Amu (film)

Last updated

Amu
Amu poster small.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Shonali Bose
Written byShonali Bose
Produced byShonali Bose
Bedabrata Pain
Starring Konkona Sen Sharma
Brinda Karat
Ankur Khanna
CinematographyLourdes Ambrose
Edited byBob Brooks
Music by Nandlal Nayak
Release date
  • 2005 (2005)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageEnglish

Amu is a 2005 drama film directed by Shonali Bose, about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. [1] The film is based on Bose's own novel by the same name. [2] It stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Brinda Karat, and Ankur Khanna. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005. [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

Amu is the journey of Kajori (Kaju) Roy (Konkona Sen Sharma), a 21-year-old Indian American woman who has lived in the US since the age of 3. After graduating from UCLA Kaju goes to India to visit her relatives. There she meets Kabir (Ankur Khanna), a college student from an upper-class family who is disdainful of Kaju's wide-eyed wonder at discovering the "real India". Undeterred, Kaju visits the slums, crowded markets and roadside cafes of Delhi. In one slum she is struck by an odd feeling of déjà vu. Soon after she starts having nightmares. Kabir gets drawn into the mystery of why this is happening, particularly when Kaju announces that she is adopted.

Meanwhile, Kaju's adoptive mother – Keya Roy, a single parent and civil rights activist in LA, arrives unannounced in Delhi. She is shocked to discover that Kaju has been visiting the slums. Although Kaju mistakes her mother's response to a typical Indian over-protectiveness, Keya's fears are more deeply rooted.

Slowly Kaju starts piecing together what happened to her birth parents and mother and daughter clash as Kaju discovers she has been lied to her whole life. As Kaju and Kabir undertake this quest they both discover their families' involvement with the man-made tragedy of immense proportions which took place seventeen years ago in the capital city of India: the massacre of thousands of Sikhs in 1984; after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India. Kabir learns that his father was instrumental in organizing the riots, as well as guilty of failing to stop Kaju's father from being killed. Kabir confronts his father who tries to justify his actions. Keya finally tells Kaju the truth; her birth name is Amu Singh and her Sikh father and younger brother were killed in the riots while her mother hanged herself months later after leaving the refugee camp.

The movie ends with Kaju and Kabir spending a moment in the neighbourhood where Kaju was born before walking away together, while a television in the backgrounds begins broadcasting the start of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Cast

Production

The film's production was marred by obstacles like a reputed production house backing out in the last moment, and threats from local goons during the shooting of the riots scenes. [6]

Reception

A New York Times review, put the film as "the ambitious debut feature by Shonali Bose, wears its political heart on its sleeve and is unafraid to tackle big topics: identity, history, truth, injustice." [7] Another review starts with words, "Needed to be made. Needed to be made. Needed to be made." [8] The Time Out review, while commending the film for "effectively grounding its political concerns in Kaju’s credible struggle for identity," also points out that "it had its share of wobbly moments, and the resolution feels a bit like a cop-out." [9] Further a Rediff review states, "If Fahrenheit 9/11 can, so can Amu." [10] According to the Indiatimes , "What sets Amu apart is its historical astuteness and its creator’s unblinking regard for the past, no matter how brutal." [11]

Censorship

The film faced problems with the censor board in India, [9] which cleared it only with 6 politically motivated cuts, and with an "A" certificate. [6] Since — according to Indian law — this made the movie ineligible to be telecast on Indian television, the producers later reapplied for a UA censor certificate. This was when a 10-minute cut was suggested by censors, including removal of all verbal references to the riots. Subsequently, the producers decided to forgo the lower certification, and released the movie directly to DVD. [6] [12]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<i>Bombay</i> (film) 1995 film by Mani Ratnam

Bombay is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala. The film tells the story of an inter-religious family in Bombay before and during the Bombay riots, which took place between December 1992 and January 1993 after the demolition of the Babri Masjid led to religious tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities. It is the second installment in Ratnam's trilogy of films that depict human relationships against a background of Indian politics, including Roja (1992) and Dil Se.. (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rahul Bose</span> Indian film actor and politician

Rahul Bose is an Indian actor and athlete who works in Hindi films. Bose is the president of Rugby India.

