Aarakshan
Aarakshan | |
---|---|
Directed by | Prakash Jha |
Written by | Prakash Jha (Dialogue) |
Screenplay by | Anjum Rajabali Prakash Jha Ravinder Randhawa (Associate Writer) |
Story by | Kamalesh Pandey |
Produced by | A. A. Nadiadwala (Presenter) Firoz Nadiadwala Prakash Jha (Executive Producer) |
Starring | Amitabh Bachchan Saif Ali Khan Manoj Bajpayee Deepika Padukone Prateik Babbar |
Cinematography | Sachin K. Krishn |
Edited by | Santosh Mandal |
Music by | Songs: Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy Background Score: Wayne Sharpe |
Production companies | Base Industries Group Prakash Jha Productions |
Distributed by | Reliance Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 164 minutes[1] |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Budget | ₹530 million (US$6.4 million)[2] |
Box office | ₹645 million (US$7.7 million)[2] |
Aarakshan (transl. 'Reservation') is a 2011 Indian
Plot
In 2008, Deepak Kumar (Saif Ali Khan), an MSc topper, is at an interview for the teacher's post at an affluent school. The interviewers turn him down when they discover his low-caste roots. Deepak relates the incident to his mentor, Dr. Prabhakar Anand (Amitabh Bachchan). Dr. Anand, the legendary principal of renowned STM college, where Deepak studied, offers Deepak an interim job as a teacher at STM. Deepak is comforted by his friend, Sushant (Prateik Babbar), an upper-caste boy, and his girlfriend Poorvi (Deepika Padukone), who is Dr. Anand's daughter.
The state minister, Baburam, wishes to enroll his no-good nephew at STM. Dr. Anand, however, turns him down. The minister decides to install his own man, Dr. Mithilesh Singh (Manoj Bajpayee), on the STM college board. Cunning and greedy, Mithilesh seeks only to enrich himself. The minister's ambition is to build a multi-billion educational conglomerate and plans to use Mithilesh's outside business—a coaching class—for it.
The
The backward classes welcome reservations because it provides additional opportunities for education. The upper classes are against reservations because they do not believe in effectiveness of Reservation System. These arguments are played out between Sushant and Deepak. The moderate STM administrators are afraid that college-level reservations may create conflicts between the students. When asked by a reporter, Dr. Anand shares his personal opinion – that some form of reservation, free of politics and economics, is good for society. The next day's headlines scream that Dr. Anand favours reservations. The STM board is outraged; Dr. Anand is warned that Mithilesh will use this to oust him. Dr. Anand resigns from STM, and Mithilesh is appointed as the new principal. Sushant soon realizes that Dr. Anand's intention is not bad and that he does not have caste feeling.
Dr. Anand, to his shock, finds that his house is being used for K.K coaching classes, which is linked to Mithilesh. Earlier Dr. Anand had signed as guarantor for the bank loan taken by his friend, and allowing his friend's sons to stay in that house for 2 years but they use it to earn money by allowing K.K coaching classes inside the house. Dr. Anand's house lands in civil court case and no lawyer is ready to go against Mithilesh. Meanwhile, Deepak, who is in United States, finds that Dr. Anand has resigned from STM and immediately comes to India. An enraged Deepak goes to that house and takes law into his own hands by trying to evacuate people related to K.K coaching classes. Police arrest Deepak, but later Deepak gets released on bail by Sushant.
Dr. Anand resolves to take out Mithilesh with the only weapon left: teaching. He approaches his friend, Shambhu the cowherd, and takes shelter at the tabela (cowshed). He begins teaching small groups of needy and backward students from the bastee (nearby neighbourhood), at the cowshed. His first success is Muniya (Aanchal Munjal), Shambhu's daughter who comes in first place in the board exam. Muniya's principal offers to send more students to Dr. Anand's tabela school. Deepak and Sushant return to Dr. Anand and join forces, teaching at the tabela school. The tabela students fare much better in exams than their classmates. The tabela school's reputation grows and begins to draw away students from Mithilesh's coaching class.
Mithilesh responds by obtaining a legal permit to demolish the cowshed. The situation is diffused by the arrival of Shakuntala Tai, the reclusive magnate who started the STM institutions. She calls the chief minister, who promptly averts the destruction of the cowshed. Mithilesh is dismissed, and Dr. Anand is reinstated as the chief trustee of the STM and lifelong principal of the newly created STM Remedial Center.
