Aakrosh
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Aakrosh
Plot
Released in India as Aakrosh, Cry of the Wounded is reportedly based on an actual government coverup. Idealistic attorney Naseeruddin Shah takes as his first client a man accused of murdering his wife. The accused is a political activist, and after a while it seems apparent that the prosecution is pursuing the case at the command of the Indian government. Shah himself falls victim to coercion and outright threats while preparing his defense. The political issue becomes a moral one when the accused, on furlough from jail to attend the death of his father, kills his own sister for complex reasons of honor. Now Shah must ponder whether it's worth getting his client off from the first murder charge when he will obviously be condemned for the second killing. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviCast
- Naseeruddin Shah - Kulkarni
- Smita Patil - Nagi
- Amrish Puri - Dussane
- Om Puri - Lahanya
- Avrind Deshpande - Patil
Credit
Govind Nihalani - Director, Govind Nihalani - Cinematographer, Vijay Tendulkar - Screenwriter| Aakhari Decision (2010 Film), Aakaler Sandhane (1980 Film) | |
| Aakrosh (2010 Film), Aaldering (2007 Film) |
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Aakrosh (1980 film)
| Aakrosh | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Govind Nihalani |
| Produced by | NFDC / Devi Dutt |
| Written by | Vijay Tendulkar Satyadev Dubey |
| Starring | Naseeruddin Shah Smita Patil Amrish Puri Om Puri |
| Music by | Ajit Verman |
| Cinematography | Govind Nihalani |
| Editing by | Keshav Naidu |
| Release date(s) | 1980 |
| Running time | 144 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Aakrosh (English: Cry of the Wounded) is a 1980 Hindi arthouse film directed by auteur Govind Nihalani and written by renowned Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar.
The film starred Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Amrish Puri in lead roles and went to win 1980 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and several Filmfare Awards.
It won the 'Golden Peacock' for the Best Film at the International Film Festival of India.[1]
This was the debut film of Nihalani, who went on to be known for his dark and frighteningly real depictions of human angst in other landmark alternative movies such as Ardh Satya and Tamas.[2]
It is in the list of 60 films that shaped the Indian film industry spanning six decades.[3]
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Contents
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Plot
Allegedly based on a true incident reported on page 7 of a local newspaper, the film was a scathing satire on the corruption in the judicial system and the victimization of the underprivileged by the able and the powerful.[4]
Aakrosh forms a part of the series of works, based around explorations in violence, written by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar, who had earlier written Shyam Benegal's Nishant (1974) and went to write Govind Nihalani's next surprise breakaway hit, Ardh Satya (1983).
Here the victim is shown so traumatized by excessive oppression and violation of his humanity, that he does not utter a single word almost for the length of the film and only bears a stunned look,[5] though later he uses the same violence as a tool to express his own sense of violation and rage.[6]
Basically, the story is of a peasant who is oppressed by landowners and his foremen while trying to eke out a living as a daily laborer. His comely wife, played by Smita Patil, is raped by the foreman who then has him arrested to hide his own crime. His wife commits suicide out of shame. The police bring him to the funeral grounds in manacles and shackles to complete the Last Rites of his dead wife by lighting the funeral pyre — which in the Hindu religion only the husband has the right to.
Standing beside the burning funeral pyre, he sees the foreman looking at his pre-pubescent sister with lustful eyes. Divining the fate that is in store for her, he grabs an axe and chops off his sister's head to forestall her dire future as perpetual victim, as he sees it. Upon completion of this hapless act of a desperate and downtrodden man, he raises his face towards the skies and screams, and screams and screams — the second time that we hear his voice in the movie (the first is in a flashback, as he vainly attempts to rescue his wife) — a device similar to Andrei Tarkovsky's showing of the icons in brilliant color at the end of his three-hour black-and-white film Andrei Rublev.
Cast
- Naseeruddin Shah - Bhaskar Kulkarni, Lawyer
- Om Puri - Lahanya Bhiku
- Smita Patil - Nagi Bhiku
- Amrish Puri - Dushane, Public Prosecutor
- Mohan Agashe - Bhonsle
- Mahesh Elkunchwar - Social worker
- Nana Palsikar - Bhiku's dad
Aakrosh and Yagnam
The aggressive act of Lahanya Biku {literal trans.: beggar of the Lahanya caste} mirrors the climax of Telugu short story "Yagnam" by Kalipatnam Ramarao.[citation needed] Appalanaidu, a character in Yagnam, cuts the throat of his child with an axe after the verdict delivered by village heads comes against him. In view of the future sorrow of his heirs, now that he will not be there to protect them or provide for them, Appalanaidu commits this act.[citation needed]
In Aakrosh, the story line is very similar, as a similar murderous act is carried out by Biku - as he envisions the traumatic future of his sister.
Awards
- 1980 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi
- 1981 Filmfare Best Director Award: Govind Nihalani
- 1981 Filmfare Best Actor Award: Naseeruddin Shah
- 1981 Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award: Om Puri
- 1981 Filmfare Best Screenplay Award: Vijay Tendulkar
- 1981 Filmfare Best Story Award: Vijay Tendulkar
- 1981 Filmfare Best Art Direction Award: C.S. Bhatti[7]
References
External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Junoon |
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi 1980 |
Succeeded by Arohan |
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