City of Gold (2010 film)

Last updated

City of Gold - Mumbai 1982: Ek Ankahee Kahani
City of Gold (2010 film) poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mahesh Manjrekar
Screenplay by Mahesh Manjrekar
Jayant Pawar
Story byJayant Pawar
Produced byArun Rangachari
Starring Ankush Chaudhari
Siddharth Jadhav
Sachin Khedekar
Sameer Dharmadhikari
Karan Patel
CinematographyAjith V. Reddy
Edited bySarvesh Parab
Music by Ajit Parab
Production
company
Release date
  • 23 April 2010 (2010-04-23)
CountryIndia
LanguagesHindi
Marathi

City of Gold is a 2010 Indian political thriller film. The film was Mahesh Manjrekar's 17th film, having previously directed critically acclaimed films such as Astitva and Viruddh... Family Comes First . It was adapted from Jayant Pawar's Marathi play, Adhantar, with Pawar going on to co-write the film's screenplay. [1] The film explores the life of Mumbai's mill workers after the Mumbai mills shut down in response to the Great Bombay Textile Strike of the early 1980s. [2] [3]

Contents

The film opened to mixed reviews, though it was commended for its themes and acting. [4] [5]

It was simultaneously shot in Marathi as Lalbaug Parel, while the Hindi version was released as City of Gold. [6]

Plot

The film is the story of a family of mill workers in Mumbai. It follows the workers as politics and greed rise in Mumbai and exposes the collusion between the triumvirate of big business, the political establishment, and the trade union leaders who ostensibly were charged with protecting the rights of the mill workers.

Baba Dhudu narrates his story to his fiance. He is the son of a mill worker and has two brothers, Naru and Mohan, and a sister, Manju. Along with his parents, they stay in a congested locality of Parel. Mohan has a regular job as an accountant, while Naru and Baba are jobless. Naru is a local strongman and bashes anyone who crosses him or his friends. Baba aspires to be a professional playwright and spends time in writing, which his family despises as this does not bring any income for the family. His father is retired from the mill and fighting for his retirement dues from the mill, which is on the verge of closing down. The mill is managed by the son-in-law of the owner, Mr. Khaitan, who is a very hard-nosed, selfish person. His aim is the close-down of the mill and establishing a real estate business over the mill land, which is worth gold in today's market. In order to convert the mill into a commercial complex, he needs a NOC from the mill workers as well as their resignation letters. Mill workers are adamant over their dues and are not willing to sacrifice their jobs. Rane and Govind are their leaders, and Dr. Sawant is the union leader and fights the legal battle for the mill workers. Govind is short-tempered and always willing to physically fight with the owners, while Rane is practical and feels legal recourse is the best way to get justice.

The mill workers are fighting for dues of six months, and one fine day it is announced that the mill would be closed down. Mill workers go on strike, and a local politician becomes involved.

Meanwhile, Naru gets involved with local don Parshya Bhai and starts running errands for him along with his friends. Mohan, who is a hardcore cricket buff, one fine day siphons off Rs. 25,000 from his company to bet on a match, which he loses. Baba rescues him from the police after settling the dues by selling his kidney, unknown to his family. Manju becomes pregnant and is distraught when she discovers that her lover is already married. Her father gets a paralytic attack due to this and is bedridden. He requests Rane to marry his daughter, which he accepts.

The local politician intervenes, and mill workers agree to give NOC but not resignation, and it is decided that a part of the mill would be restored. But the very night when the mill is supposed to resume, it is blown away by an explosion, presumably by the owner. Now nothing in hand, the mill workers sit on a strike. Things go from bad to worse, and they start selling off their personal possessions to survive. Some of the ladies get into prostitution, while kids get into mugging. There is a constant face-off between owners and mill workers. In a fit of rage one fine day, Govind assaults the brother-in-law of the owner. He is enraged at this action and hires Parshya Bhai to kill Govind. Parshya Bhai assigns the task to Naru but does not tell him who the target is. Naru shoots Govind dead, only to realise later that he has shot down the father of his best friend, 'Speedbreaker'. Naru goes into hiding. Later, his father dies out of shock at the news. Naru later confronts Parshya Bhai, who tricked him by not paying his share of the contract. He kills him with the help of his friends. Naru is in turn killed by Speedbreaker, and he takes over the gang of Parshya Bhai. The mill owner finally comes up with some cash, and the mill workers give in and agree to sign required legal documents for a very small part of their original compensation.

Rane is distraught that just as the court is about to give its verdict, the owners have tricked them, taking advantage of their desperate situation.

Sometime later, Baba finally achieves his dream of becoming a professional playwright and is about to take his mother to the first show of his play. His mother is overwhelmed by his success, and after a long, hard life, she finally sees some hope. When she reads his name in the newspaper, she dies out of shock.

Baba finishes his narration and takes his fiance to meet all the characters he had narrated in his story. Rane is still delusional that he will win the legal battle; the rest of them have got their lives back on track, and Speedbreaker runs his gang along with his friends.

