Barfi (2012)

Barfi! is a 2012 Indian comedy-drama film co-produced, written and directed by Anurag Basu. Set in the 1970s, the film depicts the story of Murphy "Barfi" Johnson (a mute and deaf Nepali boy from Darjeeling) and his relationships with two women, Shruti and Jhilmil (who is autistic). The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D'Cruz in the lead roles, with Saurabh Shukla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Jisshu Sengupta and Roopa Ganguly in supporting roles.


Made on a budget of approximately ₹30 crore (US$4.7 million), Barfi! opened worldwide on 14 September 2012. The film was a box office success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2012 in India and overseas. The film went on to gross ₹1.75 billion (US$27 million) worldwide.


The film was selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film nomination for the 85th Academy Awards. Barfi won several awards and nominations at various award ceremonies across India. At the 58th Filmfare Awards, the film received thirteen nominations including Best Actress for Chopra and won seven (more than any other film) including Best Film, Best Actor for Kapoor and Best Music Director for Pritam.

Contents

• 1 Plot
• 2 Cast
• 3 Production
  • 3.1 Development
  • 3.2 Casting
  • 3.3 Characters
  • 3.4 Filming
• 4 Soundtrack
• 5 Marketing and release
  • 5.1 Controversies
• 6 Reception
  • 6.1 India
  • 6.2 Overseas
  • 6.3 Accolades
• 7 Box office
• 8 See also
• 9 External links

 

Plot

Murphy "Barfi" Johnson (Ranbir Kapoor) is an optimistic, street-wise, charming young man who was born deaf-mute to a Nepali couple in Darjeeling. His mother died when he was a baby and his father raised him alone, while working as a chauffeur. Barfi is known as a troublemaker – he cuts lampposts, plays practical jokes on innocent people, and is chased by Sudhanshu Dutta (Saurabh Shukla), a local police officer. Barfi meets Shruti Ghosh (Ileana D'Cruz), who has just arrived in Darjeeling; she is engaged to Ranjit Sengupta (Jisshu Sengupta), and is due to get married in three months, and Barfi is immediately smitten with Shruti. She also falls in love with Barfi but her mother dissuades her from pursuing him because he could not take care of her with his disabilities and lack of money. Shruti takes her mother's advice, gets married, and moves to Kolkata, breaking all contact with Barfi.


Meanwhile, Barfi's father falls ill and Barfi must somehow raise the money for his treatment. After an unsuccessful attempt to rob a local bank, he tries to kidnap Jhilmil Chatterjee (Priyanka Chopra) – Barfi's autistic childhood friend and wealthy heiress of her grandfather's fortune – for a ransom. Upon arriving, Barfi finds she has already been kidnapped. He sees her in a van, sneaks inside and drives Jhilmil away from the ransom delivery. He hides her in his apartment with the police in pursuit. Barfi collects the ransom but finds that his father has died just as he makes the payment. Dejected, Barfi tries to leave Jhilmil at the village of her caretaker, but she refuses to leave him and they soon move to Kolkata, where Barfi assumes responsibility for Jhilmil and takes care of her.
Six years later, Barfi and Shruti meet by chance. Shruti is unhappy with her marriage and she and Barfi rekindle their friendship, much to the chagrin of the lovestruck Jhilmil, who then goes missing. Shruti files a missing person report for Jhilmil. The Darjeeling police learn about the report, resume their pursuit of Barfi and arrest him. As he is being interrogated, another ransom demand for Jhilmil is made and she is apparently killed in the process of the exchange, though her body is never found. In order to conclude the case, the police try to frame Barfi for Jhilmil's murder. Policeman Sudhanshu Dutta, who grew fond of Barfi after investigating him for his nuisances, asks Shruti to take him away, offering him a second chance at life. She agrees and hopes that now Jhilmil is gone, she can finally be with Barfi.


Barfi is deeply affected by Jhilmil's loss and finds living with Shruti unfulfilling. He finds the location of Jhilmil's childhood home and takes Shruti to look for her. They find that Jhilmil is still alive, and that both kidnappings were fabricated by her father so he could embezzle money from Jhilmil's trust fund. In the second attempt, second time, they faked her death so that she could return to her special-care home, away from her alcoholic mother. Barfi has a happy reunion with Jhilmil and the two are married, while Shruti spends the rest of her days alone, regretting the loss of her chance to be with Barfi.


Several years later, Barfi is shown to be gravely ill in a hospital and is close to death. Jhilmil arrives and lies with Barfi in his hospital bed as Shruti narrates that the two died peacefully together, not wanting to leave each other behind in life or death. The film closes showing the happy days of Barfi and Jhilmil as credits roll.

Cast

• Ranbir Kapoor as Murphy "Barfi" Johnson
• Priyanka Chopra as Jhilmil Chatterjee
• Ileana D'Cruz as Shruti Ghosh Sengupta
• Saurabh Shukla as Senior Inspector Sudhanshu Dutta
• Akash Khurana as Jung Bahadur, Barfi's father
• Ashish Vidyarthi as Durjoy Chatterjee, Jhilmil's father
• Roopa Ganguly as Shruti's mother
• Haradhan Bandopadhyay as Dadu
• Uday Tikekar as Shruti's father
• Arun Bali as Jhilmil's grandfather
• Bholaraj Sapkota as Barfi's friend.
• Jisshu Sengupta in a special appearance as Ranjit Sengupta
• Sumona Chakravarti as Shruti's friend

Production

 

Development

During the production of his previous directorial venture Kites (2010), the director Anurag Basu wrote a two-page short story which was later developed to the script of Barfi!. The film script that Basu wrote alternated between two time periods, and he retained the nonlinear narrative structure. He said that the script required a 30-year time span for the characters' love to grow and thus set the backdrop of the film in the 1970s.


In June 2010, Anurag Basu confirmed that his film would feature three lead roles, a deaf and mute man, a mentally challenged girl, and a narrator. With former titles like Khamoshi or Silence, media reports said the story was grim or dark. However, Basu stated that on the contrary, the film was happy. According to Basu, he paid homage to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin by adding scenes inspired by the era of silent cinema and using physical comedy in the film, involving silent portions.

Casting

Ranbir Kapoor was the first choice of director Anurag Basu and Katrina Kaif was the first choice for the role of the narrator. In March 2010, The Times of India reported that Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif were signed to play lead roles in the film, then titled Khamoshi and later Silence, which Basu confirmed. Basu wanted to cast a new girl from Kolkata for the autistic character. Basu's wife, Tani suggested Chopra's name for the role. However, Basu feared that audience would see "the Priyanka Chopra" and not the character due to Chopra's stardom. Basu explained "I had the fear that I would see Priyanka Chopra in the character and Jhilmil wouldn’t work. This has happened in many films where known faces have harmed the character." Priyanka Chopra was cast to play the part but, the development was not announced as Basu wanted to workshop first and see how it goes. After three days of workshop, Basu was convinced that Chopra could play the autistic part and reflected that he was glad that he chose Chopra for the role. Later, Basu revealed that he did not approach any actress other than Chopra for the autistic part. After Chopra was cast in the film, Kaif left the project for unknown reasons. Media reported that she may have opted out of the film because Chopra had been given a stronger role. Later, media reported that Asin was approached to play the role of the narrator, replacing Kaif. However, Asin was never signed to the project. Media reported that no other actress wanted to sign for the film because according to them, the autistic part was stronger. In July 2010, Mumbai Mirror reported that Chopra was ready to play the role of narrator and leave the autistic role, so that another actress could be cast in the film; Chopra did not want the film to stall. Basu confirmed this development and said, "It’s true we’ve been unable to cast the other part." After facing several casting problems, Basu chose to cast a completely new fresh face to play the second female role. In early December 2010, Ileana D'Cruz from south Indian films, was finalised for the second female lead, featuring as narrator and Kapoor's first love interest in the film.

