Arohan

In the mid-1960s the Naxalbari-inspired uprising spreads across Bengal, uniting oppressed farmers. Hari and his brother Bolai work as Borgadars under the landlord system, while Bibhutibhushan tightens his grip on Bargadari rights. The villagers sense a long-seated servility being challenged, even as exploitation continues.

Hari asks for a loan to support his sister’s marriage, but Bibhutibhushan refuses to register Bargadari rights under the government. The estate agent Karmakar enforces the landlord’s will and keeps villagers scared. Hari, naive to his legal rights, begins to realize the depth of oppression.

Bolai protests against the landlord’s abuses, but is repeatedly reprimanded. Hari remains caught in the old hierarchy, while Bolai and Panchi fall in love. Their relationship foreshadows the larger struggle between the landless and the landowners.

As the communist movement strengthens, Hari is pushed into labour on his own land, and Bolai loses his job. The Jotdar uses muscle and fear to suppress dissent, deepening the hardship for the Borgadars. The family begins to fracture under the weight of systemic exploitation.

Bolai leaves the village for Calcutta in search of work, slipping into a dangerous street economy. He becomes involved with wagon-breaking and ends up as a political goon for urban electoral campaigns. The rift between rural and urban struggles widens.

Panchi and Kalidashi relocate to the city for employment. Kalidashi works as a cook and servant, while Panchi is drawn into city temptations, wearing cosmetics and silk and staying in a wealthy man's flat. The lure of a glamorous life begins to erode her ties to home.

Panchi's life in Calcutta exposes her to exploitation by a pimp who treats her as a mistress. The businessman asks whether she has slept on a bed before, highlighting the commodification she faces. The fragile family ties fray further.

Hari fights back by filing a case against the Jotdar in the district court, aided by a sympathetic village master and a free lawyer. The district magistrate is fair, but the Jotdar uses his muscle to strike back, burning Hari's house and destroying his bullocks. The struggle tests the limits of justice.

The case reaches the High Court, where the verdict goes in favor of the Jotdar. Hari's hope for legal redress is dashed as the system again favors the powerful. The villagers see little protection for the landless.

A left-wing government takes power in Bengal and a Panchayat election follows. Hari defeats Karmakar to become the village Panch, signaling a political victory for the oppressed. Yet the victory costs him dearly, including physical injuries and personal losses.

Hari finally receives his Bargadari certificate after years of struggle. The victory comes at a heavy personal price: a broken leg, a ruined house, and the loss of a brother. The cost of land rights becomes painfully clear.

Hari searches Calcutta for Bolai but finds little trace; Bolai is serving life imprisonment for political murder. Panchi is pregnant, forced to abort, and ends up destitute on the streets. Kalidashi dies in Calcutta while working for her master, crushed by the upheavals.

Hari returns to his village, haunted by the losses around him. He dies a few months later in 1980, leaving behind a shattered family and a village marked by struggle. The film closes with the heavy toll of the peasant’s fight against exploitation.