Production

The director of the film Mahesh Manjrekar writes in the director notes:

"When I took a sabbatical from Hindi cinema close to four years ago, I promised myself that if and only if an exceptional subject came my way would I venture back to do a Hindi film. Lalbaug Parel is that subject."

After completing the script in 2007, Manjrekar decided to wait until he could find a producer who would be willing to do a film without musical numbers. Eventually, DAR Motion Pictures produced the film.

After the film's release the family of Dutta Samant served Mahesh Manjrekar with legal notice, claiming that the film wrongly placed the blame for the mills' closure on Samant. They also objected to Manjrekar's portrayal of the mill workers' children, saying they were shown as "goons". [7]

Cast

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Tuzya girnicha vajude bhonga – Laavani Dance"3:07

Related Research Articles

Arun Gulab Gawli also known as Arun Gulab Ahir, is an Indian politician, underworld don and retired gangster. Gawli and his brother Kishor (Pappa) entered the Mumbai underworld in the 1970s, when they joined the "Byculla Company", a criminal gang led by Rama Naik and Babu Reshim, operating in the central Mumbai areas of Byculla, Parel and Saat Rasta. In 1988, after Rama Naik was killed in a police encounter, Gawli took over the gang and began operating it from his residence, Dagdi Chawl. Under his control, the gang controlled most criminal activities in the central Mumbai areas. Throughout the late eighties and nineties, Gawli's gang was involved in a power struggle with Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company gang. Gawli is also the founder of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena political party based in Maharashtra.

<i>Vaastav: The Reality</i> 1999 Indian film directed by Mahesh Manjrekar

Vaastav: The Reality is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language action film written and directed by Mahesh Manjrekar in his directorial debut, and starring Sanjay Dutt, Namrata Shirodkar, and Sanjay Narvekar in lead roles, with Mohnish Behl, Paresh Rawal, Reema Lagoo and Shivaji Satam in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahesh Manjrekar</span> Indian director and actor (born 1958)

Mahesh Vaman Manjrekar is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, alongside Marathi, Telugu and Bhojpuri films. He is credited with directing the critically acclaimed films Vaastav: The Reality (1999), Astitva (2000) and Viruddh... Family Comes First (2005). He has won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi for Astitva and two Star Screen Awards. He is also known as host of the reality show, Bigg Boss Marathi since 2018.

<i>Hathyar</i> (2002 film) 2002 Indian film

Hathyar: Face to Face with Reality is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language action crime thriller film directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. The film is a sequel to Vaastav (1999). It stars Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa Shetty and Sharad Kapoor. Hathyar begins where Vaastav had ended and focuses on the son of Raghu bhai, Boxer bhai, also played by Dutt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutta Samant</span> Indian politician and trade union leader

Dattatray Samant, also known as Datta Samant, and popularly referred to as Doctorsaheb, was an Indian politician and trade union leader, who is noted for leading 200–300 thousand textile mill workers in the city of Bombay on a year-long strike in 1982, which triggered the closure of most of the textile mills in the city.

<i>Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav</i> 2005 Indian film

Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. Starring Sunil Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar Johnny Lever, Sharat Saxena and Gulshan Grover in supporting roles. The title, which comprises the names of the four lead characters, is meant to be a pun on Lalu Prasad Yadav, an Indian politician. A portion of the film was shot in South Africa.

<i>Wanted</i> (2009 film) 2009 Hindi film by Prabhu Deva

Wanted is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Prabhu Deva and produced by Boney Kapoor. The film, a remake of Telugu film Pokiri, stars Salman Khan, alongside Prakash Raj, Ayesha Takia, Vinod Khanna, Mahesh Manjrekar with Prabhu Deva, Govinda and Anil Kapoor make special appearances. The soundtrack was composed by Sajid–Wajid, while the musical score was handled by Salim–Sulaiman. The cinematography and editing were handled by Nirav Shah & Sethu Sriram and Dilip Deo.

<i>Plan</i> (film) 2004 Indian film

Plan is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film, starring Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra, Dino Morea, Sameera Reddy and Mahesh Manjrekar. It was produced by Sanjay Gupta and directed by Hriday Shetty. The film was a rage and did exceptionally well at the single screens of India whilst performing well at the multiplex cinemas. Overall, the film was given a verdict of average. Released on 9 January 2004, this film is loosely based on the 1997 Hollywood comedy Suicide Kings.

