You see, he was the leading ENT specialist then.

I met him in his chamber.

I'd been to Delhi.

It was before the time of jets.

At the time of landing,...

... my ears got blocked. They refused to open.

I came back to Calcutta...

... to meet Mr. Mitra.

He was on the rise then.

He inserted a tube into the nostrils.

Blew air through it.

His youngest son Mr. Mitra.

Yes, Monu.

Manmohan. - Did he have a share too?

Certainly.

But he was missing at the time.

All that we knew was that...

... he was still alive.

D'you know that he's come back?

No, I don't.

Will he get his share now? - What?

Will he get his share if he comes back?

Why not?

Money is not camphor that it will evaporate.

He'll get it if he stakes his claims.

Of course, he'll have to prove his identity.

Will a passport do?

Oh yes.

Where is the money now? With whom?

With the executor Mitra has appointed.

It's in the Bank in his account.

Is he likely to be a friend of Mohini?

Why French? More likely to be a Bengali.

When Mitra died,...

...I was away in Singapore, at my son-in-law's.

What is that?

Savage Music. - How did you come by it?

Magic!

I have found out. - What?

Who are you? - Well, who am I?

My great uncle.

Real or fake? - Real.

How did you know? The others don't.

Magic.

So I'll call you great uncle from now?

And more than a great uncle. - What are you?

Hopping great uncle - Hopping great uncle?

Yes, I'm always ready to go hopping.

All my life I've been hopping from place to place.

I'll rest here a few days and then go hopping again.

Do you like it here?

I'll stay as long as I do.

Then you'll go hopping again?

Wait, I'll teach you a new word. Very funny word.

"Kupa-munduk".

"Kupa-munduk?"

Kupa is a well and munduk is a frog.

A frog in the well?

Yes, just this, how terrible it is!

Dark, Dank, Smelly, Slimy...

... and yet the frog never moves from there.

There are such frogs among people also.

They are called stay at homes. I'm not one of them.

That's why, I am on the move so much of the time.

What if I go out too? - You must.

If you don't, how can you eat armadillo meat.

What meat?

Meat of the ant eater armadillo.

Who eats such meat?

If I tell you everything I'll run out of stock of stories.

Wait.

And then you'll have your reward.

God! Both my pharynx and larynx are gone.

A hearing aid that serves no function at all.

Share?

He believes your uncle did have a share.

But he was away in Singapore at the time...

... of your grandpa's death,...

... in case your grandpa,...

... thinking his youngest son wouldn't return,...

... has changed his will at the last moment.

Mr. Mukherji was in no position to know.

That must have been it.

It didn't strike me that way at all.

If uncle had a share,...

... Mr. Sital would certainly would have known...

... and informed uncle...

... and uncle wouldn't hide the good news.

Why not?

A man whose hand is tied,...

... is also likely to have a closed mind.

Tight fisted.

A man who comes to see his niece after 35 years...

...empty handed,...

...he is bound to be tight fisted.

Anyway, we'll surely know...

... what kind of a man he is after tonight's grilling.

What are you doing?

Whatever else uncle may be he's no thief.

Beautiful!

Was this here yesterday?

No, it wasn't.

Pal bronze.

Rajput miniatures.

Ivory.

Is it your collection, Sudhin?

No, my father's.

I noticed this instrument yesterday.

Is that a Sitar or a Tanpura? - Tanpura.

So you sing, do you? - Occasionally.

She not only sings but dances too.

A dance recital would be too tall an order.

But it would be nice, if you could give us a song.

What about it, dear?

Haven't heard a Bengali song ever since I left home.

I'll sing when you've finished your tea.

Very well.

Where is Bablu?

He's gone to his friends house. Where the Durga festival is on.

By the way, if you wish to smoke, please go ahead.

Some people don't smoke in the presence of elders.

I don't believe in such show of respect.

Is it the Durga Festival that has brought you at this time?

I didn't even know the festival season was on.

Do you know how many times the Goddess Durga...

... slew the Buffalo Demon? - I thought only once.

D'you know Ganesh has the head of an elephant?

I did, but I've forgotten.

I heard all the mythologies from my grandma.

I still remember them.

How do you think our country is shaping?

D'you read the papers?

Caste and religion, which create serious problems.

The newspapers bear testimony to that.

Do you believe in Dharma?

