Zubeidaa

Last updated

Zubeidaa
Zubeidaa poster.jpg
Poster
Directed by Shyam Benegal
Screenplay by Khalid Mohamed
Story byKhalid Mohamed
Produced byFarouq Rattonsey
Starring
CinematographyRajan Kothari
Edited byAseem Sinha
Music by A. R. Rahman
Production
company
FKR Productions
Distributed by Yash Raj Films
Release date
  • 19 January 2001 (2001-01-19)
Running time
153 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹5 crore (equivalent to ₹20 croreorUS$2.5 million in 2023) [1]
Box office₹5.6 crore (equivalent to ₹22 croreorUS$2.8 million in 2023) [2]

Zubeidaa is a 2001 Indian film directed by Shyam Benegal and written by Khalid Mohammed. It stars Karisma Kapoor, Rekha, Manoj Bajpayee, Surekha Sikri, Rajit Kapoor, Lillete Dubey, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, and Shakti Kapoor. A.R. Rahman has scored the background music and memorable soundtrack for the movie. [3]

Contents

Zubeidaa is the concluding chapter in a trilogy that began with Mammo (1994) and continued with Sardari Begum (1996). The film is based on the life of the ill-fated actress Zubeida Begum, who married Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur and was the mother of the film's writer, Khalid Mohamed.

The film garnered the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and won Karisma Kapoor a Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics). It is regarded by many critics as Kapoor's best performance (alongside Fiza where she also played the title role). [4] [5] The film was highly acclaimed and is regarded as of one of Benegal's best works blurring the lines of commercial and parallel cinema. [6] [7]

Plot

Zubeidaa is the story of Riyaz's (Rajit Kapoor) search to understand his mother, who is not known to him, as he was brought up by his maternal grandmother in the absence of his mother. His mother's name was Zubeidaa (Karisma Kapoor) and she was the only daughter of a filmmaker named Suleman Seth (Amrish Puri). Zubeidaa acts in films secretly, but when her father finds out he forbids her to carry on and quickly arranges her marriage to his friend's son Dr. Mehboob Alam who becomes a Gharjamai. Things seem happy for her when she gives birth to Riyaz. However, a disagreement arises between Suleman and Mehboob's father, and Mehboob divorces Zubeidaa a few days after she gives birth.

Heartbroken Zubeidaa then meets Maharaja Vijayendra Singh of Fatehpur (Manoj Bajpayee). Vijayendra is already married to Maharani Mandira Devi (Rekha) and is the father of two children. Nevertheless, he falls in love with Zubeidaa and they get married, but there is continuous turmoil in their relationship. Riyaz learns through Zubeidaa's journal that though she loved Vijayendra dearly, she was unable to follow the stifling customs of the palace. She was also uncomfortable because of her brother-in-law Uday Singh's sexual advances towards her, and his demands of her to have an extra-marital affair with him.

Riyaz travels to Fatehpur and asks many people about his mother. However, all except Mandira, whom Zubeidaa called "Mandy Didi", either deny that his mother ever existed, or say that she was a horrible woman who seduced their king and caused his death in a plane crash.

On reading the journal, Riyaz finds out that Vijayendra had become a politician, and was about to go to Delhi for an important meeting. Zubeidaa felt frustrated that whenever her husband needed help he looked to Mandira for support, and at the last minute, she insisted that only she will accompany him to the meeting. The plane crashes, killing Zubeidaa and Vijayendra. It is indicated that Uday Singh probably had the plane sabotaged to kill Vijayendra and Mandira so that he could get both - Zubeidaa and the kingdom.

In the end, Riyaz gets the missing tape of his mother's only film, from Mandira. The movie ends with him finally getting to watch the film with his grandmother shedding tears of happiness, watching Zubeidaa dancing happily as the spirited soul that she truly was.

