Qissa (film)

Last updated

Qissa
Qissa Vertical Poster.jpg
Film Poster
Directed by Anup Singh
Written byAnup Singh
Madhuja Mukherjee
Produced byJohannes Rexin
Bettina Brokemper
Starring Irrfan Khan
Tillotama Shome
Tisca Chopra
CinematographySebastian Edschmid
Edited byBernd Euscher
Music byBeatrice Thiriet
Manish J Tipu
Release dates
  • 8 September 2013 (2013-09-08)(TIFF)
  • 10 July 2014 (2014-07-10)(Germany)
  • 20 February 2015 (2015-02-20)(India)
Running time
110 minutes
CountriesIndia
Germany
France
Netherlands
LanguagesPunjabi, German, French & Dutch

Qissa is a 2013 Indian-German drama film written and directed by Anup Singh. The Punjabi-language film was released in Indian theaters on 20 February 2015 nationwide and simultaneously on DVD and VOD as well. [1] The film was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival [2] [3] where it won the Netpac Award for World or International Asian Film. [4] The theme of the film focuses on desire of a Sikh man towards having a son to continue the family lineage.

Contents

Plot

During the Partition of India in 1947, a Sikh Punjabi named Umber Singh evacuates his house with his wife Mehar and three daughters. He is disgruntled at the fact that he does not have a son to carry on his family lineage which is assumed to be carried forward by the males of the next generation. He tells his wife that he is confident the next child will be a boy, but Mehar is unsure and fearful that if she has another girl, Umber will leave her. During the birth of their fourth child, Umber takes the child from the womb and declares with happiness that it is a boy. Mehar checks the gender of the child and realizes the child is in fact a girl. Umber is declaring child to be a male because of his strong desire to have a son. She tells Umber that it is better to kill the girl child than enforcing his desire for a son on the child. Umber ignores her and happily, in his own denial, declares the new child a boy named Kanwar Singh.

Umber fosters Kanwar as a son and wants her to gain strength, endurance and the ability to shoot a gun like a son. Kanwar has lapses of normal behavior for a girl, including crying, giggling and having her first period, which her father tries hard to repress and ignore. One time, when Kanwar goes out to play with her sisters, they end up fighting and Kanwar falls to the ground and breaks her leg. Once home and given proper medical treatment, Umber is blindingly furious at his three daughters for hurting his only "son". He drags his daughters off the bed and starts beating them mercilessly, but his wife Mehar comes in to stop him and tells him to get out. Umber declares if anything happens to his "son", he will cut his daughters to pieces.

Once Kanwar becomes a fully functioning "man", after having her turban ceremony, she starts to converse with a girl named Neeli, who is the daughter of one of Umber's close friends. Kanwar and Neeli tease each other and kid around over the course of several weeks. In one instance, they fool around near the woods, where Kanwar tries to lock Neeli in a shed. She escapes and they both wrestle each other. Umber oversees this and sees his "son"'s happiness and asks Neeli's father for Neeli's hand in marriage to marry Kanwar. Soon, after the wedding ceremony, Neeli learns that Kanwar does not have a penis, though she doesn't know that he is actually a girl. Umber tells her that Kanwar had an 'accident' when he was younger. Neeli is disheartened knowing that she will never be able to have children with Kanwar. During one night, Neeli packs her bags and tries to escape her marriage. Umber spots her and pleads for her to come back. When she refuses, Umber wrestles her to the ground and attempts to rape her. Kanwar hears the commotion and comes outside to see her father trying to rape Neeli. Kanwar cries, trying to stop her father, but Umber tells her "it is the only way to have a son in the family". Umber promises Kanwar that if he leaves and lets Umber rape Neeli, they will have a son. Kanwar leaves in a fit of rage, but comes back carrying a shotgun, which he uses to shoot Umber in the back, killing him.

After the funeral of Umber, Mehar forces Kanwar and Neeli to run away and start a new life together in her father's abandoned house and never to come back. Neeli and Kanwar profess their affection and accept the love they have towards each other, but hiding Kanwar's gender from all others. As they continue to live together as women, Neeli helps Kanwar shed the manhood her father forced on her and embrace the fact that she is biologically a woman.