By Dharma you mean religion I suppose.

But in our scriptures, Dharma means something quite different.

I mean religion.

I'll answer your question later.

Have you finished your tea? - Yes.

Ready, dear? - Yes.

Silence please.

"Who plays the Veena.."

"Who plays the Veena in such dulcet tones?"

"Who plays the Veena.."

"Showering melody upon my secluded life."

"Who plays the Veena in such dulcet tones?"

"Who plays the Veena.."

"My heart opens up like the morning lotus."

"My heart opens up like the morning lotus."

"And wait for a pair of damp feet to approach me."

"Who plays the Veena in such dulcet tones?"

"Who plays the Veena.."

"Grace and beauty awakens..."

"... and my heart fills with joy."

"Grace and beauty awakens..."

"... and my heart fills with joy."

"A fresh breeze flows..."

"... and stirs everything to a new life."

"A fresh breeze flows..."

"... and stirs everything to a new life."

"Reaching the depth of my being,..."

"... who plays the Veena in such dulcet tones?"

"Who plays the Veena.."

"My heart has known pain. Both the happiness and sorrow."

"But I have had no song to express it."

"My heart has known pain. Both the happiness and sorrow."

"But I have had no song to express it."

"And all my desire comes out into the open."

"And all my desire comes out into the open."

"And the river and forest trembles in sympathy."

"Who plays the Veena in such dulcet tones?"

"Who plays the Veena.."

Lovely!

Reminds me of my sister.

What was the question?

Whether you believe in religion or not?

Oh yes, religion.

Mr. Sen Gupta. I happen to be a bit unorthodox in my views.

That's all right.

I don't believe in something which creates barriers between people.

Religion does that. Particularly organised religion.

For the same reason, I don't believe in caste.

What about God?

"Gives light to the blind, life to the dying."

Who will give "light" ?

Who will give life?

The trouble is, it is extremely difficult...

..to believe in a benevolent God these days.

The daily papers alone make us question that belief.

What can you do?

I am of the same opinion as you are.

But, what about science?

Voyager has sent pictures of Neptune.

What do you think of that?

For a change, let's hear what you think.

Nothing special.

Mine is the opinion of an average educated person.

And what is that?

The advance in technology has been phenomenal.

Something we couldn't dream of a few years back.

Now look at something else.

Millions of people mostly young are injecting...

... the deadliest of drugs...

... into their system by means of hypodermic needles...

...and signing their death warrants.

What technology is there to put a stop to this, Mr. Sen Gupta?

You've been living in the West, haven't you?

Yes.

Why? The West is ruled by technology.

If it is something so unsavory to you,...

... why don't you go and stay with the jungle folk?

But that is Clairvoyance.

It certainly doesn't come under the purview of science.

You mean, you have actually lived with these jungle folks?

After leaving home, I spent 5 years in the country in tribal areas.

Starting with the Santhals,...

... I studied the Kols, Bhils, Nagas, Mundas...

...Murias, Marias, Oraons, Todas...

It's an endless list...

You actually spent time with these tribals?

Have you ever tasted rat-meat?

Snake meat? Bat meat?

I told you I was omnivorous. I'm not using a figure of speech.

It's plain truth.

It doesn't seem likely that in these 5 years you earned anything.

On the contrary, I reached the end of my resources.

You must be wondering where the resources came from.

I don't imagine your father sponsored your disappearance.

I'll tell you what happened.

My grandmother, the late "Giribala Dasi",...

... whom I mentioned a little while ago,...

... was extremely fond of me.

Went to the length of spoiling me.

I stood first in my matriculation exam,...

... as well as in my intermediate exam.

When I got first class in B.A.,...

...my grandma made me a gift of large sum of money,...

Saying, you've brought great honour to our family.

May God bless you.

3000 rupees was no joke in those days.

So, I left home with my own resources.

I didn't have to beg, borrow or steal.

I get it.

But you said you had run out of your resources.

Here a question naturally arises.

Who paid for your trip abroad...

... and then, after you arrived in London?

And the 5 years not just in London,...

...but in various cities in Europe.

What did you do there?

I struggled to make both ends meet.

Struggle - a favourite word with the Bengalis.

But I don't call it struggle.

I think of it as nutrition for the brain and for the muscle...

... and as the first step in getting to know your fellow beings.

When did you return to the jungles?

