“A tale that is not specific to its protagonist or even India, but a universal story about human connection and trying to reconcile with the roots that you thought you had escaped.”

With some trepidation Shashi (Abir Chatterjee) leaves his life in Kolkata and the dreams of studying abroad to spend time practicing medicine in the rural village he grew up in, sharing his old family home with his father, now a widower. As a doctor, he has the respect of the villagers, but that respect does not go both ways: Shashi considers the practices and traditions of his old community socially backward, and actively tries to change its way of thinking. The town’s gossip mill annoys him, in particular because much of it is about him. His relationship to one of his patients, Sendidi (Ananya Chatterjee), is deemed too close, even if the attention he gives her is intended as a way of helping her through the struggles of life in the village, something Shashi can relate to. Meanwhile another woman in town, Kusum (Jaya Ahsan), openly angles for his romantic attention even though she is married. After an old friend from college, Kumud (Parambrata Chattopadhyay) rolls into town as part of a traveling theater troupe, Shashi is baffled when his friend strikes up a romantic relationship with a local girl and proposes to her: how could someone more enlightened and in tune with a more sophisticated life in the city fall for a country girl like her? There is only one man Shashi truly respects in the village, the wise Jadab Pandit (Dhritiman Chatterjee), an avid student and master of Indian theology. When Jadab proposes that Shashi study under his guidance the young doctor refuses, and in annoyance the older man predicts his own death to the day. This will trigger a chain of events that will make Shashi further and further isolated in a town he tries to escape.

Based upon a 1936 novel by Manik Bandopadhyay, Suman Mukhopadhyay’s The Puppet’s Tale paints the contrast between modernity and the traditional in 1930s rural India. That ‘painting’ should be taken somewhat literally, because the cinematography by Sayak Bhattacharya gives the film an almost painterly impression. Seemingly it’s always the golden hour in Bengal! The imagery is gorgeous and gels well with Mukhopadhyay’s strong sense of composition and the excellent sound design by Shomi Chatterjee. The film’s rhythm, although initially quite episodic, flows as easily as the river that Shashi’s hometown is set on, making The Puppet’s Tale a rather soothing watch.

The push and pull between personal ambition and social responsibility is not a new subject in film, but Mukhopadhyay’s protagonist is probably less likeable than most others in cinema history. His initial disdain for the villagers, who are (whether he likes it or not) his people, makes him a complex character, soulfully rendered by Abir Chatterjee. The fights with his father contrast with his tentative attraction to Kusum (a playful performance by Ahsan). His discussions with Jadab further demarcate Shashi’s ideas from those of the community he has returned to, and his frustration grows as his initiatives to reform the village continuously fall on deaf ears. This contrast and the frustration that comes with it are not unique to this story; there are probably many Shashis out there who feel the same disconnect with their roots, as India develops further and a growing middle class moves away from the traditions and prejudices of old. Shashi is a tragic character, unwilling to reconcile his past with his present and future, and caught in the web spun between them.

The Puppet’s Tale‘s weakest aspect is its screenplay, which has a propensity to meander and fall back into melodrama (a protracted scene in which Kumud makes his intentions known to Moti, the girl he intends to marry, is a prime example of this). Mukhopadhyay also relies too often on voice over to verbalize Shashi’s ideas and feelings; wholly unnecessary, as Shashi’s interactions already communicate them quite well. The writing could have been tighter, because as a viewer one can get lost in scenes and conversations that are only adjacent to the plot and themes of the film. This improves as the story progresses, and the second half is certainly the better part, but the film’s length makes itself felt this way. Nevertheless, with The Puppet’s Tale Mukhopadhyay has crafted a tale that is not specific to its protagonist or even India, but a universal story about human connection and trying to reconcile with the roots that you thought you had escaped.