<i>Earth</i> (1998 film) 1999 film by Deepa Mehta

Earth is a 1999 Indo-Canadian period romance drama film directed by Deepa Mehta. It is based upon Bapsi Sidhwa's novel, Cracking India, set during the 1947 partition of India. Earth is the second instalment of Mehta's Elements trilogy, preceded by Fire (1996) and followed by Water (2005). It was India's entry for the 1999 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

<i>Dhoom 2</i> 2006 film by Sanjay Gadhvi

Dhoom 2, also known as Dhoom 2: Back in Action, is a 2006 Indian caper action film directed by Sanjay Gadhvi with script and dialogues written by Vijay Krishna Acharya from a story by Aditya Chopra, who produced the film under Yash Raj Films. The film, a sequel to Dhoom and the second installment of the Dhoom series, stars Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, and Uday Chopra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brinda Karat</span> Indian politician

Brinda Karat is an Indian marxist politician, and former member of Rajya Sabha as a Communist Party of India (Marxist) member, from 11 April 2005 to 2011 for West Bengal.

<i>Mr. and Mrs. Iyer</i> 2002 film by Aparna Sen

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer is a 2002 Indian English-language drama film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by N. Venkatesan. The film features Sen's daughter Konkona Sen Sharma as Meenakshi Iyer, a Tamil Iyer Brahmin who is a Hindu. Rahul Bose portrays the character of Raja Chowdhury, a Bengali Muslim wildlife photographer. The story revolves around these two lead characters during a fateful bus journey amidst the carnages of a communal strife in India. Zakir Hussain composed the background score and music for the film and Goutam Ghose was the cinematographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konkona Sen Sharma</span> Indian actress and filmmaker (born 1979)

Konkona Sen Sharma is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works primarily in Bengali and Hindi films. She has received several awards, including two National Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards. The daughter of filmmaker and actress Aparna Sen, she is primarily known for her work in independent films, in addition to working in mainstream films.

<i>Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota</i> 2006 Indian film

Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Naseeruddin Shah. The film stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Ayesha Takia, Jimmy Sheirgill, Paresh Rawal, Boman Irani and Saroj Khan. The film explores four stories which eventually become intertwined with 9/11.

<i>Dosar</i> 2006 Indian film

Dosar is a 2006 Bengali language Indian drama film. It was produced by Arindam Chaudhuri and directed by Rituparno Ghosh. The black-and-white film won the National Film Award – Special Jury Award / Special Mention for the lead role portrayal by Prosenjit Chatterjee. The movie additionally stars Konkona Sen Sharma, who for her part won the Best Actress Award at the New York Film Festival in 2007. The film was premiered in the 60th 2007 Cannes Film Festival in the Les Cinema Du Monde section. The film was a sleeper hit at the box office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranvir Shorey</span> Indian actor

Ranvir Shorey is an Indian actor and former video jockey. Since making his debut in Ek Chhotisi Love Story (2002), he has worked in both mainstream and independent cinema. His commercially successful ventures include Jism (2003), Lakshya (2004), Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), Singh Is Kinng (2008), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Angrezi Medium (2020), and Tiger 3 (2023). He has also starred in the critically acclaimed films such as Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), Traffic Signal and Bheja Fry, Mithya (2008), Titli (2014), and A Death In The Gunj (2016). He was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Sonchiriya (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subrata Sen</span> Indian film director

Subrata Sen, is a Bengali Indian film director, screenwriter, novelist and producer.

<i>Dil Kabaddi</i> 2008 film by Anil Sharma

Dil Kabaddi is an Indian Hindi film directed by debutante Anil Sharma. The film stars Irrfan Khan, Rahul Bose, Konkona Sen Sharma, Soha Ali Khan, Payal Rohatgi, Rahul Khanna, and a special appearance by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalki Koechlin</span> French actress and writer (born 1984)

Kalki Koechlin is a French actress and writer who works in Hindi films. Known for her unconventional body of work, she is the recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award, and two Screen Awards. Although a French citizen, she has been raised and lived most of her life in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shonali Bose</span> Indian film director, writer and film producer

Shonali Bose is an Indian film director, writer and film producer. Having made her feature film debut in 2005, she has since won such accolades as a National Film Award, a Bridgestone Narrative Award, and a Sundance Mahindra Global Filmmaker Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedabrata Pain</span>

Bedabrata Pain is an Indian scientist turned film director, producer and screenwriter. Bedabrata Pain was also a member of the team that invented the CMOS image sensor. Bedabrata Pain has also won National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Chittagong.