<i>Praan Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye</i> 2003 Indian film

Praan Jaaye Par Shaan Na Jaaye is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language black comedy film directed by Sanjay Jha which depicts various aspects of chawl culture in Mumbai. It was inspired by the Malayalam film Vietnam Colony. This film was co-produced by Raj Lalchandani, Mahesh Manjrekar, Asoo Nihlani and Sagoon Wagh. The film stars Aman Verma and Rinke Khanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girangaon</span> Area in Mumbai, India

Girangaon was a name of an area now part of central Mumbai, India, which at one time had almost 130 textile mills, with the majority being cotton mills. The mills of Girangaon contributed significantly to the prosperity and growth of Mumbai during the later nineteenth century and for the transformation of Mumbai into a major industrial metropolis. Girangaon covered an area of 600 acres (2.4 km2), not including the workers' housing. The mill workers lived in a community, and they fostered a unique culture which shaped Mumbai at the turn of the twentieth century. This textile industry flourished until the early 2000s after which most of the mills were shut down, as the owners deemed them unprofitable and declared they were incapable of paying their workers' wages.

<i>Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho</i> 2010 Indian film

Shikshanacha Aaicha Gho is a 2010 Indian Marathi film directed by Mahesh Manjrekar starring Sachin Khedekar, Bharat Jadhav, Saksham Kulkarni, Gauri Vaidya, Siddharth Jadhav and Kranti Redkar. The film was released on 15 January 2010. The film's music was composed by the trio Ajit-Atul-Sameer. After Astitva with 10-year gap Mahesh Manjrekar directed the Marathi film. This film was later remade in Tamil and Telugu as Dhoni, in Bengali as Chalo Paltai and in Punjabi as Son of Manjeet Singh.

<i>Fakta Ladh Mhana</i> 2011 Indian film

Fakta Ladh Mhana is a multistarar 2011 Indian Marathi-language action-thriller film directed by Sanjay Jadhav. It is produced and written by Mahesh Manjrekar. The film is led by Aniket Vishwasrao, Siddharth Jadhav, Sanjay Narvekar, Santosh Juvekar, Bharat Jadhav, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar and Vaibhav Mangle. It is notable for being one of the costliest Marathi film.

<i>Kaksparsh</i> 2012 Indian film

Kaksparsh is a 2012 Indian Marathi period drama film directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and produced by Aniruddha Deshpande and Medha Manjrekar. The film stars Sachin Khedekar, Priya Bapat, Medha Manjrekar, Savita Malpekar and Ketaki Mategaonkar. Based on a short story by Usha Datar by the same name, the film depicts the tumultuous events in a Chitpavan Brahmin family, set around 1930–1950 in Konkan. The film was a commercial success and got critical acclaim for its direction, screenplay by Girish Joshi and also for the performances by its actors, especially Khedekar for his portrayal of Hari Damle as a head of the family.

Vinay Apte was an Indian film and television actor. He acted in several Marathi movies and television shows in his almost 40-year-old career. He has also acted in Hindi movies such as Chandni Bar, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, It's Breaking News, Satyagraha and Rajneeti.

<i>Mumbai Saga</i> 2021 Indian action film directed by Sanjay Gupta

Mumbai Saga is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language action crime film directed by Sanjay Gupta and produced by T-Series. It features an ensemble cast of John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Kajal Aggarwal, Mahesh Manjrekar, Rohit Roy, Anjana Sukhani, Prateik Babbar, Samir Soni, Amole Gupte and Gulshan Grover. Set in the '80s and '90s, Mumbai Saga shows changing phases of Mumbai by closing mills to make malls and high-rise buildings.

<i>Badsha – The Don</i> 2016 Bengali film by Baba Yadav

Badsha – The Don is a 2016 Indian-Bangladeshi action comedy film directed by Baba Yadav. It was produced by Eskay Movies and Jaaz Multimedia. It is a remake of the 2010 Telugu movie Don Seenu starring Ravi Teja. The film stars Indian Bengali film actor Jeet and Bangladeshi television host and film actress Nusrat Faria. It is the third collaboration between Baba Yadav and Jeet after Boss: Born to Rule (2013) and Game (2014).

<i>Juna Furniture</i> 2024 Indian film

Juna Furniture is a 2024 Indian Marathi-language drama film written and directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, who is featured in the leading role. Other cast included Medha Manjrekar, Bhushan Pradhan, Anusha Dandekar, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Sachin Khedekar, and Upendra Limaye in pivotal roles. It is produced by Yatin Jadhav under the banner of Skylink Entertainment.

References

  1. ↑ "Mill workers will relive 1982 strike on silver screen | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. 3 April 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  2. ↑ Masand, Rajeev (24 April 2010). "Masand: Lalbaug Parel is hard-hitting". CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  3. ↑ "Subhash K. Jha speaks about Lalbaug Parel". Bollywood Hungama . 24 April 2010.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Film Review: Lalbaug Parel". Live Mint. 24 April 2010.
  5. ↑ "Anupama Chopra's review: Lalbaug Parel". NDTV. 23 April 2010. Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  6. ↑ Parande, Shweta (8 April 2010). "I don't fear failure: Mahesh Manjrekar". IBN. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Filmmaker Manjrekar Gets Notice on 'Lalbaug-Parel'". Outlook India. 20 April 2010. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
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.