Welcome to Sajjanpur | |
---|---|
Directed by | Shyam Benegal |
Written by | Ashok Mishra |
Story by | Shyam Benegal |
Based on | Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein (1977 film) by Meraj |
Produced by | Ronnie Screwvala Chetan Motiwalla |
Starring | Shreyas Talpade Amrita Rao Kunal Kapoor Ravi Kishan Ravi Jhankal |
Cinematography | Rajan Kothari |
Edited by | Aseem Sinha |
Music by | Shantanu Moitra |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | UTV Motion Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 134 mins |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Budget | ₹90 million (US$1.1 million) |
Box office | ₹147 million (US$1.8 million) |
Welcome to Sajjanpur is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Shyam Benegal, starring Shreyas Talpade and Amrita Rao. The film is inspired by the 1977 film Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein .
Mahadev (Shreyas Talpade) is an unemployed graduate with a Bachelor of Arts from Satna College who lives with his mother and is forced to make a living writing letters for the uneducated people of his village. His real ambition is to become a novel writer. Through his humble occupation, Mahadev has the potential to impact numerous lives. The movie is a satirical but warm-hearted portrait of life in rural India. He realizes this passion when an aunt of his wants him to write a letter to her son, who has treated his mother with disrespect, and the letter seemed to have worked. This made her aunt tell the villagers what an amazing writer he truly was. Initially the village folk would come to his home to get their letters written, but his mother did not approve of it, so he decided to set up a small work space near the post office.
Among Mahadev's customers are:
Mahadev manages to get his friend engaged, police protection for Munni, and almost kisses Kamla before they are interrupted. However, Munni is killed after winning the election by the opposition, and he learns a shocking truth about Kamla's husband, who used to sell his blood so he could earn a reasonable amount of money. It soon turns out that the story was a fictional novel written by the real Mahadev, but it is mostly based on his own experiences. Though it turns out that some of the villagers didn't exactly have happy endings, Mahadev sorts out his mistakes and accomplishes his long-held dream of writing a novel.
Mahadev, under the pseudonym Sukhdev, reveals that Munnibai became a successful politician, becoming an MLA, or Member of the State Legislature, with high connections and powerful people surrounding her. It is also revealed that Kamla and Bansi are happy in a small house in Mumbai and come to visit Sajjanpur every Diwali. Amid all this good news, Mahadev notes that Ram Kumar and Shobha Rani were lynched because members of their community opposed a widow getting remarried. Mahadev also notes that he married the ill-starred Vindhya after wooing her by writing 40 letters. While most people consider an ill-starred person to be a great misfortune, Mahadev notes that he became successful due to his marriage, as he paid down his farmland mortgage, built a wonderful house, and realised his dream of writing a novel.
Music of the film is by Shantanu Moitra. The music was released on 5 September 2008., [1] there are a total of seven songs in the soundtrack including one remix.
Upon its release, the film received positive reviews and became a sleeper hit at the box office. An Indiatimes review said, "Shyam Benegal has always been accredited as a mesmerizing storyteller known for making 'meaningful' cinema. This time he also caters to commercial consumers, coming up with his most 'entertaining' attempt, by far." [2]
Khalid Mohamed of Hindustan Times gave the film a 3 out of 5 stars, and stated "Sajjanpur is different, it has a conscience, and merits a ticket from those who have one too". [3] Times of India gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and stated, "It's simple, uncomplicated storytelling leaves a smile on your face". [4] The Economic Times stated, "Shyam Benegal has always been accredited as a mesmerizing storyteller known for making 'meaningful' cinema. This time he also caters to commercial consumers, coming up with his most 'entertaining' attempt, by far". [5]
Shyam Benegal is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received several accolades, including eighteen National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award. In 2005, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in the field of cinema. In 1976, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country, and in 1991, he was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour for his contributions in the field of arts.
Amrita Rao is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Known for her "quintessential girl-next-door" portrayals, Rao is the recipient of an IIFA Award and two Stardust Awards, along with nominations for two Filmfare Awards.
Manthan, also released under the translated title The Churning, is a 1976 Hindi film directed by Shyam Benegal, inspired by the pioneering milk cooperative movement of Verghese Kurien, and is written jointly by him and Vijay Tendulkar. It is set amidst the backdrop of the White Revolution of India. Aside from the great measurable success that this project was, it also demonstrated the power of "collective might" as it was entirely crowdfunded by 500,000 farmers who donated Rs. 2 each. Manthan is the first crowdfunded Indian film.
