Lathi (transl. Stick) is a 1996 Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Prabhat Roy. Produced by Shanti Film Corporation, it stars Victor Banerjee as the protagonist, with an ensemble cast consisting of Soumitra Chatterjee, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Debashree Roy, Satabdi Roy, Haradhan Bandopadhyay, Abhishek Chatterjee, Pallavi Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta, Deepankar De, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty and Kaushik Sen. The music of the film has been composed by Bappi Lahiri.
Contents
Plot
Atindramohan Banerjee, an elderly man who has retired after a long career as a teacher at a local school, receives recognition and a farewell from the institution. While returning home, he is accompanied by his son-in-law, Somnath (Prosenjit Chatterjee), and his daughter, Lipi (Satabdi Roy). On the way, he witnesses an old woman from a lower social class being beaten and harassed by a local man who accuses her of being a kidnapper. Atindranath intervenes and saves her.
At home, he faces mistreatment from his sons (Koushik Banerjee and Bodhiswatta) and their wives. Frustrated by their behavior, he decides to discipline them using a stick, believing it will help them improve their character. Meanwhile, his youngest son (Abhishek Chatterjee) secretly marries Banani (Rituparna Sengupta) without informing him.
Despite this, Atindranath supports them, and the couple moves to a slum, where they start a teaching initiative. However, they soon face harassment from a local political leader. Meanwhile, his granddaughter, Sonali (June Malia), gets involved in a relationship with Tota Roy Chowdhury and becomes pregnant.
In the end, with the intervention of Victor Banerjee, the political leader is dealt with, and Atindranath returns to the slum, continuing his teaching efforts. The "lathi" (stick) in the film symbolizes the old man's determination to instill discipline and improve the quality of life for those around him.
Cast
Victor Banerjee as Atindramohan Banerjee, a former headmaster of a school
Debashree Roy as Kalyani Banerjee, Atindramohan's deceased wife
Bodhisattwa Majumdar as Jyotin Banerjee, Atindramohan's eldest son
Soham Chakraborty as young Jyotin (Credited as Master Bittu)
Debika Mitra as Jyotin's wife
Kaushik Banerjee as Bipin Banerjee, Atindramohan's second eldest son
Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay as Bipin's wife
Abhishek Chatterjee as Nabin Banerjee, Atindramohan's youngest son
Rituparna Sengupta as Banani, Nabin's wife
Satabdi Roy as Lipi Mukherjee, Atindramohan's daughter
Prosenjit Chatterjee as Somnath Mukherjee, Lipi's husband
June Malia as Sonali, Atindramohan's granddaughter
Pushpita Mukerjee as Pinki, Atindramohan's granddaughter
Soumitra Chatterjee as Sadananda, Atindramohan's friend (deceased)
Nirmal Kumar as Atindramohan's friend
Haradhan Bandopadhyay as Pranotosh, Atindramohan's friend
Manoj Mitra as Shibshankar, Atindramohan's friend