All these experiences, it seems to me,...

... took place in civilized cities.

Have patience, dear beloved.

I may go to Mathura soon.

My autobiography won't get you much nearer the truth my friend.

You're trying to reach the core of the person...

... by peeling the layers of the onion, aren't you?

The task is not an easy one.

Even so, for the sake of the record, let me tell you...

... and by the time I had started writing for various journals,...

... as a result I had a bank balance,...

... which again led me to my second phase of scholarship.

A degree in anthropology...

... and then on to the United States.

United States? - United States of America.

Reason? - Indians.

Oh, I see - American Indians.

A cabin boy again?

No, Sir. Don't mind.

I may sound I am beating my own drum.

But there too I stood first in the examination.

As a result, I didn't have to struggle anymore.

A well known Anthropological Society paid for my travels in the USA...

...on condition that...

...I regularly send them written accounts of my experiments...

... along with photographs.

I fulfilled the condition.

In North and South Americas,...

...I spent time studying 43 different tribes.

It was this experience, which really opened my eyes.

Very well.

You sit down.

You're beginning to sound hoarse.

As you wish.

You listen while I talk.

Correct me if I am wrong.

The upshot is...

all these experiences has led you to believe...

...that the so called urban civilization is an eye wash.

Real civilization is to be found among the tribals.

Let me tell you that although I am city born and bred,...

... I am not ignorant about tribal life.

I have read quite a few books on the subject.

I know they have their own language, their own religion,...

...their art, their culture, their music, etc., etc.,

What is etc. etc.?

You must tell these people what you're hiding behind that word

Otherwise how will they know me?

How will they know about tribal civilazation?

You tell me what I have left out!

My good man, the main things!

Science, technology

You're thinking only of Neptune and voyager

Just turn your thoughts to Man

In the most primitive barbaric state...

try to figure out how they could learn hunting, pottery...

...and everything needed to lead a decent human existence

Then there's architecture

Even a simple mud hut shows evidence of architecture

Do you know the igloo? The dwelling of the Eskimos?

Do you know that two kinds of ice are used to build it?

One is opaque, which is used in the roofing.

And the other is transparent.

Which is used to build rectangular windows.

How will you describe such a kind of activity?

Isn't this science? Isn't this technology?

Nonsense!

Do you send for a shaman to treat you when you are unwell?

I have had recourse to that.

I had no option.

Where would you find a doctor in a jungle?

But d'you know the kind of the shaman he is?

The properties of 500 medicinal plants are on his finger tips.

He was able to cure me.

Normally, I wouldn't send for a shaman.

Not when I sit on a sofa having tea and biscuits with you.

Why do you insist on twist around something,...

...which is basically very simple?

Why don't you see that I'm not a savage myself?

It's my greatest regret that I'm not a savage.

That I can't draw bisons like a cave hunter.

But how can I help it?

I've Shakespeare and Tagore Marx & Freud in my blood stream.

That's why, I can't do without field notes.

I wouldn't need them, if I was a savage, would I?

You claim to have studied the Murias.

I do.

What do you think of what goes on in the Ghotuls?

The sexual freedom that the young Murias enjoy,...

Sorry, Nili.

What do your field notes say about that?

Doesn't that amount to extreme promiscuity?

Or would you call that civilized too?

What you feel in your heart, I feel in mine.

What I feel in my heart, you feel in yours.

Holy wedlock.

That is civilized.

A little while ago you called yourself omnivorous.

Have you tasted human flesh?

No, I haven't had the good fortune.

Good fortune?

I've heard human flesh is tasty! But I haven't eaten it.

My claim was a fake one Anila - I'm sorry.

Where in the scale of civilized behaviour...

... would you place cannibals?

Civilized?

It's barbaric!

Do you know who is really civilized?

It's the man who by using his thumb, presses a button...

which releases a weapon which obliterates an entire city...

... with all its inhabitants...

...and you know where who's more civilized?

It's those who take the decision...

to use the weapon, without turning a hair.

Well, Mr. Sen Gupta.

The surname doesn't come easily, does it?

Still you are so unsure of my identity.

May I request something? I have used a pen name.

A name very dear to me in my early years.

Nemo.

I suggest that you use that.

Yes, Latin expression meaning 'No One'!

And apt name for me, isn't it?

That's exactly what we're trying to decide.

