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Legendary Indian film director Satyajit Ray developed this project based on a classic play by Henryk Ibsen because his doctor wanted him to only shoot films in a studio. The story has been transferred to Bengal, and Bengali is the language used in the film. In the story, Dr. Ashoke Gupta (Soumitra Chatterji) is an idealistic doctor working in a town near Calcutta. He discovers that the water at a popular temple is the source of an outbreak of typhoid and hepatitis. In order to save lives, he risks his career to try and call attention to this polluted water source. His efforts are thwarted by a local group of building contractors, who attempt to discredit him in various ways. Despite that, Dr. Gupta has supporters, and a reporter from Calcutta offers to tell his story in the papers there.