Though still a literary adaptation—this time, a novel by Sunil Gangopadhyay, who also wrote Aranyer Din Ratri—Ray’s first installment of his unintended Calcutta trilogy marked a startling break in style and content. Incorporating footage of actual political protests, The Adversary presents the swirling confusion of brutal politics, economic turmoil and rapid change within Calcultta, without ever quite settling. The explosive edits and occasional handheld shots reflect the ambivalent, nervous energy of Siddhartha, who dropped out of medical school after the death of his father and lost his footing. Jarring flashbacks and fantasies jostle Ray’s imperfect hero searching for a job and trapped between roles and ideologies, including those of his friends who turn to assorted vices and that of his brother who joins the burgeoning Naxalite—or Indian Maoist—movement, envisioning a violent revolution. Siddhartha also attempts to rescue his sister from another option: capitalist exploitation, yet her income supports the family and unlike her brother, she feels confident and in control. Ray presents no clear adversary here, nor any precise solution. While sifting through the miasma, Siddhartha ultimately follows an existentialist intuition and like Ray with this exhilarating experiment, takes a chance on venturing outside his comfort zone.

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