After some time, Kanwar decides to go and bring her mother to their new home. When she arrives, she sees that their house has been burned down and her mother and two sisters have died in the fire. The only person left is her eldest sister, Baali, who has gone mentally insane and talks about "making Umber's dinner and cleaning Umber's room". As Kanwar explores the house, she sees her father's spirit in the mirror. The unsatisfied spirit of Umber continues to haunt Kanwar all the way back home. Umber tells Kanwar that they must make things right. Kanwar is haunted in her dreams by Umber and on Lohri night, Kanwar yells out the window to her father that she wants to pretend to be a man as per his desire but her womanhood is beyond her control now and she is failing to control that. Kanwar strips naked and professes her womanhood. The town's people hear this and are extremely disproving. They attempt to break into the house. Neeli tells Kanwar to go and not to come back otherwise they will both get killed. Kanwar leaves again and as she wanders through the desert she sees her father. Broken and at her wits end, Kanwar submits to her father's spirit who drowns her in an oasis. Umber goes to the village to call Neeli, where he masquerades as being Kanwar and removes his shirt off in front of the disputing villagers (to evince his masculinity); and later brings Neeli to the burned down house in which Kanwar's family used to live. He tells her that he will start the life once again and build everything afresh just like he did when he migrated from Pakistan. Neeli commits suicide by falling off the top balcony, leaving Umber by himself, wandering as a lost soul with his unfulfilled desire to have a son to carry his family lineage. [2] [5]

Cast

Reception

The film received positive reviews from film critics as well as audience. It received a 7.3 out of 10 rating based on 16 reviews on ReviewMonk, an Indian film review aggregating site (similar to MetaCritic). The critics consensus was "A masterpiece that lovers of parallel cinema would thoroughly enjoy. This unconventional and heart-breaking folk tale captures human emotions unlike any other recent Indian film." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gayatri Devi</span> Maharani of Jaipur and Indian politician (1919–2009)

Gayatri Devi was the third Maharani consort of Jaipur from 1940 to 1949 through her marriage to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. Following her husband's signature for the Jaipur State to become part of the Union of India and her step-son's assumption of the title in 1970, she was known as Maharani Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Jaipur.

<i>Deewana</i> (1992 film) 1992 Indian film by Raj Kanwar

Deewana is a 1992 Indian Hindi-language romantic action drama film directed by Raj Kanwar and written by Sagar Sarhadi. It stars Rishi Kapoor, Divya Bharti, and Shah Rukh Khan in his debut. The film revolves around an effervescent girl Kaajal (Bharti), depicting her travails as a widow after the disappearance of her husband Ravi (Kapoor) and how her obsessive lover Raja (Khan) wins her over.

<i>Humko Deewana Kar Gaye</i> 2006 Indian film

Humko Deewana Kar Gaye is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Raj Kanwar, produced by Raj Kanwar, Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar and starring Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu, and Anil Kapoor in lead roles. Bhagyashree, Vivek Shauq, Shernaz Patel and Manoj Joshi also star in supporting roles. The film was produced by the Indian music company, T-Series and Inderjit Films Combine. The movie's score and soundtrack were composed by Anu Malik, while Himesh Reshammiya was invited as a guest composer to compose only one song. with lyrics by Sameer. The film was released on 14 April 2006. The music of the film was released on 4 February 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sohni Mahiwal</span> Tragic romance of Sindh and Punjab

Sohni Mahiwal or Suhni Mehar is one of the seven popular tragic romances of Sindh. The other six are Umar Marvi, Momal Rano, Sassui Punnhun, Lilan Chanesar, Sorath Rai Diyach, and Noori Jam Tamachi. In Punjab, it is four of the most popular romances. The other three are Heer Ranjha, Sassui Punnhun and Mirza Sahiban.

<i>Raja Babu</i> (film) 1994 Indian Hindi language film by David Dhawan

Raja Babu is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language melodrama comedy film directed by David Dhawan. It stars Govinda, Karisma Kapoor, Shakti Kapoor, Kadar Khan, Aruna Irani, Prem Chopra and Gulshan Grover, with music by Anand–Milind and lyrics by Sameer. The film was inspired from the 1992 Tamil film Rasukutty.

<i>Dhai Akshar Prem Ke</i> 2000 film by Raj Kanwar

Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film. It was the first of seven films which starred real-life couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. The film is a remake of the 1995 Hollywood film A Walk in the Clouds, which itself is a remake of the 1942 Italian film Quattro passi fra le nuvole. The movie did not do well critically and commercially, but the soundtrack of the film became very popular.

<i>Ab Ke Baras</i> 2002 Indian film

Ab Ke Baras is a 2002 Indian Hindi language action romance film. It had launched the career of the two newcomers, Amrita Rao and Arya Babbar.

<i>Rang</i> (1993 film) 1993 Indian film

Rang is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language romance film, produced by Mansoor Ahmed Siddiqui under the ANAS Films banner and directed by Talat Jani. It stars Divya Bharti, Kamal Sadanah and Ayesha Jhulka, with Jeetendra, Amrita Singh, Kader Khan and Bindu portraying other pivotal roles. In the film, Pooja (Jhulka) and Kajal (Bharti), being unaware of their real identities, fall in love with Yogi (Sadanah). But, upon learning about their connection, one of them decides to sacrifice for the other, while also trying to reunite their family.