Characters

Ranbir Kapoor played the role of a deaf and mute man in the film. According to Kapoor, he took inspiration from screen legends such as the Academy Award winning actor, Roberto Benigni, Charlie Chaplin and his grandfather Raj Kapoor. Due to the protagonist's physical disability, Basu did not want to use any sign-language but, some behavioral patterns in the film. Kapoor described his character as a regular, happy-go-lucky and good hearted guy.


Priyanka Chopra played the role of Jhilmil. Basu described Chopra's role as the "toughest" in the film. In order to prepare for the role, Chopra visited several mental institutions and spent time with autistic people. She said she had to research a little for the role because in India awareness about autism is very low. Chopra told that she had to let go of every inhibition probably that she had as a Hindi film heroine and play Jhilmil without thinking of it. She explained that she needed two moments to become Jhilmil because she didn't identify with her character due to difference between her thought and behavior.


D'cruz, who portrayed the narrator and first love interest of the protagonist said "Shruti, is such a sensitive role to play as she goes to different phases in the film." According to Basu, after Kapoor, Chopra and D'cruz's character Saurabh Shukla's character as Inspector Dutta was the most important. Basu described the role as "amazing" character, who makes others cry when he laughs.

Filming

Principal photography commenced in March 2011. Barfi! was shot between June 2011 and February 2012, mostly in Darjeeling. In March 2011, Basu visited Kolkata to finalize the locations within the city. Filming in Mumbai began on 20 March 2011 and continued until May 2011. In June 2011, the cast and crew shot in Darjeeling. In December 2011, some scenes were filmed on the outskirts of Coimbatore, especially Pollachi and Ooty. The scenes in which Kapoor's character is chased by policemen over the roof tops were shot in Kolkata at the end of January 2012. Shooting was completed by April 2012, except for some scenes featuring Chopra. The producers postponed the release from 13 July to 31 August 2012 as the September 2011 shooting schedule was cancelled and was waiting to be shot. However, Basu began working on Ileana's dubbing portions by end of April 2012, because D'Cruz was unfamiliar with the Hindi language and wanted to learn it whilst filming.

Soundtrack

Pritam composed the music and background score of the film, and Swanand Kirkire, Ashish Pandit, Neelesh Misra and Sayeed Quadri wrote the lyrics. The soundtrack album has six original songs. The soundtrack was influenced by Brazilian Bossa nova. Priyanka Chopra was supposed to sing a track for the film, but her contract with Universal Music prevented her from taking the offer. The soundtrack album also contains a song titled Fatafati, sung by Pritam, which was not be used in the film, but was released as a promotional single on YouTube on 10 September 2012 with a video containing behind-the-scenes footage. Some additional vocals are sung by Ranbir Kapoor. "Fatafati" also has some Bengali lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Ala Barfi"	Swanand Kirkire	Pritam	Mohit Chauhan	5:19
2.	"Main Kya Karoon"	Ashish Pandit	Pritam	Nikhil Paul George	4:30
3.	"Kyon"	Neelesh Misra	Pritam	Papon, Sunidhi Chauhan	4:26
4.	"Phir Le Aya Dil"	Sayeed Quadri	Pritam	Arijit Singh	5:05
5.	"Aashiyan"	Swanand Kirkire	Pritam	Shreya Ghoshal, Nikhil Paul George	3:56
6.	"Saawali Si Raat"	Swanand Kirkire	Pritam	Arijit Singh	5:08
7.	"Ala Barfi (Reprise)"	Swanand Kirkire	Pritam	Swanand Kirkire	5:41
8.	"Phir Le Aya Dil (Reprise)"	Sayeed Quadri	Pritam	Rekha Bhardwaj	4:45
9.	"Phir Le Aya Dil (Redux)"	Sayeed Quadri	Pritam	Shafqat Amanat Ali	5:03
10.	"Aashiyan (Solo)"	Swanand Kirkire	Pritam	Nikhil Paul George	4:08
11.	"Fataafati"	Amitabh Bhattacharya	Pritam	Pritam, Ranbir Kapoor	3:46

Barfi!'s soundtrack received positive reviews by critics. Hindustan Times rated the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and stated, "[o]verall, the soundtrack is a joyride sans flaws. Pritam has given many hits, but like his tunes in Life in a... Metro, this one will be remembered for breaking the monotony in his sound. There are no foot-tapping numbers or remixes here, but the simplicity that makes this album a winner." Koimoi gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and stated, "In simple words, Barfi! is excellent music on all counts. Very rarely does one get to hear an album where you can hear a complete soundtrack without skipping tracks; this is one of them. So, just play, enjoy the music and the world of Barfi!". Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated "Barfi!'s soundtrack is quite good and is easily one of the best quality creations by Pritam. He has totally reinvented himself with this album which defies Bollywood norms and boasts of a sound of its own."

Marketing and release

 

The official trailer of the film was launched on 2 July 2012 featuring all the actors. It included no dialogue, portraying comedy through gestures and actions, and was well received by critics and audiences. Chopra's character was kept under wraps in the trailers as the makers were not willing to reveal much about her character to increase curiosity among the audiences and was only revealed around the release of the film. Shikha Kapur, the executive director (marketing) of UTV explained "Priyanka plays a very special character in Barfi, so we want to keep her mystery intact. In the first trailer, Barfi – played by Ranbir – will be unveiled. We don’t plan to reveal Priyanka until the film releases. 

UTV Motion Pictures created a YouTube application called The Flavour of Barfi, designed for the marketing the film. The application features Ranbir Kapoor as his character from the movie and allows users to type actions, which Kapoor acts out. The application features two zones: one asks users to change Barfi's mood and the other gives users the chance to watch him flirt. The film was promoted in various cities across India. While promoting the film at the Phoenix Mall, Bangalore, the crowds broke through the barricades.


Barfi! was released on 14 September 2012 on 1300 screens in 700 theatres in India. Reliance Home Entertainment released Barfi! on DVD and Blu-Ray in mid-November 2012 across all regions in a one-disc pack complying with the NTSC format. The DVD and the Blu-Ray discs contained bonus content, including Making of the film, "Fatafati – Behind The Scenes" and Deleted Scenes. The Video CD version was released at the same time. The exclusive right to broadcast the film was bought by Zee Network and UTV Movies. The deal includes premiere rights of the film along with the several other UTV productions. The rights are for a period of seven-year, consisting the premiere (for both channels) of the film. Zee Network will have multiple runs while UTV Movies will have selected runs rights. The price of the deal was not revealed by the production company.

Controversies

On 12 September 2012, British manufacturer Murphy Radio claimed that its trademark Murphy baby logo from its 1970s print advertisements has been used in Barfi! without permission. Producer Siddharth Roy Kapur said that he had received a legal notice from Murphy but said that there is nothing wrong in the intention, as the brand in question has been shown in a "very positive light".
After the film's release, several blogs and users of social media websites Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accused the director of plagiarism. Media further alleged that Basu had not tried to credit the original sources. Several videos were uploaded to YouTube showing side-by-side comparisons with Hollywood films like Cops, The Adventurer, City Lights, Singin' in the Rain, Project A, The Notebook and Benny & Joon. They also accused Barfi!'s music director Pritam of copying the background music from the French film Amélie.


