Days and Nights in the Forest

The four friends set out from Calcutta toward the tribal Palamau in Bihar, hoping to escape the grind of city life. Their journey marks a shift from urban routine to a wilder, more rule-bending landscape. They forcefully stay at a forest rest house by bribing the chowkidar, and debate whether to shave or keep their beards as a small rebellion against civilization.

Hari notices Duli, a Santhal girl, when she approaches the group for an extra drink, and a spark of attraction flickers among the friends. The encounter introduces a cross-cultural tension as tribal openness meets urban swagger. The moment also foreshadows the complicated desires that will surface later.

The moment the four friends resolve to stay unshaven is broken when Shekhar spots Aparna and Jaya in the forest. The presence of these two urban women unsettles them and tests their bravado and manners. The encounter deepens the divide between their city-slick identities and the wild landscape they are exploring.

Asim flirts with Aparna and tries to coax her to his room, but he cannot match her poise and quick wit. Aparna's composure and intelligence expose his vanity and the hollowness of his urban bravado. The exchange lingers as a power shift between two social worlds.

At night the group returns to the country liquor house and drinks again, heightening their restlessness. Hari remains agitated because he cannot see Duli from the previous night. The alcohol dulls emotions yet intensifies the tensions burning beneath their travels.

They oversleep and miss the next day's breakfast at Jaya's place, signaling their growing disconnect from ordinary routines. A tiffin outside their rooms prompts them to walk to Aparna's house to return it, tightening the link to their new hosts. The morning mishap underscores how quickly hospitality blends into social entanglement.

The conservator visits the forest rest house and catches them staying there without permission. Aparna uses her natural grace to defuse the situation and smooth over the breach. The group gathers to chat and play a game while Aparna's father is away, and the game crescendos with Asim in the hot seat and Aparna willingly conceding the win.

The village fair becomes the pressure cooker for their tensions, and each man goes his own way. Shekhar gambles with money borrowed from Asim, risking their fragile camaraderie. Hari takes Duli into the forest and has sex with her, exposing the raw edge of desire behind their outward bravado.

Aparna reappears to challenge their pretensions, revealing vulnerability and calling out the urban insensitivity toward the chowkidar's wife. Her frankness shatters Asim's self-image and forces him to confront his own bourgeois blind spots. The moment acts as a moral rude awakening for the group.

Sanjoy, bound by bourgeois morality, is unable to respond to Jaya's bold advances and simply watches, torn between desire and propriety. The episode highlights the gap between aspiration and restraint within the quartet. It also underscores how social codes shape their choices in a place outside city norms.

Despite being dismissed as the buffoon, Shekhar steps up to help his friends, especially when Hari is injured and robbed. His loyalty reveals a different facet of their bond, forged in shared risk rather than shared status. The crisis tests the limits of their solidarity.

The next morning they leave for Calcutta, their new friends having had to return in a hurry. As a parting gesture, Jaya sends a can of boiled eggs, a small, thoughtful gift that lingers in memory. The journey marks a return to city life but also a lingering sense of discovery from the trip.