Siddartha(DhritimanChatterjee)isforcedtodiscontinuehismedicalstudiesduetounexpectedandbrutaldeathofhisfather.Hehastonowfindajobinstead.Inonejobinterview,heisaskedtonamethemostsignificantworldeventinthelasttenyears.Hisreplyis'theplainhumancourageshownbythepeopleofVietnam',insteadoftheexpected-manlandingonmoon.Theinterviewerasksisheisacommunist.Needlestosaythathedoesnotgetthejobaaa
　　Hereachesacoffeeshopwhereheisofferedtoworkforthecommunistparty.Whenhedoesnotshowanyinterestthepartyleadertellshimaboutanopeningforamedicalrepresentative.Toescapefromtheheatandhaveasnooze,hegoesintoacinema.Asagovernmentpropagandanewsreelisbeingshownbeforethefeature,abombexplodesinthecinemahall.Inthestampedethatfollows,Siddartha,breakshiswatch.Hegoestoawatchmakerbuthecannotaffordtherepairs.
　　Waitingtocrosstheroad,henoticesasexygirl.Hedriftsbacktohisdaysasamedicalstudentinaflashback.Theprofessorisexplaininganatomyoffemalebreast.ManyflashbacksanddreamsoccurtoSiddarthathroughthefilm.
　　Onhiswaytohostel,hehasanencounterwithsomehippies.Alongwithanex-classmate,hegoesouttoseeapornfilmbuttotheirdisappointment,thefilmturnsouttobenot-so-pornographic.
　　InsuchconstantwanderinginaCalcutta,disintegratedrelationshipswithhissisterandaNaxalite(militantcommunist)brother,hisfriendshipwithKeyaisonlythingthatkeepshimsane.
　　Keyaisasimplegirl.Theyenjoyeachother'scompanybuttheycannotmakeanycommitmenttoeachotherduetothecircumstances.
　　Afteryetanotherattemptatajobinterview,Siddarthaleavesthebigcitytotakeamodestjobofasalesmaninafaroffsmalltown.HewritestoKeyathathestillcherishestheirrelationship.Andthathehasheardthatbirdcallagainbutthistimeitisforreal,andnothismind.Aftercompletingtheletter,hecomesouttothebalconyofhismodestroom.Thebirdcallsagain.Healsohearsthesombrechantsofafuneralprocession.Asheturnstothecamera,thepictureisfrozen.
　　ThisisthefirstfilmoftheCalcuttaTrilogy.TheothertwowereandSeemabaddha(CompanyLimited,1971)andJanaAranya(TheMiddleMan,1975).AllthethreefilmsstudytheeffectthebigcityofCalcuttahasontheeducatedyouthandthepriceitextractsfromthem.
　　TheseventieswereadifficultperiodforIndiaandWestBengal.TheCorruptionwasrampant;theNaxalitemovementhadcreatedhavocinCalcutta.Infact,theyhadturnedpartsofCalcuttainto'liberatedzones'.BythetimetheNaxalitemovementdieddown,in1975,Mrs.IndiraGandhi(then,PrimeMinisterofIndia)suppressedthefundamentalrightsanddeclared"Emergency"forherownpoliticalsurvival.Herson,SanjayGandhibecameadictatorofsortswithoutanyofficialdesignation.Theoppositionleaderswerethrownintoprisons.
　　Abouthissocialresponsibilitiesasafilmmaker,inaninterviewwithCineastemagazine,Raycommented,"YoucanseemyattitudeinTheAdversarywhereyouhavetwobrothers.TheyoungerbrotherisaNaxalite.Thereisnodoubtthattheelderbrotheradmirestheyoungerbrotherforhisbraveryandconvictions.Thefilmisnotambiguousaboutthat.Asafilmmaker,however,Iwasmoreinterestedintheelderbrotherbecauseheisthevacillatingcharacter.Asapsychologicalentity,asahumanbeingwithdoubts,heisamoreinterestingcharactertome.Theyoungerbrotherhasalreadyidentifiedhimselfwithacause.Thatmakeshimpartofatotalattitudeandmakeshimunimportant.TheNaxalitemovementtakesover.He,asaperson,becomesinsignificant."
　　InalettertoSetonin1970,RaywrotethatPratidwandiwasthemostprovocativefilmhehadmadetillthen.Thefilmissaidtohaveevokedextremereactions."Peopleeitherlovedthefilmorhatedit",DhritimanChatterjeetoldAndrewRobinson,Ray'sbiographer.