Basu defended the film by saying that he was inspired by these works and that Barfi! contains an original plot, screenplay, characters and situations. He said that he was paying homages to Keaton and Chaplin. Barfi!'s Oscar selection for Best Foreign Language Film was criticised because of plagiarism, but Oscar selection committee chief Manju Borah defended the film by saying, "Barfi! deserves to be sent outside. The selection was a very open process with three to four rounds of severe discussions and came down to the best film of the final three."

Reception

 

India

The film received critical acclaim, with critics praising the performances, the direction, the screenplay, the cinematography, the music and the positive portrayal of physically disabled people. Zee News gave the film 5 out of 5 stars and said, "[a]ll in all, Anurag Basu’s Barfi! is a perfect sweet treat for his audience. Like it has been discussed, those film makers who have been portraying the handicapped as dull and boring in their films must take a lesson from Barfi!.Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India gave the film a 4/5 rating and said, "Ranbir, in the most challenging performance of his career leaves us 'dumbstruck'. Without use of conventional crutches of cool-catchphrases, dhamaakedar-dialogbaazi, bare-bodies, and other 'items'; he stuns you in every single frame. For Priyanka, there's only one word – Bravo! In a role where she needs to under-emote, she does so brilliantly (delivering an incredible performance)."


Roshni Devi of Koimoi said, "Barfi! leaves you with that warm, cuddly, magical feeling with a few tears to match. It’s really worth a watch" and gave it an overall score of 3.5 stars out of 5. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, "Barfi is akin to a whiff of fresh air. Its foremost triumph is that it leaves you with a powerful emotion: Happiness!" Indo-Asian News Service gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, "Barfi! comes as close to being a modern masterpiece as cinematically possible. To miss it would be a crime. To embrace it is to serenade the sublime". Aniruddha Guha of Daily News and Analysis rated the film 4 out of 5 and remarked that movie "engages you at a personal level", and further added that, "Barfi cannot be missed. It demands patience, but the payoff is incredible".


Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph said, "The brilliance of Barfi! is that it’s no story and all storytelling. It’s about a director at the top of his game orchestrating terrific talent into a bravura crescendo. Only someone who has showed death the door can open windows to life like this." Filmfare gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and stated, "Barfi! is that rare film that can make you smile and make you cry in the same scene. Its technical brilliance is only outdone by its emotional complexity and depth. Pritam's music adds a nice silent-era charm to this already fantastic story, making it an occasion when words simply aren’t enough." Raja Sen of Rediff.com has given 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Barfi! is a well-crafted script with an intriguing back-and-forth narrative but it all goes south towards the end."


Anupama Chopra writing for Hindustan Times gave it 3 out 5 stars and wrote, "[t]his is a film made with love, bolstered by wonderfully etched vignettes, Ranbir Kapoor's stupendous performance and a gorgeous soundtrack by Pritam. And yet, for me, Barfi was a singularly frustrating experience there was so much to like, but the film never became more than the sum of its parts". Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave 3 out of 5 stars and said, "Barfi had the potential to be great cinema, but as it stands it's a respectable film that's still better than a lot else you're likely to see." On the contrary, Namrata Joshi of Outlook felt that "The flashback within flashback narrative gets way too clumsy and turgid, the thriller twist absolutely pointless [....] appears much too crafted and self-consciously gorgeous, and feels eminently facile and plastic".

Overseas

The movie received critical acclaim overseas as well. It holds an 88% fresh rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. Rachel Saltz of the New York Times said, "Bollywood isn’t afraid to be mawkish. “Barfi!” is at times, though not noticeably more so than most Hindi movies, despite its premise of special lovers with a special lesson to teach." Lisa Tsering The Hollywood Reporter called the movie "a refreshingly non-commercial exercise" and added that "poignant Bollywood romantic comedy". On the performances of the cast she wrote, "[...] Basu has guided Kapoor and especially Chopra to turn in exceptionally restrained, organic performances."" Ronnie Scheib of Variety wrote, "Unlike Michel Hazanavicus’ black-and-white silent homage “The Artist,” Basu’s film bursts with sound and color; only the speaking- and hearing-impaired Basu is condemned to silence." Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times was more critical of the film, despite praising aspect including "the hard-working cast, a lush score, exotic location shooting and scattered warmth" called it as "more endurance test than entertainment."

Accolades

 

Main article: List of accolades received by Barfi!

 

Barfi! has received various awards and nominations in categories ranging mostly from recognition of the film itself, to its cinematography, direction, screenplay, and music, to the cast's performance. The film was selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film nomination for the 85th Academy Awards. The film received thirteen nominations at the 58th Filmfare Awards, winning seven, including Best Film, Best Actor for Kapoor and Best Music Director for Pritam. Barfi! received twenty-three nominations on the 19th Screen Awards, winning nine, including Best Actor for Kapoor, Best Director for Basu and Jodi No. 1 (Best Pair) for Kapoor and Chopra. At the 14th Zee Cine Awards, Barfi! received nine nominations, and swept eight awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Basu and Best Actress for Chopra.

Box office

Upon its release, Barfi! started strongly at multiplexes throughout India, with around 80-90% occupancy, but had lower opening takings because of a limited release. The film grossed ₹85.6 million (US$1.3 million) on its opening day. Its second day saw an increase of around 35% occupancy and collected ₹115 million (US$1.8 million). In its opening weekend, the film grossed ₹340 million (US$5.3 million). In its first week, Barfi! collected ₹565 million (US$8.8 million) nett, and by its eighth day had earned ₹32.5 million (US$510,000) despite the release of Heroine. Barfi! earned ₹150 million (US$2.3 million) in its second weekend. Barfi! had a good second week where it has collected ₹242 million (US$3.8 million) nett. In the third week, the film's takings rose to ₹158 million (US$2.5 million) nett. and it took ₹61.5 million (US$960,000) in its fourth week. During its cinematic release period, Barfi! earned a gross total of ₹1.06 billion (US$17 million) in India. The all-India distributor share of the film was ₹500 million (US$7.8 million). The film became one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2012 in India, and was declared a "Super Hit" after its three-week run by Box Office India. The film went on to gross ₹1.75 billion (US$27 million) worldwide. Internationally, Barfi earned around ₹124 million (US$1.9 million) in its opening weekend, slightly exceeding Raajneeti – which had collected ₹116 million (US$1.8 million) – as Ranbir Kapoor's biggest opener overseas . By the end of its run, Barfi! had grossed $6.25 million outside India, and it became one of the highest overseas grossing Bollywood films of 2012.

See also

• List of submissions to the 85th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

External links

Pyaasa (1957)

Pyaasa (Hindi: प्यासा Pyāsā, meaning "Thirsty") is a 1957 Indian film produced by, directed by, and starring Guru Dutt. The film tells the story of Vijay, a struggling poet trying to make his works known in post-independence India, and Gulabo, a prostitute with a heart of gold who eventually helps him get his poems published. The music was composed by S.D. Burman.

With the commercial success of thrillers like Baazi, Jaal, Aar Paar and CID as well as comedies like Mr. & Mrs. '55, Guru Dutt and his studio were financially secure and established. From 1957, he could now make movies he really wanted to make, including Pyaasa. In 2002, Pyaasa was ranked at No. 160 on the Sight & Sound critics' and directors' poll of all-time greatest films. In 2005, Pyaasa was rated as one of the 100 best films of all time by Time magazine, which called it "the soulfully romantic of the lot." Indiatimes Movies ranks the movie amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. On the occasion of Valentine's Day 2011 Time magazine has declared it as one of the top 10 romantic movies of all time.

