ANKUR

THE ACTS

ACT ONE:

Act one of Ankur (also known as the seedling) occurs when Surya, the son of village’s landlord, moves to the older house and takes over the administrative responsibilities of the village.

Also, when Lakshmi (Shabana Azmi) and her deaf-mute husband (Kishtayya) are hired as the servants in the house.

ACT TWO:

Surya sends Kishtayya to the landlord’s house to get the fertilizers. He does so in order to flirt with his wife. Later Kishtayya runs away (out of humiliation) from the village as he gets caught while stealing wine. Lakshmi thinks that her husband has left her and sleeps with Surya.

This part of the film can be perceived as an act two which causes Lakshmi to get pregnant and turn into a wanderer.

The protagonist turns into a warrior when she sees the real face of Surya after his wife’s arrival at the place. Also, when her husband returns and Surya mistreats him is the part where Lakshmi turns into a warrior.

CONFLICT ELEMENTS

INVINCIBLE VILLAIN:

Surya is the invincible villain. In fact, it is the powerful who is represented as the villain in Benegal’s movie.

UNLIKELY HERO

Lakshmi is an unlikely hero who seems like a naive and conventional Indian woman at first. But later in the film, she develops into this strong, intelligent woman who not only supports her husband but also protects her child from the cruelties of the landlord’s son.

IMPOSSIBLE GOAL

The protagonist’s goal in this film is to rectify her mistake (of dreaming about living life of a higher class). She embarks on a difficult journey of protecting her child from the villagers and defending her husband from the system’s cruelties.

ELEMENTS OF CHARACTER

POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES:

Lakshmi represents a strong woman who is loyal to her husband but out of desire and impatience, she sleeps with the landlord’s son. She is a wise woman who knows that confronting Surya for her child’s right will cause nothing but disruption in her life.

She does not trust her husband in the beginning and is devoid of his feelings due to his alcohol addiction. Also, Surya is able to make her feel bad about her husband’s disabilities.

BACKSTORY:

Lakshmi wants a child with her husband and after waiting for years, she prays for a child (in the beginning of the film). Later, this wish is granted but the child is not of his husband. Instead, she bears the child of a person who treated her loyal husband horribly.

APPEARANCE:

Lakshmi has an attire of a typical village woman. Although she is poor, she is an attractive, naive woman and that is why Surya traps her in his dirty game.

FEAR AND SECRETS:

Surya is scared of Lakshmi’s husband when he returns and without getting any evidence, he misuses his power to overcome his fear. Also, Lakshmi is guilty as her husband did not know that she had slept with the landlord’s son.