The Stranger (1991)

Dhritiman Chatterjee: Prithwish Sen Gupta

Quotes 

• Manomohan Mitra : Oh, yes, religion. Religion. Mr. Sen Gupta, I happen to be a bit unorthodox in my views.

  Prithwish Sen Gupta : That's all right.

  Manomohan Mitra : I don't believe in something which creates barriers between people. Religion does that. Particularly organized religion. For the same reason, I don't believe in caste.

• Prithwish Sen Gupta : Anyway, Mr., um, Mr...

  Manomohan Mitra : Well, Mr. Sen Gupta. The surname doesn't come easily, does it? Still you are so uncertain of my identity. May I request something? I have used a pen name. A name very dear to me in my early years. Nemo. I suggest that you use that.

  Sudhindra Bose : Jules Verne, Captain Nemo?

  Manomohan Mitra : Yes, a Latin word: nemo. Meaning: no one. An apt name for me, isn't it?

  Prithwish Sen Gupta : Whether you are "no one" or "someone" is exactly what we're trying to decide.

• Prithwish Sen Gupta : What about God?

  Manomohan Mitra : [sings]  Gives light to the blind, Life to the dying.

  [speaks] 

  Manomohan Mitra : Who will give light? Who will give life? The trouble is, it is extremely difficult to believe in a benevolent God these days. The daily papers alone make us question that belief. What can you do?

• Prithwish Sen Gupta : You claim to have studied the Murias.

  Manomohan Mitra : I do.

  Prithwish Sen Gupta : What do you think of what goes on in the Ghotuls? The sexual freedom that the young Murias enjoy? Sorry, Nili. What do your field notes say about that? Doesn't that amount to extreme promiscuity? Or would you call that civilized too?

  Manomohan Mitra : No. What you feel in your heart, I feel in mine. What I feel in my heart, you feel in yours. Holy wedlock. This is civilized.