Contents

• 1 Plot
• 2 Production
• 3 Cast
• 4 Memorable quotes
• 5 Music
• 6 The film then and now
• 7 Restoration
• 8 Related films
• 9 External links

 

Plot

Vijay (Guru Dutt) is an unsuccessful poet whose works are not taken seriously by publishers or his brothers (who sell his poems as waste paper). Unable to bear their taunting that he is a good-for-nothing, he stays away from home and is often out on the streets. He encounters a good-hearted prostitute named Gulabo (Waheeda Rehman), who is enamoured with his poetry and falls in love with him. He also encounters his ex-girlfriend Meena (Mala Sinha) from college and finds out that she has married a big publisher Mr. Ghosh (Rehman) for financial security. Ghosh hires him as a servant to find out more about him and Meena. A dead beggar to whom Vijay gave his coat and whom he tries to save unsuccessfully from the path of a running train is mistaken for Vijay. Gulabo goes to Ghosh and gets his poems published. Ghosh does so feeling he can exploit the poems and make a killing. The poems are very successful. However, Vijay is alive and in the hospital after the train mishap.

Ghosh and Shyam, Vijay's close friend, refuse to recognise him and he is committed to a mental asylum since he insists he is Vijay and is thought to be mad. Vijay's brothers too are bought off by Ghosh not to recognise him and a memorial is held for the dead poet. Vijay with the help of his friend Abdul Sattar (Johnny Walker) escapes from the mental asylum and reaches the memorial service where he denounces this corrupt and materialistic world. Seeing that Vijay is alive his friend and brothers take side with a rival publisher for more money and declare this is Vijay. At a function to honour him, Vijay becomes sick of all the hypocrisy in the world around him and declares he is not Vijay. He then leaves with Gulabo to start a new life.

Production

In the original ending Guru Dutt wanted to show that Vijay left all alone but on the distributors' insistence the ending was changed. The film was originally titled Pyaas (thirst), but Guru Dutt later changed it to Pyaasa to better describe the film.

The role of Shyam was originally to be played by Guru Dutt's real life friend, Johny Walker but was then assigned to one of Guru Dutt's assistant directors. Guru Dutt wanted to film red light area scenes on locations in Kolkata (then Calcutta) but the crew was attacked by a group of pimps. Guru Dutt however recreated sets on the basis of photos taken at Kolkata.

It is also surmised that the story is based on the life of film's lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi who had failed affair with poet and writer Amrita Pritam .

Cast

• Guru Dutt as Vijay
• Mala Sinha as Meena
• Waheeda Rehman as Gulab – This was her first major leading role in Hindi cinema.
• Rehman as Mr. Ghosh
• Johnny Walker as Abdul Sattar
• Leela Mishra as Vijay's mother
• Kumkum as Juhi
• Shyam Kapoor as Shyam
• Mehmood as Vijay's brother
• Tun Tun as Pushplata
• Moni Chatterjee as Chatterjee

Memorable quotes

• Vijay: Apne shauk ke liye pyaar karti hai aur apne aaram ke liye pyar bechti hai. [She loves for a hobby and trades it for her comfort.]
• Vijay: To phir main yahan kya kar raha hun. Main kyon zinda hun, Gulab? [What am I doing here? Why am I alive, Gulab?]
• Vijay: These smiling flowers, these fragrant gardens, this world filled... with glorious colours. The nectar intoxicates bees. What little have I to add to this splendor... a few tears, a few sighs.
• Vijay: ...I'm not that Vijay
• Vijay: Jab Hum Chale Toh Saaya Bhi Apna Na Saath De, Jab Tum Chalo Zameen Chale Aasman Chale, Jab Hum Ruke Toh Saath Ruke Sham-e-bekasi, Jab Tum Ruko Bahaar Ruke Chandni Ruke (When I walk, even my shadow doesn't give me company; when you walk, the earth and the skies stroll with you. When I stop, stays with me the evening of helplessness; when you stop, halts with you both spring and moonlight...)

Music

The movie boasts one of the best performances of S.D. Burman, Sahir Ludhianvi, Geeta Dutt and Mohammed Rafi to produce one of the most lyrical Hindi musicals. Pyaasa marked the last collaboration of the long-lasting team of composer Burman and lyricist Ludhianvi.

#	Title	Singer(s)	Lyricist	Length
1	Tang Aa Chuke Hain Kashm-e-Kashe Zindagi Se	Mohammad Rafi	Sahir Ludhianvi	4:23
2	Jinhen Naaz Hai Hind Par	Mohammad Rafi	Sahir Ludhianvi	6:06
3	Ye Hanste Huye Phool	Mohammad Rafi	Sahir Ludhianvi	7:50
4	Ye Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye To	Mohammad Rafi	Sahir Ludhianvi	5:08
5	Sar Jo Tera Chakraye	Mohammad Rafi	Sahir Ludhianvi	4:33
6	Jane Woh Kaise Log	Hemant Kumar	Sahir Ludhianvi	4:49
7	Jaane Kya Tune Kahi	Geeta Dutt	Sahir Ludhianvi	4:10
8	Ham Aapki Aankhon Me	Geeta Dutt, Mohammad Rafi	Sahir Ludhianvi	5:42
9	Aaj Sajan Mohe Ang Lagalo	Geeta Dutt	Sahir Ludhianvi	4:56

Music expert Rajesh Subramanian reveals that Guru Dutt wanted Rafi to sing "Jaane Woh Kaise Log". But Burman had decided to record it in Hemant Kumar's voice. A major argument took place between the director, composer, writer Abrar Alvi and Geeta Dutt. Finally Dutt, who remained unconvinced, had to give in to the pressure.

In 2004, the soundtrack for Pyaasa was chosen as one of "The Best Music in Film" by Sight & Sound, the British Film Institute magazine.

The film then and now

• There was a debate between writer Abrar Alvi and Guru Dutt on film's ending. Abrar wanted the protagonist to accept and compromise with the prevailing material social reality; Guru Dutt insisted otherwise.
• Song 'Sar jo tera chakraye' composed by S.D Burman was based on a tune from British Movie 'Harry Black', which was later released in India as 'Harry Black and The Tiger'. S. D. Burman was initially not happy in copying a western tune "but later changed it so well that when the producer of the 'Harry Black and the Tiger' visited India, he heard the song and not only failed to recognize the tune, but commended Dada on it' Abrar laughs."

(Source: ‘Ten Years with Guru Dutt – Abrar Alvi’s Journey’ an authorised biography by Sathya Saran, Pages 71 and 72)

• Pyaasa was to be made with actresses, Nargis Dutt and Madhubala in the roles Mala Sinha and Waheeda Rehman played eventually. But the two actresses couldn't decide which role they wanted to play and Guru Dutt eventually opted for two then new actresses, Mala and Waheeda.
• Guru Dutt wanted Dilip Kumar to play the leading role in the movie, which the tragedy king declined. Guru Dutt himself played and movie went on to become one of the most commercially successful movies of the year.
• The popular song "Hum aapki aankhon mein" was added to the movie on behest of distributors to bring some relief in rather pessimist film. It was never planned in original cut.
• After a slow opening, Pyaasa went on to be a major commercial success of the year. This gave Guru Dutt the confidence to make a repeat on a grand scale. However, Kaagaz Ke Phool went on to be a commercial disaster. Ironically, the movie picked up a cult following world over in 1980s much after Guru Dutt died.
• Waheeda Rahman's role in Pyaasa was based on a real life character. Abrar Alvi and his friends were visiting Bombay and they decided to visit the red light area. Alvi got talking to a girl who called herself Gulabo. According to Alvi " As I left, she thanked me in a broken voice, saying that it was the first time that she had been treated with respect, in a place where she heard only abuses. I used-her exact words in the film"
• Guru Dutt and his movies, including Pyaasa, have a large cult following in France and Germany. It was a huge commercial success during its 1984 French Premiere, ironically something Guru Dutt never witnessed during his lifetime. Since then, the movie has been screened to huge mass appeal world over, like the recent screening at The 9th International Festival of Asian Cinema held in Vesoul, in February 2003,
• Is a Time top 100 movie of all times
• Is a Time readers choice top 10 movie of all times.

