Rohini Hattangady Movies
- 1987
- Add Jalwa to Queue
An embittered policeman pushed far beyond the brink of tolerance, Officer Kapil (Naseeruddin Shah) grows not simply disgusted with the Indian drug trade (and the burgeoning problem of drug abuse in Indian society) but hell-bent on cleaning it up, as a one-man vigilante. So begins Pankaj Prasar's ultra-violent action opus Jalwa (1987). Kapil hits the inner city, arsenal in tow, and vows to exterminate the one drug lord whom he pinpoints as responsible for the slew of recreational drugs plaguing the Indian streets. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Capitalism at its most brutal is a familiar story in Central Asia, and in this story, set in the lovely but decaying Indian city of Lucknow, it takes the form of wholesalers paying the women who weave a colorful folk design in fabric less than it costs for them to support themselves. In this story, Anjuman supplements the charity she receives from her relatives with the pay she gets for her weaving work. However, a local woman doctor urges her to organize the weavers for a better deal, and this is exactly what the plucky young woman does. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shabana Azmi, Farouque Shaikh, (more)
- 1986
In a conventional Indian melodrama that underscores political ills such as corruption and social problems such as runaway popular beliefs, director Uptlendu Chakraborty wraps a larger picture around the long-suffering parents of a supposed "child-god." A woman named Sita gives birth to a three-headed baby, and her peasant husband immediately adopts the child out to the first taker. He later finds out that the "taker" is getting rich off the baby because he is touting him as the incarnation of a god. So the peasant comes home and after physically abusing his wife, he demands that she produce another such progeny so they can get rich too. The misery of their lives is told in flashbacks, and after awhile, it becomes apparent why the father reacted so severely. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Smita Patil, Sadhu Meher, (more)
- 1984
The English translation of the this Indian film's title is A Summons for Mohan Josh. Bhishan Sahni plays Mohan, a Bombay slum dweller at odds with his absentee landlord. When it becomes clear that the landlord refuses to improve living conditions because he wants to drive the tenants out and tear down the apartment house, Mohan tries to organize his neighbors into a rent strike. Out of fear, they refuse to do so, compelling him to continue his battle alone by hiring an attorney. The ensuing lawsuit takes so long getting before a judge that Mohan's savings are wiped out. Moved by his persistance, Mohan's neighbors finally rally around him--only to discover that the Indian legal system is set up in so archaic a fashion that some cases never get heard in court. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bhisham Sahni, Dina Pathak, (more)
It was Richard Attenborough's lifelong dream to bring the life story of Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi to the screen. When it finally reached fruition in 1982, the 188-minute, Oscar-winning Gandhi was one of the most exhaustively thorough biopics ever made. The film begins in the early part of the 20th century, when Mohandas K. Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of "passive resistance," endeavoring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed. In the horrendous "slaughter" sequence, more extras appear on screen than in any previous historical epic. The supporting cast includes Candice Bergen as photographer Margaret Bourke-White, Athol Fugard as General Smuts, John Gielgud as Lord Irwin, John Mills as the viceroy, Martin Sheen as Walker, Trevor Howard as Judge Broomfield, and, in a tiny part as a street bully, star-to-be Daniel Day-Lewis. Gandhi won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, (more)