Shreyas Talpade is an Indian actor, film director and producer who appears in Hindi and Marathi films. He has appeared in several critically and commercially successful films. He is better known for his role as Shah Rukh Khan's friend Pappu Master in Om Shanti Om (2007), the grand reincarnation melodrama of Farah Khan. He appeared in the comedies Golmaal Returns (2008), Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008), Golmaal 3 (2010), Housefull 2 (2012) and Golmaal Again (2017). Talpade also dubbed for Allu Arjun in the Hindi version of Pushpa: The Rise (2021).
Devi is a 1970 film directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. It stars Nutan, Sanjeev Kumar in the lead roles. The music of the film was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.
Golmaal Returns is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty. The film is a remake of the 1989 Marathi film Pheka Pheki, which itself was inspired by the 1973 Hindi film Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar, it serves as the second installment in the Golmaal film series. The film stars Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade. The film became commercial success. It was the sixth highest-grossing Hindi films of 2008.
Aggar, is a 2007 Indian Hindi romantic musical thriller film starring Udita Goswami, Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade. It was produced by Narendra Bajaj and Shyam Bajaj and directed by Anant Mahadevan.
Rajeshwari Sachdev is an Indian actress known for her role in Shyam Benegal's film Sardari Begum (1996), for which she won the 1997 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Swagatam (transl. Welcome) is a 2008 Telugu-language romance film and directed by Dasarath. It stars Jagapati Babu, Anushka Shetty and Bhumika Chawla with Arjun Sarja in a special role. The music was composed by R. P. Patnaik.
Ashok Mishra is an Indian screenplay writer and lyricist in Bollywood films. He is most noted for his work in the Shyam Benegal film Welcome to Sajjanpur. Born in Bilaspur, Chattisgarh and later shifted to satna (m.p.)
Amanat is an Indian soap opera that premiered on Zee TV on 21 August 1997. '
Shaadi Ke Baad is a 1972 Hindi-language comedy film, produced and directed by L. V. Prasad under the Prasad Productions Pvt Ltd banner. It stars Jeetendra, Raakhee, Shatrughan Sinha and music composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal. The film is a remake of Telugu film Pelli Chesi Choodu (1952).
Vidya Rani, often known as Zubeida or Zubeidaa, was an Indian actress.
Ravi Jhankal is an Indian television, stage and film actor, mostly known for working in Shyam Benegal's films, including Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008) and Well Done Abba (2010) and for the role of P. V. Narasimha Rao in Pradhanmantri . He is also part of Surnai, Mumbai-based theatre group.
Love U...Mr. Kalakaar! is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film. The film is directed by debutant S. Manasvi, who is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. It is the first film in which Tusshar Kapoor and Amrita Rao appear together. It was released on 13 May 2011.
College Girl is a 1960 Hindi black-and-white romantic family film written by K. A. Narayan and directed by T. Prakash Rao. The film starred Shammi Kapoor, Vyjayanthimala in the lead with Om Prakash, Tabassum, Nana Palsikar, Raj Mehra, Purnima, Randhir, Achala Sachdev, Leela Mishra, Mohan Choti forming an ensemble cast. The film was produced by B. L. Rawal under his own banner, Rawal Films. The film's score was composed by duo Shankar-Jaikishan with lyrics provided by Rajendra Krishan, edited by Pran Mehra and was filmed by Dharam Chopra.
Dost (transl. Friend) is a 1989 Hindi film directed by K. Murali Mohana Rao and produced by A. Suryanarayana under Bhanodaya Productions banner. Mithun Chakraborty, Amala played the lead pair of this family drama. The lyrics were written by Indeevar with music composed by R. D. Burman.
Mera Saathi is a 1985 Hindi-language action-drama film, produced by K. Kesava Rao under the Sree Brahmarambika Films banner and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. It stars Jeetendra, Jaya Prada, Rajiv Kapoor, Mandakini in the pivotal roles and music composed by Bappi Lahiri. The film is a remake of the Telugu movie Dharmaatmudu (1983).
Aaviri (transl. Steam) is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language horror thriller film written, directed, and produced by Ravi Babu. The film features Neha Chauhan, Ravi Babu, Sri Muktha, Bharani Shankar, and Mukhtar Khan in principal roles. Aaviri was released on 1 November 2019.
Kaun Pravin Tambe? is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film directed by Jayprad Desai. It is based on the life of Indian cricketer Pravin Tambe. The film stars Shreyas Talpade and premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on 1 April 2022.