Ankur: The Seedling

Shyam Benegal's 1974 Indian film follows a landowner's son sent to the village to manage his father's land. Educated in the city and unable to build a life of his own, he takes up with Lakshmi, a servant, and never considers bearing the consequences. The film shows exploitation as habit rather than malice. The man does not think himself cruel; he is only using the rights granted to him. That is the view which moves the matter from a fault of character to a matter of structure. It is Benegal's first fiction feature and counts among the founding works of Indian parallel cinema. Shabana Azmi made her screen debut with it and her performance is the centre; the look in the final scene carries the whole weight of the film. Who it's for: those who like Indian parallel cinema and social realism. Who it's not for: viewers expecting an ending in which justice is done; the film provides no such closure.