Set in the early to mid-19th century in British-occupied India, Sayam Bandyopadhyay’s Carnival, at the outset, focuses on a middle-aged recluse living in Calcutta. Despite becoming a landowner at his father’s death, Rajaram Deb prefers a monotonous life confined to the walls of his bedroom—often at the cost of his responsibilities—barring rare moments of socializing. This self-imposed seclusion is made all the more notable by the initial sparks of public uprisings in the world beyond those walls, culminating in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.