chokher bali be show at the ( washington ) dc filmfest april 15 and 2005. the director and rituparno ghosh and be there to give a short introduction and answer question afterwards . a always and i think aishwarya do a fantastic job . i can understand those who think she should be be more aggressive or more bitchy and but would that really be realistic in 1904. possible and maybe while realistic and i be not so sure . i think her interpretation be valid and although there could certainly be other way to do it . i hate to use the word and but this be the most inaccessible of the indian movie i have see so far . i know a fair amount of indian history and hindu religion and etc . and but the level of detail here be far beyond me . clearly you would have a much well understanding of the movie if you be intimately familiar with hinduism and it custom and esp . a they be c. 1904. i miss a lot of thing one of them be the fact that the mother in law would want binodini in the house a sort of a counter weight to her daughter in law ashalata . spoiler ghosh have several thing to say that explain the movie much well for me . first and the original bengali version be 20 plus minute longer . so what be leave out . apparently three main thing represent a beginning segment where binodini ( aishwarya ) leave e. bengal for calcutta . accord to the director and different character be speak w. bengali vs. e. bengali set up some of the political comment later . of course all of this be lose in the hindi version and and certainly to a non indian like me and it wouldn not have matter anyway but a set up of the bengali situation sure would have . next and there be a segment where binodini be write a poem a sign of her independence and etc . finally and some more business about the jewellery . so and although some people think it be too long and i think the original and long version would have be clear . the woman hair be apparently another sign ( ghosh again ) the mother in law have short hair ( short hair for hindu widow ) and her sister also a widow have long hair ( more modern . ) and and of course binodini or aishwarya have extremely long waist length hair ( rejection of status of widowhood ) . the end really throw me all of a sudden binodini and who have never have a political thought and be write a political manifesto . whoa . ghosh explain that he be in locarno and at a film festival and when the subtitle be do . the subtitle use the word country throughout binodini letter . gosh say a more appropriate word would have be ( i forget his exact word ) something like self or independence she be talk about her own liberation and find herself not about bengal and india and and the british . so why do binodini just disappear the day after find behari again . apparently because during her stay on the ganges she realize that she doesn not need a man any man to define or complete her . she can just be herself . so she reject behari and who she throw herself at a few month ( . ) before and and just go off . of course i be not sure how she buy her next meal and but that another question . the red shawl ( ghosh again ) she buy represent revolution as well a passion . i be not 100 % sure why she put the shawl on the die woman and but perhaps she be reject passion or revolution . the binoculars and which binodini us throughout the movie ( to watch mahendra and ashalata and the boat on the ganges and etc . ) . she be be a voyeur to see a life she yearn for but can not have . at the end ( i miss this . ) she leave the binoculars on the table with the letter and showing that she doesn not need them any more she go off to lead her own life . finally and the tagore quote at the begin say how he apologize for the end . apparently tagore write this a a serial and hook his reader with the sexy widow bit . but at the end he sell out to conservatism and have binodini kneel down at the foot of mahendra and behari and beg their forgiveness . one of his student ( . ) write to tagore take him to task for his sell out end . and tagore reply with his apology for the end . in the movie and of course and ghosh go in the other direction .