Restoration

This film is restored & digitized by Mumbai-based Ultra Media & Entertainment. As per the report, the original camera negative had come to them from the archives completely melted, with parts damaged or lost. Their biggest challenge was the flickering. Every frame was at a different angle and there was no stability. After several clean-ups, they managed to retrieve the actual content from the original camera negative but it lacked clarity and depth. 45 restoration experts worked for almost 4 months over 2 lac frames. The original monaural soundtrack remastered at 24-bit from the 35 mm optical soundtrack. The company sent it to the 72nd Venice International Film Festival held in 2015 where it competed with 20 other films and was selected to be screened as part of the Venice Classics section aongwith 11 other films from all over the world.

Related films

• The theme of the film is similar to Kishore Sahu's 1943 film Raja.
• The 1961 Kannada movie Kantheredu Nodu by A. K. Velan had a similar storyline.
• The film was remade in Malayalam as Kavyamela (1965).
• The film was remade in Tamil as Devi (1968). Starring Muthuraman and Devika, it was directed by A. K. Velan.
• Pyaasa was also remade in Telugu as Mallepoovu (1975).

External links

Kala Pani (1958)

Kalapani is a 1958 Hindi movie produced by Dev Anand for Navketan Films and directed by Raj Khosla. The film is based on A.J. Cronin's 1953 novel, Beyond This Place, and is a remake of the 1955 Bengali film Sabar Upaarey. The film stars Dev Anand, Madhubala, Nalini Jaywant, Bir Sakuja and Agha. The film's music is by Sachin Dev Burman, and the lyrics are by Majrooh Sultanpuri.

The movie won two Filmfare awards including Filmfare Best Actor Award and Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

Contents

• 1 Synopsis
• 2 Soundtrack
• 3 Technical specs
• 4 Awards
• 5 External links

 

Synopsis

Karan comes to know that his father, Shankarlal is in jail. And that his mother has been pretending from his childhood that his father has died. On meeting his father, Karan comes to know that he has been jailed for a murder that he did not commit. Karan sets out to gather proof of his father's innocence so that he can reopen the case filed against him, and set him free.

Karan comes to meet one of the witnesses who had spoken for his father in the court, who tells him about the investigating officer, Inspector Mehta.

Karan stays as a Paying guest, of which Asha is the owner. Asha is herself a journalist.
From Inspector Mehta, Karan comes to know about other witnesses - Kishori and Jumman. The Inspector confesses that although he smelt a rat, he was silenced by the defence lawyer, Diwan Sardarilal. Inspector Mehta also tells Karan, that he overheard Kishori and Jumman speaking of a letter, and that this might prove to be a mighty proof of Shankarlal's innocence.

Karan goes about to woo Kishori, so that he can get the letters possessed by her. In the meantime, romantic feeling develop between Karan and Asha.

Karan also approaches Diwan Sardarilal as to how he can reopen the case to prove his father's innocence. He also asks if it will be enough if he can get the letter from Kishori. The Diwan tells him to first get the letter, so that he can see what to make out of it.

The Diwan turns out to be a villain. He warns Rai Bahadur Jaswant Rai, the person who actually committed the murder, that Karan is after the letter that Kishori possesses. Rai Bahadur Jaswant Rai in turn, asks Jumman to warn Kishori about this. Kishori confronts Karan saying he cheated her, that he was not fair to show false love to her. But Karan answers back, that one who is the case for jailing his innocent father cannot complain to him of lying to her. Kishori, upon knowing the truth, repents and gives the letter to Karan.

An overjoyed Karan shows the letter to the Diwan, only to see the Diwan burn the letter. Karan realizes that the Diwan was also involved in the plot. He starts a protesting against the Diwan outside his own house, but gets arrested by the police.

Asha tries to help him, by printing in the newspaper she works for, about the Diwan. but she is stopped by her editor, who says that she does not have proof against the Diwan to print anything against him.

Kishori comes to know of this. She comes to Karan, now carrying the original letter. Karan submits this to reopen the case against his father. The Diwan admits his crime. And the story ends with Shankarlal coming out of the prison.

Soundtrack

The songs of the film are composed by Sachin Dev Burman and lyrics are by Majrooh Sultanpuri. Movie song list is as follows.

#	Title	Singer(s)	Lyricist	Length
1	"Hum Bekhudi Mein Tumko Pukaare Chale"	Mohammad Rafi	Majrooh Sultanpuri	3:17
2	"Achcha Ji Main Haari Chalo Maan Jaao"	Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi	Majrooh Sultanpuri	3:33
3	"Nazar Laagi Raja Tore Bangley Par"	Asha Bhosle	Majrooh Sultanpuri	3:08
4	"Dilwaale Ab Teri Gali Taq Aa Pahunche"	Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi	Majrooh Sultanpuri	4:48
5	"Jab Naam-E-Mohabbat Leke"	Asha Bhosle	Majrooh Sultanpuri	3:54
6	"Dil Lagaake Qadar Gayi Pyaare"	Asha Bhosle	Majrooh Sultanpuri	3:06

Technical specs

• Movie run time: 164 min (14 reels, 4380.89 m)
• Sound Mix: Mono
• Color: Black and White

Awards

• Filmfare Best Actor Award for Dev Anand
• Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Nalini Jaywant

External links

Aandhiyan (1952)

Aandhiyan (English title: Cruel Winds) is a 1952 Hindi drama film written and directed by Chetan Anand. The story was written by Chetan Anand and Hameed Butt based on an actual event in Amritsar.  It starred Dev Anand, Nimmi and Kalpana Kartik in lead roles. Music of the film was given classical musician, Ali Akbar Khan with lyrics by Narendra Sharma.

Jaidev who was a student of Khan from Lucknow, and later became a noted music director, started his career by assisting Khan in film music. The background score of the film was also done by Ali Akbar Khan along with other Hindustani classical musicians Pandit Ravi Shankar and Pannalal Ghosh. Lata Mangeshkar sang the title song, "Har Kahin Pe Shaadmani" and as a token of her respect to sarod maestro, did not charge any fee. Dances were choreographed by Lakshmi Shankar, who also sang a song, while Gopi Krishan's chorographed his own dances.

Contents

• 1 Cast
• 2 Soundtrack
• 3 External links

 

 

Cast

• Dev Anand as Ram Mohan
• Nimmi
• Kalpana Kartik as Janaki
• Durga Khote
• K. N. Singh as Kuber Das
• Leela Mishra
• Pratima Devi
• M. A. Latif
• Johnny Walker

 

Soundtrack

All lyrics written by Narendra Sharma; all music composed by Ali Akbar Khan.

