Angry Indian Goddesses

Last updated

Angry Indian Goddesses
Angry Indian Goddesses.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Pan Nalin
Written byPan Nalin, Subhadra Mahajan, Arsala Qureishi
Screenplay byPan Nalin
Story byPan Nalin
Produced by Gaurav Dhingra
Pan Nalin
Starring
CinematographySwapnil S. Sonawane
Edited byShreyas Beltangdy
Release dates
  • 18 September 2015 (2015-09-18)(TIFF)
  • 27 November 2015 (2015-11-27)(India)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Angry Indian Goddesses is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Pan Nalin and produced by Gaurav Dhingra and Pan Nalin under the banner of Jungle Book Entertainment. It stars Sandhya Mridul, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Sarah-Jane Dias, Anushka Manchanda, Amrit Maghera, Rajshri Deshpande, and Pavleen Gujral with Adil Hussain. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, where it finished second for the People's Choice Award. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

Freida is a fashion photographer who invites a group of friends to her family's home to announce her marriage. The group consists of Madhurita or Mad, a Bollywood singer, Pamela Jaswal or Pammy, a trophy wife, Suranjana or Su, a businesswoman, and Joanna or Jo, an aspiring actress. Nargis, an activist, later joins the party. The announcement sets off a chain of reactions, letting out hidden secrets from all of the girls. Freida explains that her father will not join her for the wedding, and Mad's boyfriend, who comes looking for her, explains that she is depressed and suicidal. After the announcement, the girls from all over India descend upon Goa. Thus begins an impromptu bachelorette party, and the girls begin to bond.

Everything's set for a night of celebration. There's only one issue: Frieda won't say who her betrothed is. As they banter their way through celebration, their conversation, derived entirely from improvisations among the actors, covers everything from sex to street harassment to the buff (and often shirtless) next-door neighbour.

During the trip, the women are harassed and they react boldly. Their harassers are enraged and they are shaken. As the holiday progresses, we become acquainted with the women's dreams, desires, fears and, above all, their unwavering bond with one another.

Later, the ladies learn that Freida will marry Nargis (which was illegal under the IPC section 377 until 6 September 2018). A night before the marriage, the group decides to have a picnic on the beach. At the picnic, a heated argument between Jo and the rest of the group regarding her accent leads Jo to walk out, but the party continues till late in the night. When they decide to go home, they look about for Jo. She is found dead on the beach, apparently raped. The doctor, who arrives in the ambulance, refuses to remove her before the police come as she is already dead. The police arrive shortly and the police officer in charge conducts his preliminary inquiries in a manner that shames the women, reiterating their lack of faith in a patriarchal society that treats women shabbily. They return home, distraught and frustrated.

Su's daughter Maya had followed Jo when she left the party and took photos of her subsequently. The pictures reveal that it was the group of six men who had harassed the friends earlier that gang raped and killed Jo. Su heads back to the beach with a gun. The rest of the group chases after her. Su shoots 4 of the rapists before Nargis stops her, Mad takes the gun and kills the other two. At Jo's funeral, the group makes a series of sentimental speeches, Nargis' speech summarizing the worth of a woman and hopes that in the next lives of women, they will be able to write their own stories. The police officer interrupts the ceremony, asking for a confession of guilt from the women and wanting them to stand up. The story has an open-ended conclusion, with the entire congregation in the church standing up in solidarity with the women.

Cast

Soundtrack

The film's music was composed by Cyril Morin and produced by Super Cassettes Industries Limited. Song lyrics were written by Raman Negi, Anushka Manchanda, and Dr. Swapnil Salkar.

No.TitleMusicSingers(s)Length
1."Dil Dola Re"Pratichee MohapatraPratichee Mohapatra3:28
2."Aaoge Tum Kabhi"The Local TrainRaman Negi5:13
3."Zindagi"Anushka ManchandaAnushka Manchanda4:20
4."Tinko Ke Sahare"Kary AroraKary Arora3:47
5."Dil Dola Re (Remix)"Pratichee MohapatraPratichee Mohapatra3:45
Total length:20:53

Title sequence

The film's opening title sequence was designed by Plexus, a Mumbai-based VFX and animation studio. The title sequence was named by Artofthetitle.com as one of the top ten title sequences of 2015. [4] The studio's founders and motion graphics artists Vijesh Rajan and Yashoda Parthasarthy were also interviewed by the Artofthetitle.com staff about their process for designing the title sequence. [5] The title sequence was asked to be censored and blurred in its entirety by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for its Indian release. [6] [7]

Release

The film was released in two versions: an international version, and an Indian version. The international version which was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival is not censored and does not have an interval, unlike the Indian version. [8]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 61% based on 18 critics, with an average rating of 5.9/10. [9]

Namrata Joshi of The Hindu wrote "Pavleen Gujral is a revelation and Sarah-Jane Dias shows admirable poise". [10]

Mohar Basu of The Times of India said "Alas, the story is never supported by a solid screenplay. The film's pace is a problem and though things gear up in the second half, it ends as a loopy mess". [11]

Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times was of a different opinion, she stated "Ultimately, Angry Indian Goddesses is a decent watch as long as the fun lasts but tumbles downhill with gathering pace as the 'anger' kicks in". [12]

In the West the film was poorly received by critics. Variety 's Jay Weissberg criticized the director Pan Nalin for "overload[ing] his jaunty wagon with weighty of-the-moment topics that it splinters into dozens of pieces". [13]

Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter was of the same view, he wrote that "[the film's] emphasis on the women's reactions to a variety of discriminatory situations starts to resemble a checklist approach, ticking off situations that cover career challenges, marriage dilemmas and personal relationships". [14]

However, Linda Barnard of the Toronto Star who gave the film a score 2.5 out of 4 stars, called the actresses "Goddesses" who are "crowd pleasers". [15]

Also enjoying the film was Kate Taylor of The Globe and Mail who didn't hesitate to write "It works, partly because the Indian cinema, accustomed to epics encompassing musical, comedy and tragedy, has a sprawling sensibility and partly because the script, for all its sunshine and sentiment, has actually built to its startling conclusion". [16]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mother India</i> 1957 film directed by Mehboob Khan

Mother India is a 1957 Indian epic drama film, directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar. A remake of Khan's earlier film Aurat (1940), it is the story of a poverty-stricken village woman named Radha (Nargis), who in the absence of her husband, struggles to raise her sons and survive against a cunning money-lender amidst many troubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nargis</span> Indian actress (1929–1981)

Nargis Dutt known mononyomusly as Nargis was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the finest and greatest actresses in the history of Indian Cinema, she often portrayed sophisticated and independent women. Nargis' work was in a range of genres, from screwball comedy to literary drama, and earned her various accolades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namrata Singh Gujral</span> American actress

Namrata Singh Gujral is an American filmmaker, motivational speaker and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anushka Shetty</span> Indian actress (born 1981)

Sweety Shetty, known by her stage name Anushka Shetty, is an Indian actress known for her work majorly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards South, two Nandi Awards, two SIIMA Awards and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award. Having appeared over 50 films in a variety of roles, she is one of the highest-paid South Indian actresses. She was honoured with Kalaimamani in 2010 by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah-Jane Dias</span> Indian actress

Sarah-Jane Dias is an Indian actress, TV host, video jockey, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the title of Femina Miss India World in 2007 and represented India at Miss World 2007. She was also a video jockey for Channel V.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anushka Manchanda</span> Indian musical artist (born 1984)

Anushka Manchanda aka Kiss Nuka is a singer, music producer, composer, creative entrepreneur, actor, activist, and former VJ of Indian origin. She came to prominence as a member of the Indipop girl group Viva!. Manchanda and the winner of Khatron ke khiladi 2 and one of the lead actors of the international award-winning film Angry Indian Goddesses. She announced she has adopted the artistic name Kiss Nuka – which stands for Natures Universal Kinectic Attention, with a new vision for a better world She is the music head of Ranveer Singh and Navzar Eranee’s music label IncInk Records along with her younger brother Shikhar Yuvraj Manchanda aka Rākhis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anushka Sharma</span> Indian actress (born 1988)

Anushka Sharma is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Her awards include a Filmfare Award. She has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 in the 2010s and was featured by Forbes Asia in their 30 Under 30 list of 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freida Pinto</span> Indian actress (born 1984)

Freida Selena Pinto is an Indian actress who has appeared mainly in American and British films. Born and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra, she resolved at a young age to become an actress. As a student at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai she took part in amateur plays. After graduation, she briefly worked as a model and then as a television presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pan Nalin</span> Indian film director

Nalin Kumar Pandya, popularly known as Pan Nalin, is an Indian filmmaker, best known for directing award-winning movies like Samsara (2001), Valley of Flowers (2006), Angry Indian Goddesses (2015) and the semi-autobiographical Chhello Show (2021). His debut feature Samsara (Miramax) was worldwide critical and commercial triumph and went on to win awards like Best First Feature Film at Durban International Film Festival, "Grand Jury Prize – Special Mention" at AFI Fest, Special Jury Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival and "Most Popular Feature Film" at Melbourne International Film Festival in 2002. Since then Nalin has been actively making fiction and non-fiction movies which have been coproduced with countries like India, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the USA. Nalin's movies have been distributed worldwide.

<i>1 a Minute</i> 2010 American film

1 a Minute is a 2010 American docudrama film written and directed by Indian American actress Namrata Singh Gujral. It is based on her own life and the lives of other women who suffered from cancer.

<i>Hum Tum Shabana</i> 2011 Indian film

Hum Tum Shabana is a 2011 Indian romantic comedy film. It stars Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade and Minissha Lamba.

