As the con man runs away, Bondita is exposed as his accomplice. A man named Brijwasi Babu, a con man, comes to Tulsipur and traps Bondita into aiding him, taking advantage of Sampoorna's helplessness due to her incomplete dowry, as Bondita became desperate to save her beloved cousin's marriage. Bondita manages to impress Trilochan, and he soon becomes fond of her.Īnirudh learns that Bondita is illiterate, as there was no chance for women to be educated in the village. However, Anirudh helps her recover from this complication. Bondita's first problem in her new in-laws' home is due to her drenching her bed at night, a problem caused by traumatization after seeing her father die by a snake bite. Anirudh refuses to recognize Bondita as his wife, and rather sees her as his responsibility.Īfter initial confusion, Anirudh's uncle, Trilochan, accepts Bondita to save their family's reputation and starts to prepare her as the Roy Choudhury daughter-in-law. She is supported by Anirudh's father, Binoy, who wanted his son to settle in London and practice his profession there, and who believes that Mini can make his dreams come true. Shortly thereafter, Mini also learns about his recent marriage and plots to separate him and Bondita. His family is surprised to find him married. After all his other attempts to do so are in vain, he marries her as a last resort. Anirudh pledges to save Bondita to Sumati. Nevertheless, the man's relatives and other people consider the marriage to be successfully completed, and sets Bondita to become a part of sati. However, the marriage is not completed, as the elderly man suddenly dies midway through the rituals. He seeks help from the authorities to stop the marriage, but faces resistance. On the day of the wedding, Anirudh comes across the marriage and immediately revolts against it, as the groom is around the age of the bride's grandfather. Bondita's uncle and aunt decide to have Bondita marry an elderly man, while her cousin, Sampoorna, is set to marry Saurabh, Anirudh's best friend. On the other hand, Bondita Das is an 11-year-old Bengali Hindu girl, who lives with her widowed mother, Sumati, and her maternal family. He is set to be married to his childhood sweetheart Saudamini 'Mini' Bhaumik, to which both Anirudh's and Mini's families have consented. Set in the pre-independence era in rural Bengal, Anirudh Roy Choudhary, a 22-year-old barrister, returns from London to Tulsipur, a village where his family practices zamindari, to wipe out customs and societal beliefs which prevent the progress of women.