#	Title	Singer(s)	Lyricist	Length
1	Dil Ka Khazana Khol Diya	Asha Bhosle	Narendra Sharma	3:10
2	Ghanshyam Ke Hain Ghanshyam Nayan	Lakshmi Shankar	Narendra Sharma	2:48
3	Dard Bat Raha Hai Kise Dard Chaahiye	Surinder Kaur	Narendra Sharma	3:09
4	Main Mubarakbaad Dene Aai Hoon	Surinder Kaur	Narendra Sharma	3:10
5	Hai Kahin Par Shaadmani Aur Kahin Naashaadiyan	Lata Mangeshkar	Narendra Sharma	3:11
6	Woh Chaand Nahin Hai Dil Hai Kisi Diwaane Ka	Asha Bhosle , Hemant Kumar	Narendra Sharma	3:19

External links

Udta Punjab (2016)

Udta Punjab (English: "Flying Punjab") is a 2016 Indian crime-drama film co-written and directed by Abhishek Chaubey. It is based on drug abuse in the Indian state of Punjab. Produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under their banner Balaji Motion Pictures, in association with Anurag Kashyap's production house Phantom Films, it features Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and, Diljit Dosanjh in lead roles.

On 4 June 2016, the Central Board of Film Certification sought a stay on the film's release citing that the themes dealt with in the film were too vulgar for the general audience. As a result, the producers were directed to make a total of 89 cuts in the film. However, on 13 June 2016, the Bombay High Court struck down the stay and gave permission for the film's national release, albeit with a single cut in the screenplay. The film was released worldwide on 17 June 2016. Made on a budget of ₹400 million (US$5.9 million), Udta Punjab has earned over ₹996 million (US$15 million) worldwide.

Contents

• 1 Plot
• 2 Cast
• 3 Planning and filming
• 4 Music
  • 4.1 Track listing
  • 4.2 Production
• 5 Release
  • 5.1 Controversies
  • 5.2 Online piracy issue
• 6 Reception
• 7 Box office
• 8 External links

Plot

Tejinder "Tommy" Singh (Shahid Kapoor), also known as "Gabru" among his fans, is a 22-year old London-born Punjabi musician who lives a luxurious lifestyle assisted by his successful music career. Together with ostentatious crew that is led by Tayaji (Satish Kaushik) and cousin Jassi (Suhail Nayyar), he indulges in uncontrolled consumption of cocaine. Tommy, is popular for his adrenaline-pumping songs that both were written with the help of and are about intoxication. However, Tommy has no qualms about his songs glorifying violence and drug-addiction. However, his frequent bouts of drug-snorting cost him his contract and land him in jail. In prison, he meets two of his die-hard fans who remark how Tommy's lifestyle had 'inspired' theirs. Realizing that his songs have adversely and negatively affected teenagers, Tommy decides to change his ways upon release. Few days later, Tommy engages in an altercation with Tayaji and accidentally shoots him, injuring his ear. This causes Tayaji to send Tommy and his crew to a farmhouse so that he can prepare for an upcoming concert.

Working on a farm is an unnamed Bihari migrant (Alia Bhatt), frequently called Bauria by a co-worker in the fields, whose dreams of playing national level hockey for the country were shattered so she came to Punjab to work as a labourer. Bauria works as a farmworker for a local landlord who use agriculture as a front for drug peddling. One night, while roaming around in the farm, she finds a packet. Upon tearing open its contents and tasting it, she realizes that it is some kind of drug, and hence, resolves to sell it. Her search for a potential buyer lands her in great trouble as she is chased and captured by a gang of drug peddlers. They forcibly keep Bauria at their place where she is sexually and physically abused, given drugs and prostituted to several men including police officers from the local police force. Some weeks later, Bauria manages to escape from the house.

In this neighboring town also lives Preet Sahni (Kareena Kapoor), a doctor-cum-activist who runs a rehabilitation center. Sartaj Singh (Diljit Dosanjh) is a class-two policeman attached to the town's station who knows about the smuggling of drugs his seniors are allowing on a large scale. But when it affects his family, his brother, Balli (Prabhjyot Singh), overdoses on Chaand (a locally-made drug) and is brought to Preet's clinic, he realizes the grave situation. She educates Sartaj about the drug problem and partly accuses him for his brother's state. Together, they decide to find the root cause of the problem.

Appearing before his audience in the concert, instead of singing, Tommy starts preaching. Infuriated by his speech about how one should lead his/her life, his fans try to admonish him, and start throwing bottles at him. Tommy gets angry and urinates on the crowd. Making a run out of the concert to save himself from the crowd's angst, Tommy goes and hides inside a dilapidated structure. There he meets Bauria and together they start sharing their stories. However, the next day, Bauria is recaptured by the same gang who had kept her imprisoned.

Preet has been working in Punjab actively with drug abuse survivors and their families. She runs her own clinic in the area where she operates a residential rehab center. With help from a reformed Sartaj who discovers that his own brother is hooked to a locally-made drug, manages to find that the antagonist behind the drug problem in Punjab is an elderly man called Vikrant who has flourished with the support of MP Maninder Brar. Sartaj and Preeti go to extreme measures to collect evidence against the Parliamentarian and put together a report to be sent to the state's Election Commission to thwart Brar's campaign for another term in power. Sartaj develops feelings for her and asks her out to which she reciprocates willingly. However, one night, after returning from work, she is apprehended and fatally stabbed by Balli, who was being treated against his wish at her rehab center. The policemen who come to investigate her murder also come across her report.

In the presence of the drug mafia, Sartaj is questioned by his senior about the report. At the same time, Tommy, who is on the run from the police and has been searching for Bauria, jumps and enters the enclosure, alerting everyone including Vikrant and the senior policeman. He fatally hits Vikrant with his hockey stick and tries to make a move upstairs. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sartaj grabs his senior's service revolver and shoots everyone but Tommy. He then rushes inside the house to get his brother Balli, who is being held captive by Vikrant's wife. He shoots her and frees Balli, while Tommy goes upstairs and helps Bauria beat her captors. Finally, as Tommy and Bauria run off, Balli kneels down and cries in front of his brother whose face is expressionless. Later when Tommy calls Bauria on his crew member's phone to ask her real name. Sitting by a beach, she catches sight of a foreigner having fun. Inspired, she utters "Mary Jane".

Cast

• Shahid Kapoor as Tejinder "Tommy" Singh/Gabru
• Kareena Kapoor as Dr. Preet Sahni
• Alia Bhatt as "Bauria"
• Diljit Dosanjh as ASI Sartaj Singh
• Satish Kaushik as Tayaji
• Suhail Nayyar as Jassi
• Prabhjyot Singh as Balli
• Harpreet Singh as Samsheer
• Manav Vij as Jhujar Singh, Sartaaj's senior officer

Planning and filming

Principal photography of the film commenced in March 2015, Three of the actors Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Alia Bhatt halved their fees for the film.

Music

The music for Udta Punjab was composed by Amit Trivedi with lyrics by the late Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Shellee and Varun Grover. The background music was composed by Benedict Taylor & Naren Chandavarkar. The music rights are acquired by Zee Music Company.

The first song "Chitta Ve" was released on 4 May 2016. Two more Singles "Da Da Dasse" and "Ik Kudi" were released before the Release of Final soundtrack. The Complete Soundtrack consisting of 7 songs was released on 18 May 2016.

Track listing

All music composed by Amit Trivedi.