<i>Ankur Arora Murder Case</i> 2013 Indian film

Ankur Arora Murder Case is a 2013 Indian Hindi medical thriller film directed by Suhail Tatari and written and produced by Vikram Bhatt. The film stars Arjun Mathur, Tisca Chopra, Kay Kay Menon, Paoli Dam. The film takes up an urgent and disturbing issue of death during surgery and is based on a real-life incident where a boy dies on the operation table due to medical negligence. The shooting of the film started after nearly one year of research, and similarities to real life are in this case, not coincidental. The movie was released on 14 June 2013 and made a profit of 2.5 Crores approximately. It was declared semi hit.

Anindita Bose is an Indian actress in Bengali-language film and television. She started her acting career in television and then moved to the big screen. In 2012 she acted in the film Bhooter Bhabishyat.

<i>Margarita with a Straw</i> 2014 Indian drama film by Shonali Bose

Margarita with a Straw is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Shonali Bose. It stars Kalki Koechlin as an Indian teenager with cerebral palsy who relocates to America for her undergraduate education and comes of age following her complex relationship with a blind girl, played by Sayani Gupta. Revathi, Kuljeet Singh, and William Moseley play supporting roles. Produced by Bose in partnership with Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Margarita with a Straw was co-written by Bose and Nilesh Maniyar. The film deals with the challenging concepts of sexuality, inclusion, self-love, and self-acceptance.

<i>Chaurahen</i> 2007 Indian film

Chaurahen is an Indian drama film directed by Rajshree Ojha, starring Zeenat Aman, Roopa Ganguly, Soha Ali Khan and Kiera Chaplin in the leading roles. The film was based on four short stories of eminent Hindi novelist Nirmal Verma. Shooting was completed in 2007 but the film was shelved due to financial problems. The film was finally released on 16 March 2012 through PVR Pictures.

<i>The Sky Is Pink</i> 2019 Indian film written and directed by Shonali Bose

The Sky Is Pink is a 2019 biographical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Shonali Bose and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Ronnie Screwvala and Priyanka Chopra Jonas under their production companies Roy Kapur Films, RSVP Movies, and Purple Pebble Pictures, respectively, in association with Ivanhoe Pictures. A co-production between India and the United States, the film stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim and Rohit Suresh Saraf, and is based on the true story of Aisha Chaudhary, who suffered from severe combined immunodeficiency and pulmonary fibrosis, and tells the story of her parents Aditi and Niren as they navigate their marriage while dealing with their daughter's illness. The film marked the last film of Wasim's career prior to her retirement from Bollywood.

References

  1. ↑ "Bilkis Bano: 'I Want Justice, Not Revenge, I Want My Daughters to Grow Up in a Safe India'". The Wire. 8 May 2017. Archived from the original on 9 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 Shonali Bose has bagged the Gollapudi Srinivas National Award for her acclaimed debut feature "Amu". The Hindu, 25 March 2005.
  3. ↑ Award-winning film: Amu The Hindu , 15 August 2008.
  4. ↑ Amu Archived 29 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine emergingpictures.com
  5. ↑ Cast Archived 8 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Official site.
  6. 1 2 3 Aamir Khan to unveil Amu DVD - A Film based on '84 Riots Sify, 6 August 2008.
  7. ↑ The Personal Within the Political Archived 24 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine Rachael Saltz (Moview Review), The New York Times, 25 May 2007.
  8. ↑ Reviews - Amu Archived 31 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine , SAWNET - The South Asian Women's NETwork.
  9. 1 2 Movie review - Amu Archived 13 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine Time Out, New York City, May 24–30, 2007.
  10. ↑ If Fahrenheit 9/11 can, so can Amu Archived 16 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine Moview Review by Sumit Bhattacharya, Rediff , 10 January 2005.
  11. ↑ Review [ permanent dead link ] Indiatimes , 6 January 2005.
  12. ↑ `A' for Amu "The Censor Board asked for five audio cuts. Instead of replacing the dialogues we decided to blank out the dialogues," Konkana is the best thing about the movie Business Line, The Hindu Group, 7 January 2005.
  13. ↑ "52nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. pp. 82–83. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  14. ↑ Awards Archived 6 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Official site.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.