<i>Rudhramadevi</i> (film) 2015 Indian film

Rudramadevi is a 2015 Indian Telugu-language 3D biographical action film based on the life of Rudrama Devi, one of the prominent rulers of the Kakatiya dynasty in the Deccan, and one of the few ruling queens in Indian history. The film written and directed by Gunasekhar features Anushka Shetty in a title role as Rudramadevi, alongside an ensemble cast including Allu Arjun, Rana Daggubati, Vikramjeet Virk, Krishnam Raju, Prakash Raj, Suman, Nithya Menen, Adithya, and Catherine Tresa. The film is narrated by Chiranjeevi. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

<i>NH10</i> (film) 2015 film by Navdeep Singh

NH10 is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Navdeep Singh and written by Sudip Sharma. It stars Anushka Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam, Darshan Kumar, and Deepti Naval. NH10 was jointly produced by Clean Slate Filmz, Phantom Films, Eros International and marked the production debut of Sharma. It tells the story of a young couple whose road trip goes away after an encounter with a group of violent criminals. The title refers to the National Highway 10 that connects Delhi to the town of Fazilka in Punjab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Maghera</span> British model and actress

Amy Maghera is a British model and actress, working in Hindi, English and Punjabi films. From 2015 to 2017, she appeared in the British soap opera Hollyoaks as Neeta Kaur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajshri Deshpande</span> Indian actress

Rajshri Deshpande is an Indian actress. She gained international recognition for her performance in Pan Nalin's drama film Angry Indian Goddesses. She then portrayed the title character in Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's Sexy Durga and received critical acclaim for her performance in the Netflix series Sacred Games. In 2023, Deshpande won Best Actress in a Drama Series at the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, for her work in Trial by Fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Local Train</span> Hindi alternative rock band

The Local Train is an Indian rock band formed in Chandigarh in 2008, and based in New Delhi since 2015. The band's current lineup consists of lead guitarist - Paras Thakur, bassist - Ramit Mehra, and drummer and percussionist - Sahil Sarin. In April 2022, the band announced that their vocalist / frontman Raman Negi has left the band.

<i>5 Weddings</i> 2018 American film

5 Weddings is a 2018 American film set in the United States and India. Directed by Namrata Singh Gujral, the film features Nargis Fakhri, Rajkummar Rao, Bo Derek, Candy Clark, Anneliese Van der Pol and Suvinder Vicy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaurav Dhingra</span> Film producer

Gaurav Dhingra is an International film and television producer and film entrepreneur. He is the Founder of Jungle Book Entertainment along with Pan Nalin, director of award-winning films like Samsara and Valley of Flowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jungle Book Entertainment</span>

Jungle Book Studio is an International film and television production company, founded by Gaurav Dhingra and Pan Nalin, who met during the making of Valley of Flowers, in 2005. In November 2012, Gaurav & Nalin decided to collaborate with an objective to produce Globally resonating Indian stories. Jungle Book has since teamed up with eminent international production companies for several of its productions, namely Angry Indian Goddesses, touted as India's first female buddy film, Faith Connections, a documentary that won the Audience Choice Award at IFFLA, and Beyond the Known World, the first official India-New Zealand co-production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pavleen Gujral</span> Indian actress and stage host

Pavleen Gujral is an Indian actress and stage host hailing from Delhi. She is known for her roles in Angry Indian Goddesses, Bhor, City of Dreams, Marzi, Gehraiyaan, Sukhee.

References

  1. Punter, Jennie (18 August 2015). "Sandra Bullock's 'Our Brand Is Crisis,' Robert Redford's 'Truth' to Premiere at Toronto". Variety .
  2. "Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2015 Award Winners" (PDF) (Press release). TIFF. 20 September 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  3. "'Angry Indian Goddesses' will release in late November". DNA India. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  4. Landekic, Lola; Perkins, Will. "Top 10 Title Sequences of 2015". Art Of The Title. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  5. Landekic, Lola; Perkins, Will (12 January 2016). "Angry Indian Goddesses". Art of the Title. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  6. "WATCH: Title Sequence of 'Angry Indian Goddesses' Which Censor Board Didn't Want You To See". F.I.G.H.T C.L.U.B. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  7. "Watch video: All the portions of Angry Indian Goddesses that the Censor Board cut out". TheNewsMinute. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  8. "Angry Indian Goddesses (2015)". Plexus. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  9. "Angry Indian Goddesses (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  10. Joshi, Namrata (6 December 2015). "Girls' night out". The Hindu . Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  11. Basu, Mohar (15 December 2015). "Angry Indian Goddesses". The Times of India . Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  12. Kaushal, Sweta (5 December 2015). "Angry Indian Goddesses review: Nothing angry about this film". Entertainment. Hindustan Times . New Delhi. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  13. Weissberg, Jay (26 October 2015). "Film Review: 'Angry Indian Goddesses'". Variety.
  14. Lowe, Justin (20 April 2016). "'Angry Indian Goddesses': IFFLA Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  15. Barnard, Linda (25 August 2016). "Reel Brief: Mini reviews of Southside With You, A Tale of Love and Darkness, Angry Indian Goddesses, In Order of Disappearance and The Jungle Book (DVD)". Toronto Star . Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  16. Taylor, Kate (12 August 2016). "Women break the rules in Equity and Angry Indian Goddesses". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 18 October 2021.