Cast

Soundtrack

Zubeidaa – The Story of a Princess
Soundtrack album by
A. R. Rahman
Released1 September 2000 (2000-09-01) [8]
Recorded Panchathan Record Inn
Genre Soundtrack
Length38:18
Label Sony Music India
Producer A.R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman chronology
Thenali
(2000)		Zubeidaa – The Story of a Princess
(2000)		 One 2 Ka 4
(2001)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All MusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [9]

The soundtrack was released in 2000 and contained eight tracks, all composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. Lata Mangeshkar collaborated with the musician again for a couple of tracks. Other singers, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Alka Yagnik walked away with all accolades for their renditions in their respective tracks.

#SongArtist(s)
1"Dheeme Dheeme" Kavita Krishnamurthy
2"Main Albeli" Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sukhwinder Singh
3"Mehndi Hai Rachnewali" Alka Yagnik
4"So Gaye Hain" Lata Mangeshkar
5"Hai Na" Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan
6"Pyaara Sa Gaon" Lata Mangeshkar
7"So Gaye Hain" Lata Mangeshkar, Chorus
8"Chhodo More Baiyyan" Richa Sharma

Reception

Suman Tarafdar of Filmfare described the film as "very much a classy Benegal film, with new explorations of the human relationships in their multi-layered frameworks" and Kapoor "for having come up with such an assured performance". [10]

Awards

Related Research Articles

Khalid Mohamed is an Indian journalist, editor, film critic, screenwriter and film director. He worked for The Times of India for 27 years and then DNA followed by Hindustan Times and was the lead editor for Filmfare magazine. He is the son of Zubeida Begum, on whose life he wrote the screenplay of Shyam Benegal's 2001 film, Zubeidaa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karisma Kapoor</span> Indian actress (born 1974)

Karisma Kapoor is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. A member of the Kapoor family, she is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the elder sister of actress Kareena Kapoor. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Award and four Filmfare Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shyam Benegal</span> Indian director and screenwriter

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.

<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.

<i>Fiza</i> 2000 film directed by Khalid Mohammed

Fiza, also known as Fiza: In Search Of Her Brother, is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film written and directed by Khalid Mohammed. It stars Karisma Kapoor as the eponymous lead, along with Hrithik Roshan as her terrorist brother and Jaya Bachchan as their mother. The film was produced by Pradeep Guha on a budget of ₹55 million and had a theatrical release worldwide on 8 September 2000.

<i>Raja Hindustani</i> 1996 film by Dharmesh Darshan

Raja Hindustani is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Dharmesh Darshan. It tells the story of a cab driver from a small town who falls in love with a rich young woman. Aamir Khan and Karisma Kapoor play the lead roles. Released on 15 November 1996, the film's plot was inspired from the 1965 film Jab Jab Phool Khile, starring Shashi Kapoor and Nanda. The film's music was composed by Nadeem-Shravan, with lyrics by Sameer. It went on to win five Filmfare Awards, including the awards for Best Film, Best Actors, Best Music and seven Screen Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manoj Bajpayee</span> Indian actor

Manoj Bajpayee, also transliterated as Manoj Bajpai, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi cinema and has also done Telugu and Tamil language films. He is the recipient of numerous accolades including three National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards, and two Asia Pacific Screen Awards. In 2019, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri, for his contributions to art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neena Gupta</span> Indian actress

Neena Gupta is an Indian actress and television director who works in Hindi films and television along with few Malayalam films. She has received several awards including two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and two Filmfare OTT Awards.

<i>Gadar: Ek Prem Katha</i> 2001 Hindi film by Anil Sharma

Gadar: Ek Prem Katha is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language romantic period action drama film directed by Anil Sharma from a story written by Shaktimaan Talwar and was set during the Partition of India in 1947. Loosely based on the life of Boota Singh, the film stars Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma in lead roles, alongside Amrish Puri, Lillete Dubey and Vivek Shauq in supporting roles.

<i>Kalyug</i> (1981 film) 1981 Indian film

Kalyug is a 1981 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film, directed by Shyam Benegal. It is known as a modern-day adaptation of the Indian epic Mahabharat, depicting an archetypal conflict between rival business houses. Kalyug went on to win the Filmfare Award for Best Film in 1982 and was among the only three Indian films which were submitted to the Academy Awards. The film also went in Berlin International Film Festival for best screenplay and Shashi Kapoor’s phenomenal acting who played the central role of Karna in the epic film was also praised.

