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Aakrosh (1980 film)

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For the 2010 Ajay Devgn film, see Aakrosh (2010 film).

Aakrosh
Directed byGovind Nihalani
Written byVijay Tendulkar
Produced byDevi Dutt
NFDC
StarringNaseeruddin Shah
Smita Patil
Amrish Puri
Om Puri
CinematographyGovind Nihalani
Edited byKeshav Naidu
Music byAjit Varman
Distributed byKrsna Movies Enterprise
Release date
  • 1980 (1980)
Running time
144 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹0.80 crore (equivalent to ₹19 crore or US$2.2 million in 2023)
Box office₹1.22 crore (equivalent to ₹28 crore or US$3.4 million in 2023)

Aakrosh (transl. Outrage) is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language legal drama film directed by Govind Nihalani in his debut, and written by Vijay Tendulkar.[1] Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Amrish Puri in pivotal roles, the film was released to widely positive reviews, winning the Golden Peacock (Best Film) at the 8th International Film Festival of India, as well as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and several other honors.[2]

Nihalani went on to be known for his dark and frighteningly real depictions of human angst in other landmark alternative films such as Ardh Satya and Tamas.[3] Aakrosh is listed among the 60 films that shaped the Indian film industry over a period of six decades.[4]

Plot

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The story follows a peasant who faces oppression from landowners and foremen while working as a daily laborer to make ends meet. His wife (Smita Patil), is raped by the foreman, who then frames him for a crime he did not commit. Overwhelmed by shame, his wife commits suicide.

Following his father's death, the police escorts him to the funeral grounds in restraints to perform the last rites. As he stands by the burning funeral pyre, he notices the foreman casting lustful glances at his prepubescent sister. Anticipating her inevitable fate as a perpetual victim, he seizes an axe and beheads his sister to prevent her from suffering as he and his wife did. In the aftermath of this desperate and tragic act, the downtrodden man screams repeatedly into the sky.

Themes and influences

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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.[5]

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 on 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,[6] though later he uses the same violence as a tool to express his own sense of violation and rage.[7]

At the end of the film we hear the victim's voice for the second time (the first is in a flashback, as he vainly attempts to rescue his wife), which is 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

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Songs

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  1. "Kanha Re" - Vandana Khandekar - 7.33, Music : Ajit Varman, Lyrics : Vasant Deo
  2. "Sanson Mein Dard" - Madhuri Purandare - 5.44, Music: Ajit Varman, Lyrics: Suryabhanu Gupta
  3. "Tu Aisa Kaisa Mard" - Madhuri Purandare - 3.10, Music: Ajit Varman, Lyrics: Vasant Deo

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
1980 National Film Awards Best Feature Film in Hindi Devi Dutt and Govind Nihalani Won
1981 8th IFFI IFFI Best Film Award Devi Dutt and Govind Nihalani Won
1981 Filmfare Awards[8] Best Film Devi Dutt Nominated
Best Director Govind Nihalani Won
Best Actor Naseeruddin Shah
Best Supporting Actor Om Puri
Best Story Vijay Tendulkar
Best Screenplay
Best Art Direction C.S. Bhatti

Trivia

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  • The songs are sung by Madhuri Purandare who is daughter of renowned historian Shri Babasaheb Purandare.
  • The movie is shot in Alibaug town in Raigad district of Maharashtra.


References

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  1. ^ Kumar, Anuj (10 April 2014). "Blast from the past - Aakrosh (1980)". The Hindu.
  2. ^ "NFDC films". Archived from the original on 19 October 2009.
  3. ^ "Govind Nihalani profile". Jang.com.pk. 14 December 2007. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007.
  4. ^ Ganguly, Prithwish (10 August 2007). "Six decades of dynamic filmmaking in India". Hindustan Times. IANS. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011.
  5. ^ "a study of Aakrosh at filmreference". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
  6. ^ "Om Puri at freshnews". Fresh News. 20 October 2007. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007.
  7. ^ "Ashish Nandy on Violence in Vijay Tendulkar's works". Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ "Filmfare Awards 1981 - Aakrosh (1980) Awards". IMDb.
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