Genesis
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Wretched are the poor and meek, for they shall not inherit the earth. Disinheriting the earth, the defiants among the poor build a new world as do the weaver and the farmer. Refusing to acknowledge a master they scratch out a living in the sprawling ruins of a lost village on the edge of the desert. The drought has thwarted the effort of the farmer and the weaver has made a deal with the trader. In exchange for enough to eat, he turns the trader's raw wool into quality fabrics. The weaver and the farmer have developed a relationship of mutual respect and survival.
Then a woman appears in their world. She has been wandering -- trying to escape from her own past of flood and death. When she is greeted with understanding by the two men, she stays.
The village begins again to throb with life, even if it is the throb of only three hearts. The presence of the woman has brought a good deal of good into the life of the two men, but the ground under their relationship has begun to shift. Both desire the woman and the rupture begins to show.
The trader also sees clearly what is happening. When the tow men go to a local fair in the closest town, they see they are being cheated by the trader. They rebel, but the trader entices them back into his web by giving them cash money.
While the trader sees the crop flourishing, he also sees the beginning on the disintegration of the village's "new civilization".
The two men are now full of rage of possession for the pregnant woman. With naked fury they attack one another, seeking to kill. The woman leaves. She warns the men that while they tried to escape the "enemy" in the outside world, they brought the "enemy" with them, in themselves.
The other "enemy", the trader, arrives to take away their land, The two are reunited to protect their land. But it was too late. A new civilization emerges...

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Language:  Hindi (1986, Colour)
Screenplay:  Mrinal Sen
Direction:  Mrinal Sen
Producer:  Scarabee Films (France)
                   Mrinal Sen Productions (India)
                    Les Films de la Dreve (Belgium)
                     Cactus Films (Switzerland)
Story;  Samaresh Basu
Camera: Carlo Varini
Music;  Ravi Shankar
Cast:  Naseeruddin Shah
          Shabana Azmi
          Om Puri
​          MK Raina
Awards & Nominations:
          Cannes Film Festival: Official Selection
                   

Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, and Om Puri.

Mrinal Sen and Om Puri discussing a scene. Person to the left is Amal Sarkar, Sen's assistant.

The film was shot entirely in this location in Rajasthan.

• Mrinal Sen and Ravi Shankar during a music recording session in Paris. The film was produced by a conglomerate of European companies.

Mrinal Sen and Ravi Shankar, recording the music for Genesis.

All post-production work of the film was done in Europe. Mrinal and his wife Gita lived in Brussels for a few months.