Whether you are 'No One' or 'Some One'.

Do you know what a serious problem...

...you've set for my friends here?

Do you know, they've lost...

their peace of mind since you came here?

It's just because they're decent people...

...that they have been too generous with their hospitality.

But you've refused to make it clear to them,...

whether you're welcome or unwelcome as a guest.

You've said your passport proves nothing.

Surely, you yourself know if its genuine or fake.

Then why can't you come out and tell them the truth?

I'll be off now.

Listen, listen.

Did you really have to be so harsh?

He is unfit for civilized society.

He has no right to encroach on your hospitality.

Why talk of encroachment,

...when he is only here for a short while?

And you swore not to grill him, but go about it gently.

He should know where he stands.

I know your wife and I know...

...what she is serving him for lunch or dinner.

Not field rat meat, surely.

If I hadn't kicked him off.

He'd have a stuck to you like a leech.

You don't know these parasites, I do.

I don't know how to...

I feel miserable.

Even at dinner, he didn't say a word.

If I knew Pritish would talk like that,...

I'd certainly not have asked him to come.

He mentioned traditional hospitality in his letter.

Is this a sample of that?

What we have to do now is...

... to wipe out from his mind the feeling of hurt...

... that tonight's behaviour has caused him.

Shall I ask you something? - What?

Did you have the least idea that...

... he's spent half his life in this fashion?

None at all.

Extraordinary life, full of strange experience.

It's certainly been an education listening to him.

But at the same time,...

...I felt a distance growing between us...

... and uncle is someone you can warm to.

In this case,

...you feel for him is reverence and respect.

The problem is...

erudition works on the brain,...

... not on the heart.

You can't bring yourself to behave like a savage.

If you could, you could've easier access to your uncle.

That can never be.

But there is no doubt that we have to make peace with him.

More than anything else, he is our guest.

As such, we have no right to hurt his feelings.

You can address him as uncle if this would help.

I won't mind...

... that I will, if it comes from my heart.

I refuse to be a hypocrite.

Listen.

What is it? - He's gone.

His room is empty. - What?

He's gone away with all his belongings.

This key was the only thing left.

This is just what I feared.

What shall we do now? - Wait a minute.

Let us put two and two together.

Should we inform the police?

Give me the directory.

Who do you want me to phone?

I'm working on a hunch. Give me the book.

Who is it?

The main door is open, Sir.

Since when?

More than an hour.

Your door was shut, so I couldn't come and tell you.

It's all right. You may go now.

Mummy.

There is no one in Great-uncle's room.

I know. - Where has he gone?

I don't know.

What's that?

Subscriber Trunk Dialing - STD.

Do you know Mr. Sital's number?

Then you tell him.

What'll I say?

Listen carefully.

Ask him first, if he had been the executor...

...of your grandfather's will.

If he says yes, then ask him...

...if your uncle had a share and...

... if the money is still with him.

Has he informed your uncle about his share?

If he says yes, then tell him.

We'll be soon on our way to Shantiniketan.

And will arrive around two in the afternoon.

We'll have lunch on the way.

So he mustn't worry on that count.

Come on, ring him up.

Come, dear.

How are you, young man?

Hasn't he come? - Oh, yes.

The train arrived more than an hour ago.

Where is he? - Come, I'll tell you everything.

You said on the phone that he is a little temperamental.

I found him quite most emphatically so.

He came here last in 55.

You know, I had carried him in my arms to the zoo.

Where has he gone?

He's had nothing to eat in the morning.

I asked him, don't you want a lunch?

He said, no.

Not even a cup of tea? No.

Then what was the point in coming, I asked him.

We have met after such a long time ...

... and all you have in mind is a cold monetary transaction.

Is that not true?

What did he say?

He said, well, he needed the money.

But the formalities can wait because...

..he's come to stay for a few days and will go back...

.. and catch a plane from Calcutta. So there was no hurry.

In any case, today is a Sunday. The bank is closed.

So he'd have to wait a day any way.

If you told us where he is now,... ?

... have you been there before? - I have.

Before my marriage, three times.

There's a tribal village on the way called Baner Pukur.

That's where he has gone.

Said before leaving India he'd spend some time in this village.

Don't ask him what drew him there in the first place.

Such a long time since we met.

One would expect he would sit down...

...and talk about his experiences.

