Mrityudand

Last updated

Mrityudand
Mrityudand.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Prakash Jha [1]
Screenplay byPrakash Jha
Produced byPrakash Jha
Starring Madhuri Dixit
Shabana Azmi
Ayub Khan
Mohan Agashe
Om Puri
Mohan Joshi
CinematographyRajan Kinagi
Rajan Kothari
Edited byPrakash Jha
Music by Anand–Milind
Release date
  • 11 July 1997 (1997-07-11)
Running time
161 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹50 million [2]
Box office₹80 million [3]

Mrityudand (transl.Death Sentence) is an Indian Hindi drama film released in 1997. It was directed and produced by Prakash Jha and stars Madhuri Dixit, Shabana Azmi, Ayub Khan, Mohan Agashe and Om Puri.

Contents

The film is a commentary on the social and the gender injustice. [4] As in his other movies, filmmaker Prakash Jha has focussed on the social problems that plague his native state of Bihar, India, and like his other movies this one straddles the boundary between art film and commercial film. The film also boasted of some semi-classical music, tuned by Anand–Milind and Raghunath Seth and worded by Javed Akhtar. The film was critically acclaimed and is considered to be one of Madhuri Dixit's best performances. [5] [6] [7]

Synopsis

The movie is set in the village of Bilaspur, Bihar in 1996. Its plot starts with the grisly portrayal of a mob killing of two defenseless women, orchestrated by vested interests, and how village power players later evade administrative inquiries into this atrocity. This incident sets the tone for much of the rest of the movie.

The central characters are a young couple, Vinay (Ayub Khan) and Ketki (Madhuri Dixit). They are quickly plunged into the midst of machinations by several powerful and unscrupulous villagers. Foremost among them is contractor Tirpat Singh (Mohan Joshi), a powerful, corrupt and ruthless man who oppresses poor people and especially women with impunity. Vinay too becomes influenced by Tirpat, and under this influence spirals down a dark road of domestic abuse, alcoholism, and selfishness that alienates his loving wife and tears apart the whole family, despite her best efforts to fight this.

The rest of the movie deals with their efforts to break out of this morass, both within their relationship as well as outside of it, and Vinay's and especially Ketki's long, hard, and bloody struggle to confront and defeat the forces of oppression and male domination in the village. [8]

Cast

Soundtrack

  1. "Keh Do Ek Bar Sajana Itna Kyu Pyar Sajna" - Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik
  2. "Raat Maheke To Yun Bhi Hota Hai Chand" - Sadhana Sargam, Hariharan
  3. "Itani Hai Mori Kahani Ke Raja Mai To Ho Gayi Tori Diwani" - Sadhana Sargam
  4. "Kab Se Main Hun Khadi Beech Dhare, Dur Nadiya Ke" - Sadhana Sargam
  5. "Tum Bin Man Ki Bat Adhuri, Din Hai Adhure" - Kumar Sanu, Sadhana Sargam

Release

The film was released on 11 July 1997. It was declared tax-free in theatres of Mumbai. [9]

Mrityudand was invited for the gala premiere at BFI London Film Festival in 1997. [10]

Reception

Anupama Chopra of India Today wrote "Mrityudand is not a great film but it is a good one. It can't match the power of a Thelma & Louise or Mirch Masala but it packs a solid wallop. And in these dumb and dumber times, it is a refreshing change." [11] The reviewer for Screen called the film "a superbly crafted web of intrigue that gets darker and murkier till it reaches horrifying proportions of cruelty and ferociousness" and that it is "passionate, highly articulate, and never confused." They felt that the film "questions the limited definition of woman merely as a wife or a mother, and goes on to show strong women who define themselves as individuals." Commending the acting performances, the reviewer wrote, "While Madhuri is her usual fiery self, Shabana fits perfectly into the role of a woman who chooses to rejuvenate her life ... Mohan Joshi and Mohan Agashe are as detestable and evil as could be. But the greatest surprise of the film is Ayub Khan. He has had the rare opportunity to prove his mettle opposite veteran actresses Madhuri and Shabana, and he has held his own admirably. He is dashing and full of passion, and no way does he seem a novice when it comes to romancing the beautiful Dixit." They concluded writing, "Prakash Jha deserves a pat for the manner in which he treated the film ... Here is a film which not only has something to say, but says it well. There are no hysterical histrionics. There is no hypocrisy and false rhetoric which one finds so often in films which profess to be socially progressive for women. The songs are situational and elegant." [12]


Accolades

List of awards and nominations
AwardCeremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef(s)
Screen Awards 4th Screen Awards Screen Award for Best Actress Madhuri DixitWon [13]
Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress Shabana AzmiWon
Screen Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role Mohan JoshiWon

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madhuri Dixit</span> Indian actress (born 1967)

Madhuri Dixit Nene is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. A leading actress of Indian cinema, she has appeared in over 70 films. Noted by critics for her beauty, dancing skills, and characters, Dixit was credited for singularly paralleling her male contemporaries and leading star vehicles in a male-dominated industry. She was among the country's highest-paid celebrities throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and has featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since its inception in 2012. Her accolades include six Filmfare Awards from a record 17 nominations. In 2008, the Government of India awarded her with Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filmfare Award for Best Actress</span> Award for the best performance by an actress in a leading role

The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise the female performer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954 for the films released in the preceding year 1953.

The Filmfare Best Villain Award was given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise an actor who had delivered an outstanding performance in a negative role. Although the awards started in 1954, this category was first introduced in 1992 and has been marked as obsolete since 2007.

