(The Ultimate Journey, ), also known as ''Antarjali Yatra'', is a 1987 film directed by Kolkata-based Indian film director

Goutam Ghose Goutam Ghose (also spelled Gautam Ghosh; born 24 July 1950) is an Indian film director, actor, music director and cinematographer who works primarily in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema. He is the only Indian to have received the "Vittorio ...

based on a novel, ''Mahayatra'', by Kamal Kumar Majumdar. It documents the institution of

Kulin Brahmin Bengali Brahmins are the community of Hindu Brahmins, who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Bengali Brahmins, along wi ...

polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

in nineteenth-century

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. The film opens with Seetaram, a rich Kulin Brahmin, being brought to the bank of the

Ganga The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary riv ...

for a virtuous death in contact with the holy river's waters (called ''Antarjali'' in Bengali), as suggested by his family priest. He did not die, even after waiting for a few days. An astrologer suggested that he would not die without a companion, i.e., a wife. An old Brahmin takes this opportunity to get rid of the burden of his young daughter Yashobati, without

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

, knowing that Seetaram is on his deathbed. Baiju, a kind-hearted ''

chandala Chandala () is a Sanskrit word for someone who deals with the disposal of corpses, and is a Hindu lower caste, traditionally considered to be untouchable. History Varṇa was a hierarchical social order in ancient India, based primarily o ...

'' (an untouchable Hindu caste traditionally employed as

crematorium A crematorium, crematory or cremation center is a venue for the cremation of the Death, dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a ...

workers) tried to reason with Yashobati, a newlywed, to run away. He narrates his inability to be a part of sin by making a funeral pyre for the newlywed and burning a young widow. He tried to reason with her that glory in sati is hollow. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali in 1988. It was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

section of the

1988 Cannes Film Festival The 41st Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 to 23 May 1988. Italian filmmaker Ettore Scola served as jury president for the main competition. Danish filmmaker Bille August won the ''Palme d'Or'', the festival's top prize, for his drama film ...

Cast

Shatrughan Sinha Shatrughan Prasad Sinha (born 15 July 1946) is an Indian actor and politician. He is a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Asansol constituency as a member of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Earlier he was elected as Member of Parliament ...

as Baiju *

Basanta Choudhury Basanta Choudhury also known as Basanta Chowdhury (5 May 1928 – 20 June 2000), was an Indian actor in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali and Bollywood, Hindi films. He worked with directors Asit Sen (actor), Asit Sen, Rajen Tarafdar, Ajay Kar and ...

as Yashobati's Father * Promode Ganguly as Seetaram *

Rabi Ghosh Robi Ghosh (; 24 November 1931 – 4 February 1997) was an Indian actor known for his work in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema. He is known for his comic appeal, though his versatile acting talent brought him success in various kinds ...

as an Astrologer * Shampa Ghosh as Yashobati *

Mohan Agashe Mohan Agashe (born 23 July 1947) is an Indian psychiatrist and actor. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1996 in theatre. Early life Agashe was born in Bhor, Maharashtra. He studied in B. J. Medical College, Pune for his MBBS ...

as V''aidya (Physician)''

Awards

The film got

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali The National Film Award for Best Bengali Feature Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Ka ...

in 1988. It was screened in the

section of the

and Grand Prix at Tashkent Film Festival 1988.

References

External links

* 1987 films Bengali-language Indian films Films directed by Goutam Ghose Films based on Indian novels Films about polygamy Films set in the 19th century Films set in Bengal Fiction about polygamy History of India on film Best Bengali Feature Film National Film Award winners 1980s Bengali-language films National Film Development Corporation of India films {{1980s-Bengali-film-stub