This is a classic Bengali film and an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot. Presence of both Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterjee along with Aparna Sen, Sandhya Ray, Utpal Dutta, Haradhan Mukherjee, Bikash Ray and Dilip Ray in the same film is quite a gift to watch. Despite his humongous stardom Uttam Kumar chose a role which has several negative shades. Saumitra Chtterjee is as usual in his best. He completely underplays the character which has aged very well as a performance. The substance and authenticity in their portrayals has remained very relatable even today because of their screen presence and their understanding of cinema. Both these actors understood the difference between stage and cinema and how to underplay in a scene in order to make a scene look more real. Ranjan's (Uttam) obsession for Sunita (Aparna Sen) is a foil to Sujit's love and affection towards her. On the other hand Sunita's restlessness and confusion of choosing her love over her dark past is also presented with sheer honesty.
Dostoevsky's novels are full of polyphony which is successfully portrayed by Salil Dutta (director). However, the director falls flat in several other sectors like background music and screenplay which is lacklustre. The BGM sounds very dated.
Like many other great Bengali classics the film is in a terrible condition and the out of place BGM can give anybody a headache.
This is another gem which recalls the greatness of Bengali cinema which has lost its way long ago.
