In the post–Cold War period (1989 and beyond), the period of structural adjustment programs that made weak postcolonial states even weaker, it is common to connect the term "betrayal" with revolutionaries who took power after the triumph of national independence movements. Fidel Castro, Kenneth Kaunda, Robert Mugabe, Julius Nyerere—all were heroes during the war for self-determination, and villains during the period of independence. The promises made before the war (free health care, increased freedoms, better education, fairer distribution of wealth) were all broken not long after the war ended. The breaking of the promises ultimately led to the betrayal: the moment when the revolutionary became a dictator, the moment when the leader of the oppressed became worse than the overthrown oppressor. In our post–Cold War period, this betrayal we instantly recognize and condemn. But there is another, earlier betrayal that is mostly forgotten, and is surprisingly the subject of a new film from India, Before the Rains: the betrayal of the progressive colonist.

Now we must separate the colonist into two main figures: the progressive and the conservative. The progressives were willing to share knowledge, ideas, and education with the brightest, most promising of the native population. It's not that they thought much of the native's culture and habits, but they did think their own (European) culture (with its universities, sciences, learned books from antiquity, high arts) could improve a native and his country. The conservative had no such illusions. The inferior was simply inferior and nothing could make the inferior anything more than that. It is for this reason the conservative could never betray the native—he never made any promises. But the progressive could betray the native. He made lots and lots of promises: better education, better living standards, and so on. Before the Rains is about the promises made by the progressive colonialist and his breaking of those promises.

More than any other European figure in the colonial world, the progressive had the power to make the transition from exploitation to self-determination smooth. The fact that progressives failed to do this, in country after country, is something that needs closer examination. Before the Rains (which is beautiful, with many scenes of green mountains and morning mists) examines the failure in this way: A British spice planter (Linus Roache) hires an Indian engineer (Rahul Bose) to build a road through an exceptionally difficult jungle in the Indian state of Kerala. The year is 1937, and the British planter and the Indian engineer are men of the future. Their level of learning has transcended their racial differences.

There is one problem. The British planter, who is married, is having an affair with his servant (Nandita Das). His servant is from the village and is married to a very traditional man. She is the continent of India—its earth, its rivers, its natural wealth. If the affair between India and her colonizer is discovered, it will cost her her life. The Indian engineer is not happy with this romance, as it jeopardizes the road project and his future prospects. When the village eventually learns about the affair, the woman flees her family and runs into the arms of her British lover. But her lover is married and has a road to build and cannot help her. He asks his "equal," the Indian engineer, to get rid of her. Upon realizing that she is not loved but simply desired by the British planter, the servant shoots herself in the heart. He has betrayed her. He has also betrayed his promise of equality, and this betrayal revolutionizes the Indian engineer.

We know that the educated revolutionary will, in the postcolonial period, betray his own people, but Before the Rains wants us to look at the first set of broken promises and dreams.