Rajendra Gupta
Mani Ratnam teams with Aishwarya Rai, a woman considered by some to be the most beautiful actress of her time, in the Bollywood musical Guru. The film concerns a man, Gurukant Desai, from an average village who, starting from very modest means, attempts to build a successful business in Bombay. His troubled private life includes with his frustrated wife, Sujata, who must adjust to being in a marriage she never really wanted. He must overcome a number of personal and professional problems in order to fulfill his ambitious dreams of success. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mithun Chakraborty, Abhishek Bachchan, (more)
- 2002
Four women are forced to take drastic actions with serious political consequences in director Anwar Jamal's feature-film directorial debut The Little Republic. The leaders of a small village in the Indian state of Rajasthan allow women to sit on their leadership council but expect silent compliance when weighty matters are being considered for a vote. One such issue pertains to a newly found pocket of water in what was thought to be a dry well. Prior to the discovery, the women of the village had to walk great distances in order to procure water for their people and the newly found water will put an end to this dangerous task -- or so the women think. The village council, rife with political cronyism and caste prejudice, fails to come to an agreement over how to proceed, forcing a multi-caste group of four women to take it upon themselves to seek assistance from higher authorities to accomplish the task. While empowering themselves temporarily, the true test of the women's bold act will come when they return to face the ire of the village leaders. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alka Amin, Harvinder Chatterji, (more)
- 2001
- NR
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One of the most expensive films ever to come out of Bollywood, Lagaan tells the tale of the Indian village Champaner, beset by drought and British colonialism in the year 1893. Without a drop of rain in months, the worried villagers of Champaner decide to ask the local authorities for a temporary repeal of their taxes -- the hated lagaan. Led by the heroic Bhuvan (Indian superstar Aamir Khan) they bring their plight to the military governor, Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne). But the sadistic Russell threatens to raise the lagaan threefold, unless the villagers can beat his men at a game of cricket, in which case he'll lift taxes on the entire province for a period of three years. Bhuvan accepts the challenge, but there's a problem -- no one in Champaner knows how to play cricket. A band of misfits come to the rescue, coached by Russell's soft-hearted sister Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley), and the race is on to be ready in three months' time. An epic reworking of Victory with eye-popping song-and-dance routines, Lagaan was a major cinematic event in India upon its release. ~ Connor McMadden, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, (more)
