Nana Palsikar Movies
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)
- 1981
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, (more)
- 1969
Tom Pickle (Michael York) is the British rock star who travels to India to learn the sitar from Ustad Zafar Khan (Uptal Dutt). Much to the dismay of his aggressive agent Chris (Barry Foster), he leaves the money-making music world behind to learn about the exotic Indian instrument. Khan believes Tom lacks focus but has the talent, and a young hippie girl arrives (Rita Tushingham) who has the focus but not the natural talent that Tom possesses. There is a romantic angle between the hippie-girl Jenny and Tom, but it is more implied than demonstrated. Soon the Guru Khan is besieged by women who all try to capture his attention. He becomes frustrated over the lack of spiritual commitment of his students, as the rocker contemplates his return to swinging London town. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Utpal Dutt, (more)
- 1965
Two disabled boys form a friendship in this sentimental drama. Ramu (Sushil Kumar) is the crippled boy who befriends the blind boy Mohan (Sudhir Kumar). Baby Farida plays Manju, the grotesque child of wealth who makes friends with both boys. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nana Palsikar
- 1964
The differences between wealth and crushing poverty are illustrated in this uneven melodrama that suffers from technical problems and unconvincing thesping. An impoverished young peasant who is forced to sleep in the gutter meets a young woman. The two are married, and the majority of the film deals with their difficulties in struggling to survive the crushing poverty. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Jagte Raho (Under Cover of Night) was selected from literally hundreds of candidates as one of India's two entries in the 1957 Karlovy Vary Film Festival. In search of water, a rural man gets into trouble with the Bombay police when he wanders into the wrong house. The rest of the film details his slapstick efforts to avoid arrest. This very thinnish continuity is held together by the charisma of star Raj Kapoor, who only occasionally overplays his hand. Despite its essentially Indian appeal, Jagte Raho played well before viewers of all nationalities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raj Kapoor
- 1953
This neorealist-influenced film takes up the plight of the Bengali farmers who live hand to mouth through cycles of drought and flood. Shambhu is a small farmer who, unlike most others in his village, owns his own land. This land is in the way of a big development project and the contractor pressures him to sell by demanding payment of a debt. To raise the necessary money, he and his son go to Calcutta. They descend into the corrupt maw of the teeming city, taking menial jobs and suffering abuse at every turn. When they aren't earning enough money, the son turns to crime. Shambhu catches him and they have a falling out. Meanwhile, his wife, agitated with worry, decides to come to the city to hunt for them. Lost and confused in Calcutta, she's run over and put in the hospital. Her husband finds her there, the son repents, and the family unit is restored. Defeated, they head back to the village only to see the factory already built on their land. ~ Brian Whitener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy, (more)
- 1943
Taking a massive risk in the age of wartime shortages and shrinking private industry, veteran filmmaker V. Shantaram leaves Prabhat Studios to start his own production company, inaugurating it with this adaptation of the third century play. Following a passionate encounter with King Dushyanta (Chandramohan), the comely Shakuntala (Jayashree) finds herself pregnant and rejected by the royal court. She gives birth in a forest to a son which she names Bharat (Kumar Ganesh). When the King tracks his former lover down and tries to take her back, she flatly refuses him. A shortened version of this film was released in 1948 in the United States, meeting with generally favorable reviews. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chandra Mohan
