Kaya Taran

Last updated

Kaya Taran
Directed by Sashi Kumar
Screenplay bySashi Kumar
Story by N.S. Madhavan
Produced bySashi Kumar
Starring
CinematographyAshwini Kaul
Edited by A. Sreekar Prasad
Music by Isaac Thomas Kottukapally
Release date
  • 4 December 2004 (2004-12-04)
Running time
107 minutes
Country India
Language Hindi

Kaya Taran (English title: Chrysalis) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Sashi Kumar [1] with Angad Bedi, Seema Biswas, Neelambari Bhattacharya and Neeta Mohindra in the lead roles.

Contents

The film, based on the Malayalam short story When Big Tree Falls by N. S. Madhavan, is set against the backdrop of 2002 Gujarat riots against Muslims and 1984 anti-Sikh riots. [2]

The film won the Aravindan Puraskaram , given to the best debut film-maker, for 2004, for its "deft handling of a theme of contemporary relevance through sensitive imageries, carefully orchestrated sound design and finely etched characters." [3]

Two prominent journalists who covered the '84 riots, Rahul Bedi and Joseph Maliakan, played themselves in the film. [4] Well-known dancer and choreographer Chandralekha choreographed a dance-sequence in the film performed among others by the noted Bharatanatyam dancer Navtej Johar. [5]

Plot

Preet is a shy young journalist visiting a convent for aged nuns in Meerut to do a story on conversions. His meeting with Sister Agatha, a Malayalee nun who manages the convent, rekindles the memories of an incident that took place in the convent way back in 1984, taking the narrative in the flashback. A young Sikh woman, Amarjeet Kaur, along with her 8-year-old son Jaggi, escaping from marauding rioters seeks refuge in the convent. The nuns give them a place to hide making the mother wear nun's robes and cutting the boy's long hair to conceal their identities. The young boy gradually settles in and becomes part of the convent life giving the nuns something to look forward to in their staid daily routine. The nuns refuse to give in to constant threats from the pursuers plotting Amarjeet's and Jaggi's escape. The plot moves to and for in time to reveal how Preet makes peace with his troubled past while re-claiming the outward symbol of his identity. The film concludes showing Preet wearing a turban. [6] [7]

Cast

Reception

Praising Sashi Kumar's subtle handling, Soumya Menon wrote in India Times, "Instead of the high-pitched Hindu-Muslim divide, he decided to stage the dilemmas of conversion on the reverberations that followed in the wake of massacre of the Sikh community. Nor did he draw on the horror and gore of the riots or the Khalistan movement to add spice. Sashi instead introspects into the epistemology of communal conversions and questions the relevance of the very religious identity that sparks such anger and outrage." [6]

Nirupama Dutt writing in The Tribune called it "poetic translation on celluloid of N.S. Madhavan’s story." [9]

"The techno-magical potential of cinema gets full play in Kaya Taran," wrote Sadanand Menon reviewing the film in The Hindu, while praising it for striking "a fine balance between menace and tenderness". [10]

Amit Sengupta writing in Tehelka called it a "surrealist film" praising "nuanced performance" by Seema Biswas, Angad Bedi, Neelambari Bhattacharya and the women in the old women’s home. "Even those who are speechless, excel in their silence," he wrote. [11]

Related Research Articles

Events in the year 1983 in the Republic of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Angad</span> Second Sikh guru from 1539 to 1552

Guru Angad was the second of the ten Sikh gurus of Sikhism. After meeting Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, becoming a Sikh, and serving and working with Nanak for many years, Nanak gave Lehna the name Angad, and chose Angad as the second Sikh Guru.

<i>Minsara Kanavu</i> 1997 film by Rajiv Menon

Minsara Kanavu is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic comedy film that was co-written and directed by Rajiv Menon. The film stars Arvind Swamy, Prabhu Deva, and Kajol in her Tamil debut, and revolves around Priya (Kajol), a convent student who wants to become a nun. Having returned to India from his studies overseas, Thomas (Swamy)—Priya's childhood friend—falls in love with her following their first meeting at her convent. With the help of hairstylist Deva, who is known for his ability to change woman's minds, Thomas tries to dissuade Priya from her ambition but Deva instead falls in love with her.

<i>Jay Jay</i> 2003 Indian film

Jay Jay is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Saran . The film stars R. Madhavan, Amogha and Pooja, while Kalabhavan Mani, Charle, Dhamu and Malavika Avinash also play key supporting roles. Produced by V. Ravichandran of Oscar Films, the film had music scored by Bharadwaj and is based on Hollywood film Serendipity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence School, Lovedale</span> Public school in Tamil Nadu, India

The Lawrence School, Lovedale, is a co-educational private boarding school located at Lovedale, which is a little town on the Nilgiri Mountains in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

<i>Black Friday</i> (2004 film) 2004 film by Anurag Kashyap

Black Friday is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language crime film written and directed by Anurag Kashyap. Based on Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts, a book by Hussain Zaidi about the 1993 Bombay bombings, it chronicles the events that led to the blasts and the subsequent police investigation. Produced by Arindam Mitra of Mid-Day, the film stars Pawan Malhotra, Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastava, Kishor Kadam and Zakir Hussain.