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

Rishtey (transl. Relationships) is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language action drama film released on 6 December 2002. The film directed by Indra Kumar stars Anil Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty and Amrish Puri in the lead roles, was based on Over the Top. The film had an average collection at the box office. The film was remade in Bangladesh as Sontrashi Munna (2005) with Manna and Moushumi.

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

Vijeta is a 1982 Indian coming-of-age Hindi film produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Govind Nihalani. It stars Shashi Kapoor, his son Kunal Kapoor, Rekha, Amrish Puri and Supriya Pathak with K.K. Raina, Raja Bundela and Shafi Inamdar, who went on to become notable supporting actors in Bollywood movies.

<i>Chor Machaye Shor</i> 1974 Indian film

Chor Machaye Shor is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Ashok Roy and produced by N. N. Sippy. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Mumtaz, Danny Denzongpa, Madan Puri, Asrani and Asit Sen. The music is by Ravindra Jain. Asrani earned a Filmfare nomination for best performance in a comic role, the only nomination for the film. The film became a "superhit" and earned the second spot at the box office in 1974. It was filmed at the Pratapgad fort in Maharashtra.

<i>Junoon</i> (1978 film) 1979 Indian film

Junoon is a 1979 Indian Hindi language film produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Shyam Benegal. The film is based on Ruskin Bond's fictional novella, A Flight of Pigeons, set around the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The film's soundtrack was composed by Vanraj Bhatia, and cinematography by Govind Nihalani.

<i>Mammo</i> 1994 Indian film

Mammo is a 1994 Indian Hindi film by Shyam Benegal. It stars Farida Jalal, Surekha Sikri, Amit Phalke and Rajit Kapur.

<i>Maidan-E-Jung</i> 1995 film by K.C. Bokadia

Maidan-E-Jung (transl. Battlefield) is a 1995 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by K.C. Bokadia. It features an ensemble cast of Dharmendra, Manoj Kumar, Jaya Prada, Mukesh Khanna, Akshay Kumar and Karisma Kapoor in the lead roles, with Amrish Puri and Gulshan Grover featuring as the villains. Also Kader Khan and Shakti Kapoor appear as comic reliefs in the film.

Vidya Rani, often known as Zubeida or Zubeidaa, was an Indian actress.

<i>Nagina</i> (1986 film) 1986 Indian film

Nagina is a 1986 Indian fantasy romance film, produced and directed by Harmesh Malhotra, with a screenplay written by Ravi Kapoor and story by Jagmohan Kapoor. The film stars Sridevi as Rajni, a Nāginī who marries a civilian to avenge the death of her spouse at the hands of an evil saint. It also stars Rishi Kapoor, Komal Mahuvakar, Amrish Puri, Sushma Seth and Prem Chopra. Then dubbed in Telugu as Naagini.

References

  1. ↑ "Boxoffice". Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "Zubeidaa - Movie - Box Office India". Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "Film Review: Zubeidaa". The Hindu. February 2001. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  4. ↑ Iqbal, Murtuza (25 June 2019). "Birthday Special: Top performances of Karisma Kapoor". EasternEye. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  5. ↑ "From Zubeidaa to Fiza, a look at Karisma Kapoor's iconic performances on her 44th birthday". Firstpost. 25 June 2018. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  6. ↑ "Shyam Benegal's Zubeidaa was the tale of an era where men ruled and women were merely consorts". The Indian Express. 14 December 2017. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  7. ↑ "Zubeidaa Review by Taran Adarsh". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "Zubeidaa (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. September 2000. Archived from the original on 22 October 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  9. ↑ "Zubeidaa - music review by Chris Nickson". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  10. ↑ Tarafdar, Suman (2001). "Zubeidaa". Filmfare . The Times Group. Indiatimes Movies. Archived from the original on 3 August 2001. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
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.