And you know the funniest thing?

Before touching my feet he held up his passport to prove...

... that he was really Manmohan Mitra.

Well, since we've come around to look for him, ...

... perhaps we ought to go and see if we can hunt him out.

Very well. And if you find him, just grab him and bring him here.

That's what we'll do.

By the way,...

... I hope he's not gone off his rocker, has he?

Oh, no. - Such a lot of money.

I've been guarding it like a treasure for over 2 years.

5 lakh. You can imagine what the amount has come to now.

Don't worry, he is perfectly sound.

You there.

Bring a cot and place it here, will you?

I'm expecting visitors.

There. There's Great uncle.

Come.

Sit down.

Why did you have to do such a thing without telling us?

I felt very restless.

We're extremely sorry for what happened that night.

Shall I tell you the truth?

I'm used to the ways of the jungle folk.

If I find somebody throwing his weight around, ...

.. I can't put up with that.

You've had nothing to eat since morning.

We've come to take you back.

Come.

Not now.

It does no harm to fast for a part of the day.

There'll be dancing this afternoon.

I have arranged it.

I'll watch the dance and then go.

You'll watch it too!

The kols are the oldest inhabitants of India.

The Santals here are related to this tribe.

150 years ago,...

... the Santals rose in rebellion against the British.

You'll come to Calcutta to our house?

Since you've come, I certainly will.

But not today, I'll go by train tomorrow afternoon.

I have some work here tomorrow morning.

You're coming into some money, aren't you?

Yes.

Such good news and you didn't tell us about it!

There was a reason for that.

I felt,

since I hadn't fulfilled my obligation to my father,...

.. I had no claim to his property.

Then I thought, such a large sum of money...

... and since my father had made it out to me, ...

... through sheer affection, then...

...why refuse money?

Sit down.

Breath the fresh air. There's no more to talk about.

Do you like it? - Very much.

What are you waiting for?

Shall I? - By all means.

You see what your niece is up to?

I have often doubted whether she is really my niece.

Not any more.

Keep my suitcase as a memento then.

I grew very attached to it.

I didn't know why you have to, ...

...because you're yet to be civilized in some respects.

Very well. Your word is law.

And these note books, you need them all?

But they are my field notes, dear

I've thrown away the ones I've no need for.

Well, I'll leave them then. You pay excess baggage.

After all, you're a millionaire.

We'd all settled on coming to the airport with you.

Yes, you'd be unsettled if you found out...

... the plane was eight hours late.

You can count on the Sun and Moon to be punctual...

... but not the airlines.

Take these bags downstairs.

I told you to wait...

... and here's your reward.

It was made by the Armadillo Cater, 1500 years ago.

Say thank you. - No.

There's no better thank than that smile.

I have forgotten to tell you one thing.

I've written a book. A sort of travel book.

An Indian amongst Indians.

An American publisher is bringing it out.

He's given me an handsome advance on it.

Then you are really rich now. - Indeed, I am.

You'll write?

What I'll do... once I'm in my element.

Just to say you've arrived safely.

That I'll do.

One final duty.

What is it?

Have you heard of the English word...

... 'Floccinancinihili Pilification?'

Yes. I learnt it in school.

D'you know what it means?

Not really.

29 letters to convey this meaning.

A sure sign of civilization.

Not now, let me go first.

I feel very embarrassed if someone reads...

... something I've written, in my presence.

Just a few lines to thank you for your hospitality.

Well, Satyaki.

It's time your Great-uncle started on his trips.

Won't you ever come back?

It's your turn to come to me.

You've promised never to become something....

.... 'Kupamunduk'. - Don't forget.

Well then.

I've been most remiss, uncle. Please forgive me.

You've been remiss.

Didn't I know what a serious problem I had set for you?

But there was a reason for that.

What does a passport tell you?

The name of the holder and what he looks like.

But it doesn't tell you what the person is like.

To know this, it takes time.

That time was needed.

Is the touching of feet common among of the savages?

Not that I know of.

Then instead of that, if...

Good bye, then.

Wait. Let's see what uncle has to say.

But this is addressed to you.

A poem.

Blood is thicker than water

So my share goes to one...

.. who's more than my daughter.

What's that?

It's made out to me.

And Sital's signature.

Don't you see?

He's willed his entire share to you.

Mr. No one