A RICH forest supporting the survival of the local tribal populace, a city girl in empathy, forest contractors and a foreign company eyeing the woods, and a young, diligent forest officer... the setting for conflict is ideal in Sai Paranjpye's film Papeeha.

The girl agitates for the tribals' right to collect forest produce, but the forest official goes by the word of law in stopping them. The girl student courts arrest, and the tribals are let off for the while, after warnings.

But later, a foreign company, aided by the local landlord, plans to clear the forest and develop a flax plantation for running a rayon factory nearby, with tribals providing cheap labour. And this time the diligent official takes the tribals' side and is promptly transferred by his department to handle some inane training course.

The girl now educates the women and children on the hazards of such industrial projects. She helps them organise a Chipko-style agitation to physically stop felling. A happy ending and commercial success are ensured, as the tribals finally win.

Sai Paranjpye's knack for etching out credible plots for box office smashes surface once again in Papeeha. However, she must be thanked for using the tensions in an otherwise ordinary plot to make important conservationist points, without making it into a poster film.