<i>Baghban</i> (2003 film) 2003 film by Ravi Chopra

Baghban (transl. Gardener) is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Ravi Chopra, co-written and produced by B. R. Chopra. It tells the story of an elderly couple, Raj and Pooja, who have been married for 40 years. After Raj retires, they reunite with their four sons to discuss who will support them. None of the sons want to take care of both parents, causing Raj and Pooja to live separately. The plot of the movie is loosely inspired by the 1937 movie Make way for tomorrow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madan Gopal Singh</span> Indian screenwriter

Madan Gopal Singh is an Indian composer, singer, lyricist, actor, screenwriter, film theorist, editor and polyglot. He is currently Senior Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi while on leave from Satyawati College, where he taught English literature. Son of well-known Punjabi poet Harbhajan Singh, Madan Gopal Singh has written and lectured extensively on cinema, art and cultural history besides performing the world over as a singer with his ensemble Chaar yaar.

<i>Pinjar</i> (film) 2003 Indian film

Pinjar is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language historical drama film directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi. The film revolves around the Hindu-Muslim problems during the partition of India and is based on a Punjabi novel of the same name, written by Amrita Pritam. Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpayee and Sanjay Suri portray the lead roles. Besides critical acclaim, the film also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration and Special Jury Award for Bajpayee.

<i>Iyarkai</i> 2003 film by S. P. Jananathan

Iyarkai is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by S. P. Jananathan in his directorial debut. The film stars Shaam and Radhika. Arun Vijay—who at the time was known as Arun Kumar—makes a cameo appearance and Bollywood actor Seema Biswas plays a supporting role. Iyarkai marks the debuts of Radhika and Biswas in Tamil cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angad Bedi</span> Indian film actor and model (born 1983)

Angad Singh Bedi is an Indian actor and former model. He made his debut with Kaya Taran in 2004, an adaptation of a Malayalam short story by N. S. Madhavan, Vanmarangal Veezhumpol . He has acted in the film F.A.L.T.U in 2011 and known for his roles in Pink (2016), Dear Zindagi (2016) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinay Pathak</span> Indian film actor (born 1968)

Vinay Pathak is an Indian theater and film actor. He has starred in many films including Khosla Ka Ghosla,Bheja Fry,Island City and Johnny Gaddaar and had a supporting role in movies like Jism, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and My Name is Khan.

Religious violence in India includes acts of violence by followers of one religious group against followers and institutions of another religious group, often in the form of rioting. Religious violence in India has generally involved Hindus and Muslims.

<i>Chandralekha</i> (1948 film) Indian film by S. S. Vasan

Chandralekha is a 1948 Indian historical adventure film produced and directed by S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios. Starring T. R. Rajakumari, M. K. Radha and Ranjan, the film follows two brothers who fight over ruling their father's kingdom and marrying a village dancer, Chandralekha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 anti-Sikh riots</span> Series of organised pogroms in India

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the 1984 Sikh massacre, was a series of organised pogroms against Sikhs in India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Government estimates project that about 2,800 Sikhs were killed in Delhi and 3,350 nationwide, whilst other sources estimate the number of deaths at about 8,000–17,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sashi Kumar</span> Indian journalist, film maker

Sashi Kumar is an Indian journalist. He set up the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai, which was administered by the Media Development Foundation which he had founded.

Sree Rama Varma High School, officially Sree Rama Varma Govt Model Higher Secondary School and popularly known as SRV High School) is the largest government-owned school in Kochi, Kerala, India. It was founded by the Kochi Royal family as the English Elementary School in 1845. The school was later named after King Rama Varma of the founding Kochi Royal family. After the independence of India from British rule in 1947, and the reorganization of the states of India in 1956, the school was handed over to the Government of Kerala, which now owns and operates it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakul Preet Singh</span> Indian actress (born 1990)

Rakul Preet Singh is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil films. She has won several awards including a South Indian International Movie Award, in addition to four nominations at the Filmfare Awards South.

<i>Soorma</i> (film) 2018 Indian film

Soorma is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film based on the life of hockey player Sandeep Singh. Directed by Shaad Ali and produced by Sony Pictures Networks India and C.S. Films, the film stars Diljit Dosanjh, Angad Bedi and Taapsee Pannu in lead roles. It was released theatrically on 13 July 2018.

References

  1. ↑ Schwartz, Daniel (24 June 2011). "Beyond Bollywood: India's gritty independent cinema". CBC News.
  2. ↑ "When the big tree fell". The Hindu . 23 August 2004. Archived from the original on 27 September 2004. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Aravindan Prize for 'Kaya Taran'". The Hindu . 25 February 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2015.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Bishen Singh Bedi's son Angad to debut with 'Kaya Taran'". santabanta.com. 31 January 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "Chandralekha-Choreography". Kayataran.com. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Exorcising Ghosts of the Past". Indiatimes. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Kaya Taran". Chaosmag. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Donning the role of a director - Deccan Herald". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  9. ↑ "Love in the times of riots". The Tribune. 25 July 2004. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "Big trees, little shoots". The Hindu . 16 July 2004. Retrieved 21 July 2015.[ dead link ]
  11. ↑ "Memory of fear revisited". Tehelka. 4 September 2004. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
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.