Original Track Listing No. Title Singer(s) Length 1. "Chitta Ve" Babu Haabi, Shahid Mallya & Bhanu Pratap 4:48 2. "Da Da Dasse" Kanika Kapoor & Babu Haabi 4:01 3. "Ikk Kudi" Shahid Mallya 4:35 4. "Ud-Daa Punjab" Vishal Dadlani & Amit Trivedi 4:35 5. "Hass Nach Le" Shahid Mallya (Backing Vocals: Shadab Faridi, Suhas Sawant & Arun Kamath) 4:30 6. "Vadiya" Amit Trivedi 4:29 7. "Ikk Kudi - Reprised Version" Diljit Dosanjh 2:44 Production Amit Trivedi said about the soundtrack, "The film required a really dark soundtrack. So, I had to incorporate psychedelic trance and hip hop into it. It will be edgier and more in-your-face than anything else seen in Bollywood music before. I don't know how the audience will react to it because it is not something that we are used to. But I do know that there are people who have an appetite for psy-trance and hip hop in India. So, I hope it is received well". The movie's music rights were sold for ₹18 crore (US$2.7 million), making it the biggest such deal in Bollywood history. Release The movie has been reported to have had issues with the censor board over profanities and scenes of drug use. On 9 June 2016, the Censor Board came out with a list of 94 cuts and 13 pointers prior to the film's release. One of the pointers even included deleting the names of cities in Punjab. On 13 June 2016, Bombay High Court cleared Udta Punjab with one cut and disclaimers. The scene where Shahid Kapoor's character Tommy Singh is shown urinating in front of a crowd needs to be chopped off, ruled the court. The CBFC has been directed to issue an 'A' certificate to Udta Punjab in two days. Controversies The row over the film being drug-themed slated for release on 17 June escalated with co-producer Anurag Kashyap hitting out at CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani, calling him "oligarch" and "dictator" and that it was like living in North Korea. The makers of the film are said to have been asked by the Revising Committee of the Censor Board to remove all references to Punjab and to make 89 cuts. Kashyap got the support of several filmmakers including Karan Johar, Mahesh Bhatt, Ram Gopal Varma, Aamir Khan, Imtiaz Ali, Varun Dhawan and Mukesh Bhatt. "It is a dark day for freedom of expression and creativity in the country," Mukesh Bhatt said, calling Pahlaj Nihalani a "stooge" of the government. It was later cleared by Bombay High Court with the number of cuts reduced from 89 to a single scene, wherein a character is seen urinating. The Court directed the Board to issue an 'A' certificate before the scheduled release of the movie. According to The Economist, Nihalani "was appointed by the BJP, whose coalition partner in Punjab, the SAD, had much to lose from bad publicity" resulting from the movie, due to a subplot in the movie drawing "a parallel with the real-life case of a convicted drug lord who named the SAD deputy chief’s brother-in-law as his accomplice". It has been alleged that Udta Punjab is plagiarised from the book named High Society which also had parallel stories about a rock musician, trafficked woman and a police officer seeking to blow the cover on the illegal drug trade. Online piracy issue On 15 June 2016, some parts of the film were leaked online onto various peer-to-peer sharing websites. While some torrent sites hosted torrent files containing a forty-minute clip, the whole film was also uploaded on other media sharing sites like Mega. Indiatimes.com reported that the leaked clips allegedly contained the text "FOR CENSOR" on the top-left corner, implying that the leaked copies were part of the samples shared with the Censor Board. The Huffington Post reported that the producers of the film had filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime cell in Mumbai. It added that Balaji Motion Pictures and Phantom Films, its producers, had succeeded in pulling down as many as 600 links from the web. Commenting on the leak, the film's spokesperson said, "Two copies of the CD were sent to the CBFC and this version is from the same source. It's literally a no-brainer to conclude where the leak has come from and, sure enough, the cyber crime cell will get to the bottom of this." Reception Meena Iyer of The Times of India gave the film 4.5 stars out of 5. Rajeev Masand of CNN-News18 writes "the film is hard-hitting and uncomfortable to watch, and mixes dark humor to a tale about the dirty drug and political nexus in Punjab", giving it 3.5 rating out of 5. Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 3 stars out of 5, saying it is "the kind of film which has something to say, and it says it with both flair and conviction". Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com gave the film 4 stars out of 5, saying "Udta Punjab is a wake-up call, an important film and a mighty impressive one at that, carrying a loud anti-drug message". Rohit Vats of Hindustan Times wrote "Udta Punjab works mostly because of its tone and stand against drugs, though the second half is no match for the first", giving the film 3.5 rating out of 5. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 4 stars out of 5, writing "Udta Punjab is littered with standout scenes, but none matches the sledgehammer impact of the climax". Namrata Joshi of The Hindu described the film as "a gut-wrenching look at the frightening dystopia that is Punjab today owing to rampant drug abuse". Box office The film earned approximately ₹10.05 crore (US$1.5 million) in India, with an additional ₹3.46 crore (US$510,000) coming from overseas revenue on its opening day. The film grossed ₹46.94 crore (US$7.0 million) worldwide during its opening weekend and ₹75.82 crore (US$11 million) worldwide in its first week. As of 9 July 2016, the film has earned ₹99.67 crore (US$15 million) worldwide.

External links

2 States (2014)

2 States is a 2014 Indian romantic comedy-drama film directed by Abhishek Varman based on the 2009 novel of the same name written by Chetan Bhagat. It is produced by Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala. The film stars Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in lead roles. The film was released on 18 April 2014.

Contents

• 1 Plot
• 2 Cast
• 3 Production
  • 3.1 Casting
  • 3.2 Filming
• 4 Soundtrack
• 5 Release
  • 5.1 Box office
  • 5.2 Critical reception
• 6 Awards
• 7 External links

Plot

Krish Malhotra (Arjun Kapoor), a student pursuing his MBA at the IIM Ahmedabad, Gujarat, comes from a family of Punjabi heritage. He meets Ananya Swaminathan (Alia Bhatt) in his college who comes from a conservative Tamil Brahmin family. Krish and Ananya become friends and start studying together. Soon they begin dating, and stay together for their two years on the IIM campus. Krish confides in Ananya that his real passion is writing, which he wants to pursue a career in. They both have became so much close to each other and also have developed sexual relationship many times during the stay in IIMA.

When they complete their graduation, Krish and Ananya decide to get married. They introduce their parents to each other at the convocation ceremony. To their dismay, Krish's loud mother Kavita (Amrita Singh) does not get along with Ananya's reserved Tamilian parents Radha (Revathy) and Swaminathan (Shiv Kumar Subramaniam). After graduation, Ananya begins her marketing job in her hometown Chennai and Krish goes back to his own hometown Delhi. Krish's brash family urges him to stay in Delhi and try to discourage him from his interest in writing. They also criticize his relationship with Ananya, and tell him to get into an arranged marriage with a Punjabi girl. It is also evident that there is tension between Krish and his alcoholic father Vikram (Ronit Roy).

Krish leaves his dysfunctional family and starts a banking job in Chennai. During this time, he tries very hard to win over Ananya's family. He tutors her younger brother, gets her mother an opportunity to sing at an event for his workplace, and helps her father create his first PowerPoint presentation. After all his effort, Ananya's family agrees to the marriage with Krish. Krish and Ananya then travel to Delhi to win over Krish's family. Initially, Kavita and her family are hostile towards Ananya but come to like her after she saves Krish's cousin's wedding from being cancelled due to a dispute over dowry.

Krish and Ananya decide to take a vacation with their families before the wedding. The vacation does not go as planned when Kavita makes continuous snide remarks about Tamilian culture. Furthermore, Ananya and her parents overhear Krish falsely assuring his mother that she can treat Ananya however she wants after they are married. Having had enough of the insults, Ananya calls off the wedding and both return to their respective hometown.