<i>Rajput</i> (film) 1982 Indian film

Rajput is a 1982 Hindi romantic action film starring Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini, Tina Munim and Ranjeeta Kaur. It was directed by Vijay Anand. The film took many years for its completion. As per Boxofficeindia.com, it was the ninth highest-grossing film of 1982.

<i>Neeli Aankhen</i> 2008 Indian TV series or programme

Neeli Aankhen is an Indian television supernatural series based on the concept of wishful female serpent. The series premiered on 9 February 2008 on Sahara One.

<i>Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo</i> Indian television series

Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo is an Indian television series. It premiered on 16 March 2009 on Zee TV. It starred Ratan Rajput, Abhishek Rawat, Sudesh Berry, Mukul Harish, Richa Mukherjee, Dipika Kakar, Aditya Lakhia, Roopa Ganguly and Sukirti Kandpal. The show was produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary of Swastik Pictures.

<i>Darling</i> (2010 film) 2010 Indian film

Darling is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by A. Karunakaran. It is produced by B. V. S. N. Prasad under his studio Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra. The film stars Prabhas and Kajal Aggarwal. The music is composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar.

<i>Dil Se Di Dua... Saubhagyavati Bhava?</i> Indian social drama television series

Dil Se Di Dua... Saubhagyavati Bhava? was an Indian Hindi-language Psychological thriller television series. Produced by UTV Software Communications and Trishula Productions, it aired on Life OK from December 2011 to January 2013. It starred Sriti Jha, Harshad Chopda and Karanvir Bohra.

Chann Pardesi is a Punjabi language film released in 1981. It was directed by Chitrarth Singh and starred Raj Babbar, Rama Vij, Amrish Puri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Om Puri. Chann Pardesi was a seminal film that debuted many future Bollywood legends both in front of and behind the camera, and was Raj Babbar's first ever Punjabi film. Chann Pardesi won India's National Film Award in 1980 and went on to become a big commercial success when it eventually found distribution in 1981.

<i>Himmatwala</i> (2013 film) Film by Sajid Khan

Himmatwala is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film written and directed by Sajid Khan and jointly produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Vashu Bhagnani. The film stars Ajay Devgn and Tamannaah Bhatia in the lead roles. Set in 1983, it is an official remake of the 1983 film of the same name by K. Raghavendra Rao, which was, in turn, a remake of the 1981 Telugu film Ooruki Monagadu. The film was theatrically released worldwide on 29 March 2013, and was critically panned and underperformed at the box office, earning 68.87 crore against a budget of 68 crore.

Armaan (transl. Desire) also called Arman, is a Bollywood film. It was released in 1942. Arman was the first film that Kidar Sharma directed for Ranjit Studios and also his first in Bombay since his shift from Calcutta. The story, dialogue and lyrics were also by Sharma. It had music by Gyan Dutt. The cinematographer was D. K. Ambre. The cast included Motilal, Shamim, Nagendra Majumdar, Bhagwandas, and Rajkumari.

Shikaar is a 2004 Bollywood action thriller film directed by Darshan Bagga. The film stars Jaz Pandher and Kanishka Kapoor in lead roles with Raj Babbar, Danny Denzongpa, Prem Chopra, Shakti Kapoor, Ashish Vidyarthi, Tej Sapru, Shweta Menon and Saadhika Randhawa in supporting roles.

<i>Bombay Talkies</i> (film) 2013 Indian anthology film

Bombay Talkies is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language anthology film consisting of four short films, directed by Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap. The film released on 3 May 2013, coinciding with and celebrating the 100th year of Indian cinema and the beginning of a new era in modern cinema. It screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2013.

<i>Do Dil Ek Jaan</i> Indian TV series or programme

Do Dil... Ek Jaan is an Indian television drama series, that premiered on Life OK on 3 June 2013 and ended on 24 January 2014. It was produced by Abhinav Shukla under his Nautanki Films banner. The series starred Ayaz Ahmed, Nikita Sharma, Kanwar Dhillon and Shritama Mukherjee.

<i>Kkusum</i> Indian drama television series

Kkusum is an Indian television series produced by Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms which aired on Sony Entertainment Television from 14 May 2001 to 30 November 2005. It was directed by Jasbir Bhati. The show follows the journey of a young, hardworking and middle class girl, Kkusum and later, after a 20 year leap on her daughter Kkumud.

References

  1. "'Qissa' to release Feb 20 on multiple platforms". Indian Express. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Qissa". TIFF. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  3. "Toronto Adds 75+ Titles To 2013 Edition". Indiewire. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  4. "TIFF 2013: 12 Years a Slave wins film fest’s top prize". Toronto Star , 15 September 2013.
  5. "'I call Qissa Anup's version of 12 Years a Slave'". Firstpost India. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  6. "Qissa Review Aggregate". ReviewMonk.