<i>Dil To Pagal Hai</i> 1997 romantic musical film by Yash Chopra

Dil To Pagal Hai, is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film directed by Yash Chopra. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor and Akshay Kumar. It follows the love lives of the members of a musical troupe, in which two dancers get entangled in a love triangle with their choreographer (Khan). The soundtrack was composed by Uttam Singh, and the lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi.

<i>Gangaajal</i> 2003 Indian National award winning film

Gangaajal: The Holy Weapon is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language action crime drama film written, directed, co-produced and edited by Prakash Jha. Featuring an ensemble cast of 87 actors, it revolves around the Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar who takes charge of the fictitious district of Tejpur, Bihar, known for its high crime rate and organised crime carried out by dons Sadhu and Sunder Yadav. Due to the local police's slow response to crimes, residents of the district resort to pouring acid in the eyes of the criminals as an instrument for extrajudicial justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress</span> International Indian Film Academy Award

The IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress is chosen by the viewers and the winner is announced at the ceremony.

<i>Aatank Hi Aatank</i> 1995 Indian film

Aatank Hi Aatank is a 1995 Indian Hindi-language action crime film written, edited and directed by Dilip Shankar. Highly inspired by The Godfather, it stars Rajinikanth in his penultimate Hindi film appearance, Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla and Archana Joglekar.

<i>Mujrim</i> 1989 film by Umesh Mehra

Mujrim (transl. Criminal) is an Indian Hindi-language action film released on 28 June 1989, directed by Umesh Mehra. The film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Madhuri Dixit, and Nutan. It also stars Amrish Puri, Shakti Kapoor, and Gulshan Grover in supporting roles. The film follows the story of Shankar, who is regarded as a criminal by the society after being in jail for ten years since childhood.

<i>Dharavi</i> (film) 1992 Indian film

Dharavi is a 1992 Hindi film, directed and written by Sudhir Mishra.

<i>Aaja Nachle</i> 2007 film by Anil Mehta

Aaja Nachle is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language dance film produced by Aditya Chopra and directed by Anil Mehta. The film stars Madhuri Dixit in her first film in five years after Devdas (2002), alongside Konkona Sen Sharma, Jugal Hansraj, and Kunal Kapoor in pivotal roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayub Khan (actor)</span> Indian television actor (born 1969)

Ayub Khan is an Indian film and television actor. He is the nephew of actor Dilip Kumar.

<i>Daata</i> 1989 film

Daata (transl. Giver) is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by Sultan Ahmed, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Shammi Kapoor, Padmini Kolhapure, Suresh Oberoi, Supriya Pathak, Amrish Puri, Ranjeet, Deepak Parashar, Shafi Inamdar, Saeed Jaffrey and Bharat Bhushan. This movie was an 'average movie' in big cities, but in small cities and in north India, it was a big hit.

<i>Yeh Hai Aashiqui</i> Indian television series

Yeh Hai Aashiqui is an Indian Hindi-language television romance anthology series that premiered on 25 August 2013 on Bindass. It presents dramatisations of the real life love stories created by Vikas Gupta. The show went off air on 7 August 2016 with 4 seasons and 153 episodes.

<i>Patang</i> (film) 1993 Indian Hindi-language drama film

Patang ('Kite') is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Goutam Ghose, starring Shabana Azmi, Shafiq Syed, Om Puri and Rabi Ghosh. It is set in small railway station near Gaya and shows the lives of people in illegal slums near it. The film was shot in Gaya and Manpur in Bihar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apna Bombay Talkies</span> 2013 song for the Hindi film Bombay Talkies, celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema

"Apna Bombay Talkies" is a Hindi song from the 2013 anthology film, Bombay Talkies. Composed by Amit Trivedi, the song is sung by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Sonu Nigam, Kavita Krishnamurti, Sadhana Sargam, Sunidhi Chauhan, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, KK, Sukhwinder Singh, Shilpa Rao, Mohit Chauhan, with lyrics penned by Swanand Kirkire.

References

  1. ↑ The Prakash Jha Chat
  2. ↑ Chopra, Anupama (15 September 1993). "The Madhuri magic". India Today . Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  3. ↑ "Mrityudand". Box Office India . Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  4. ↑ Hip Hip Hurray to Aarakshan: The best of director Prakash Jha [ dead link ]
  5. ↑ "I was told I could only do commercial films". Daily Times. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  6. ↑ Joshi, Sumit. Bollywood through Ages + Affairs of Bollywood Stars Revealed ( Special Edition ). Best Book Reads. ISBN   9781310099786.
  7. ↑ "A Bucket List Of 15 Madhuri Dixit Movies That Will Take You Down Memory Lane!". Women's Web: For Women Who Do. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  8. ↑ Women to the fore
  9. ↑ "Gupt Has a Great Run". Screen. Archived from the original on 6 March 2003. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  10. ↑ "Prakash Jha's 'Chakravyuh' to premiere at London Film Festival". Daily News and Analysis. 27 July 2012.
  11. ↑ Chopra, Anupama (21 July 1997). "Movie review: Mrityudand, starring Shabana Azmi, Madhuri Dixit, Om Puri". India Today.
  12. ↑ "Brave and progressive". Screen. Archived from the original on 23 July 2001. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  13. ↑ "The 4th Screen Award winners for the year 1997 are". Screen India . Indian Express Limited. Archived from the original on 7 January 2004. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
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.