Krish and Ananya find it hard to live without each other. Sometime later, he gets a call from Ananya, who reveals that Krish's father had come down to Chennai to speak to her parents, apologizing for his wife's shallow behavior. This allows for Krish and Ananya to finally get happily married, they become parents to twin boys and Krish publishes his book 2 States based on his and Ananya's life.

Cast

• Arjun Kapoor as Krish Malhotra
• Alia Bhatt as Ananya Swaminathan Malhotra
• Amrita Singh as Kavita Malhotra (Krish's mother)
• Ronit Roy as Vikram Malhotra (Krish's father) 
• Revathy as Radha Swaminathan (Ananya's mother)
• Shiv Kumar Subramaniam as Shiv Swaminathan (Ananya’s father)
• Sharang Natarajan as Manju Swaminathan (Ananya's brother)
• Achint Kaur as Shipra Mehra (Krish's aunt)
• Dilip Merala as Mohit Oberoi (Krish's classmate)
• Aru Krishansh Verma as Duke
• Bikramjeet Kanwarpal as Rajji Mama
• Neil Shah as Ramanuj

Production

Casting

The first choice for the lead pair in the film had been Saif Ali Khan and Priyanka Chopra and the film was to be directed by Siddharth Anand. Later, it was announced that Shah Rukh Khan and Asin Thottumkal would play lead roles and the film was to be directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The role of Krish Malhotra was also offered to Imran Khan who instead chose to work on Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. Finally, Arjun Kapoor was cast as the lead. Actress Alia Bhatt was paired opposite him. Amrita Singh and Ronit Roy were cast as Arjun Kapoor's parents and Revathy and Shiv Kumar Subramaniam were cast as Alia Bhatt's parents.

Filming

Principal photography commenced on 29 January 2013 with the shooting of a song. Parts of the film were shot at Chennai, Delhi, IIM-A and Gol Limda Bhajiya House near Astodia Darwaza, Ahmedabad Railway Station to Police commissioner office in Ahmedabad in August 2013. Alia would be sporting an Indian Fusion look in the film and her costumes have been designed by Manish Malhotra. Speaking about her character, Alia said that she is a City Girl who speaks Tamil only with her parents. It was given an U/A certificate.

The song "Offo" was choreographed and conceptualized by Remo D'Souza as a celebration of several Indian festivals in a time lapse of almost one year. It was shot over four days at IIM Ahmedabad campus and Filmistan Studio in Mumbai.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, while the lyrics are penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The first song, Offo, sung by Aditi Singh Sharma and Amitabh Bhattacharya, released on March 7, 2014. The second song, Locha-E-Ulfat, sung by Benny Dayal, released on March 13, 2014. The soundtrack of the film released on March 14, 2014. The medley song "Isaiyin Alai" at the Concert was sung by Mahalaxmi Iyer. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy won the filmfare and IIFA Awards 2015 for this film.


Tracklist

No.	Title	Singers	Length
1.	"Offo"	Aditi Singh Sharma, Amitabh Bhattacharya	3:34
2.	"Locha-E-Ulfat"	Benny Dayal	4:48
3.	"Mast Magan"	Arijit Singh, Chinmayi Sripada	4:40
4.	"Iski Uski"	Akriti Kakkar, Shahid Mallya, Shankar Mahadevan	4:14
5.	"Chaandaniya"	K. Mohan, Yashita Sharma	4:07
6.	"Hullaa Re"	Shankar Mahadevan, Siddharth Mahadevan, Rasika Shekar	3:41

Release

Box office

India

According to Box Office India, 2 States had "excellent" first day figures of ₹120 million (US$1.8 million). The collections for second day were around ₹117.5 million (US$1.7 million) taking its two-day total to ₹237.5 million (US$3.5 million), receiving a "fantastic" response in circuits like Mumbai, Mysore, Delhi-UP, CP Berar, CI, Nizam and Rajasthan. The film was declared a "Super Hit" by Box Office India in light of its first two days' performance. With a very good run in multiplexes and single screens alike, it managed a three-day nett of ₹370 million (US$5.5 million). 2 States had a final domestic nett of ₹1.01 billion (US$15 million)^.

International

 

According to Box Office India, 2 States grossed US$5.85 million internationally, and was the second highest overseas grosser of 2014 in Bollywood after Jai Ho at that point.

Critical reception

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama awarded the film 4.5 out of 5 stars, and noted, "On the whole, 2 States is one of the finest movies to come out of the Hindi film industry of late. This is one of those rare Hindi movies that commands a repeat viewing. Strongly recommended!" Critic Saurabh Dwiwedi, writing for India Today, gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, and published, "2 States can be a good mirror for parents to understand their children. So take along your parents and enjoy the film." Meena Iyer of The Times of India gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, and wrote, "What makes 2 States work is the simple narrative told humorously. Adapted as it is, from one of author Chetan Bhagat's best-selling works, the film, just like the book before it, is light-hearted. Chetan's funny one-liners and life-view are studiously borrowed by the director for his screen outing. And though there is a sense of deja-vu, for those who have read the book, the movie still manages to charm and surprise." Paloma Sharma of Rediff.com gave the movie 3.5 out of 5 stars and opined, "There's nothing that should keep you from watching 2 States". Mohar Basu of Koimoi gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, and wrote, "2 States is barely unwatchable but misses the magic of Chetan Bhagat’s novel. As a stand alone, it is endearingly done with Alia and Arjun’s scorching chemistry coming off as adorable. The Bhagat fan in me is disappointed but the cinegoer isn’t." DNA posted, the first half of the film is light and breezy and the second dramatic and emotional, perhaps a better balance would have helped the post interval portion which seems heavy.

Hindustan Times' Anupama Chopra gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5, and said, "In 2 States, the story is the weakest link. The film is bolstered by talented actors, gorgeous songs by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, nice styling, sumptuous production design and a few sparkling moments. But in the second half, 2 States falls apart. At almost two-and-a-half hours, it’s also stretched so thin that by the time Krish and Ananya walk into the sunset, you are long past caring". Concerning Kapoor and Bhatt, she said, "Arjun, departing from his earlier violent roles, makes a nicely goofy and later subdued lover boy, but it’s Alia who lights up the screen." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, and wrote, "2 States is a cross-culture love story that strives to be sweet, funny and emotionally wrenching all at once. It is occasionally funny and sweet in parts all right, but the family drama at the film’s core has a severely stultified feel. The trouble is that the impending wedding remains impending far too long to sustain interest... it sets out to be a slice-of-life drama about a real couple grappling with the politics of inter-community marriage, but it fails to generate enough energy and warmth to draw the audience into a tight clinch". Shubra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, and said, "2 States... sets out to be a solid, emotionally satisfying rom com, and goes well for a bit but then turns into a too-stretched-out ‘jhagda’ between the two sets of North-South parents. The smooth, engaging first half descends, post-interval, into mopey melodrama, and I got impatient waiting for the inevitable resolution." She praised Bhatt's performance, saying, "...Alia Bhatt is a surprise. She leaves behind her earlier films, and gets into her character: she may not be an authentic ‘Southie’ in terms of body language, but she is all girl, easy and fresh and natural".

Awards

21st Screen Awards

• Best Film Marketing

60th Filmfare Awards

• Best Music Director - Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy - Winner
• Best Debut Director - Abhishek Varman - Winner
• Best Film - Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala - Nominated
• Best Director - Abhishek Varman - Nominated
• Best Supporting Actor - Ronit Roy - Nominated
• Best Supporting Actress - Amrita Singh - Nominated
• Best Male Playback Singer for Mast Magan to Arijit Singh and for "Locha-E-Ulfat" to Benny Dayal - Nominated

External links