Cast
- Amitabh Bachchan as Dr. Prabhakar Anand
- Saif Ali Khan as Deepak Kumar
- Manoj Bajpayee as Dr. Mithilesh Kumar Singh, the main antagonist
- Deepika Padukone as Poorvi Anand
- Prateik Babbar as Sushant Seth
- Tanvi Azmi as Kavita Anand, Dr. Anand's wife
- Mukesh Tiwari as ACP Shaktinath Thakur
- Yashpal Sharma as Shambhunath Yadav
- Darshan Jariwala as Anirudh Prasad Chaudhary
- Rajeev Verma as Damodar Seth, Sushant's father
- Saurabh Shukla as Education Minister Baburam Tiwari
- Sonal Jha as Shanti Bua
- Amitosh Nagpal as Panditji
- Hema Malini as Shakuntala Thakral (Tai), Central Minister (special appearance)
- Anita Kanwar as Mrs. Kantaprasad
- Chetan Pandit as Professor Dinkar Paswan
- Indira Tiwari as Tabela Topper Student
- Vinay Apte as Bishambar Das (Local MLA)
- Anita Kanwal
- S. M. Zaheer as Kanta Prasad (Dr. Prabhakar's Friend)
- Aanchal Munjal as Muniya S. Yadav
- Rahul Daksh as Surendar
- Sumeet Vyas as Teacher
- Sachin Chaubey
- Amit Singh Thakur as Principal
- Deepraj Rana as Sanjay Tandon (Bank Manager)
- Bikramjeet Kanwarpal
Production
Shooting began on 15 January 2011. Director
Reception
Critical reception
Aarakshan mostly garnered mixed to positive reviews.
Sukanya Venkatraghavan of
Box office
India
Aarakshan released in 1085 cinemas across India.[14] The film saw 50–70% occupancy on its first day of release, while in Delhi, it opened at around 60–70%.[15] The film's business was affected due to the bans imposed on its screening in Punjab, UP and Andhra. It went on to collect Rs 44.7 million on the first day.[16] The opening weekend collections of the film were around Rs 183.3 million.[17] The film grossed Rs 375.3 million net on Indian box office in two weeks.[18] Aarakshan added around Rs 30 million net in its third week to go to Rs 405.0 million net in three weeks.[19] The film added Rs 5.8 millions net in India to go to Rs 423.8 million net in four weeks.[20] The film added Rs 500,000 net in India to go to Rs 424.3 million net in five weeks.[20]
Overseas
Moreover, the film fared poorly in the overseas markets. It grossed £76,000 in the United Kingdom, $345,000 in North America, $190,000 in UAE and $82,000 in Australia, taking its total overseas gross to $900,000 over its first weekend.[14] In its third weekend, the film collected £13,085 on 42 screens at the UK box office with a total of £168,662 [approx. Rs 12.7 million], Australian $142,193 [approx. Rs 6926,000] in two weeks at the Australian box office.[21] Aarakshan's total worldwide net collections after three weeks were Rs 645 million[citation needed] making it a below average movie.[22]
Soundtrack
Aarakshan | ||||
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Hindi | ||||
Label | Sony BMG | |||
Producer | Prakash Jha | |||
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy chronology | ||||
|
The soundtrack was composed by
The film score was composed by Wayne Sharpe.
3:14 | |||
6. | "Mauka" (Remix) | Mahalakshmi Iyer, Raman Mahadevan, Tarun Sagar, Gaurav Gupta, Rehan Khan | 3:26 |
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Reception
Upon release, the album received generally mixed reviews from the critics. Joginder Tuteja of
Accolades
Award Ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref.(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
4th Mirchi Music Awards | Upcoming Music Composer of The Year | Prasoon Joshi - "Saans Albeli" | Nominated | [27] |
Controversy
In early May 2011, civic authorities in Bhopal bulldozed the sets of Aarakshan because it was erected on disputed land.[28]
Some pro-Dalit groups in Kanpur protested Saif Ali Khan being cast in the role of a Dalit.[29] They objected to the actor's royal background and saw his role of a so-called Dalit as an insult to the community.[30]
The film was banned in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh before its theatrical release. The Punjab government banned the film on fears that certain scenes and dialogues in the film may inflame the passion of some communities in Punjab.[31] Mayawati government banned the film in UP for two months on grounds that it could create law and order problem in the state.[32]
National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) viewed the movie after getting complaints of its objectionable content. "While the overall theme of the film is not objectionable, it is loaded with anti-Dalit and anti-reservation dialogues," said NCSC chairman P.L. Punia. However, the Board, which granted the film a U/A certification, said it would defend Jha's right to free expression.[33] In reply to this, the director decided to remove 'objectionable' scenes from the film in a bid to prevent further backlash.[34] Prakash Jha and producers of Aarakshan moved the Supreme Court to lift the ban on the film in the three states.[35] Supreme Court lifted the ban on Aarakshan in Uttar Pradesh later.[36]
Apart from the aforementioned announced bans, there was an unexpected mid screening ban on the film in the multiplexes of Gurgaon, on the night of its release.[37]
References
- ^ "Title << British Board of Film Classification". British Board of Film Classification. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Aarakshan - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com.
- ^ "Big B gets teaching tips from Super 30's Anand". The Times of India. 31 July 2011. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ Adarsh, Taran. "Aarakshan: Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ Kazmi, Nikhat. "Aarakshan". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- IndiaWeekly. Archived from the originalon 30 August 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ "Movie Review: Aarakshan". Dainik Bhaskar. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ Vandana Krishnan. "Aakarshan Movie Review". Behindwoods. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ Saibal Chatterjee. "Aakarshan's Review". NDTV. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ "Aarakshan good film, unfortunately ran into trouble: CBFC chief". Movies.ndtv.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ "News18.com: CNN News18 Latest News, Breaking News India, Current News Headlines". News18. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012.
- ^ Sukanya Venkatraghavan. "Review of Aakarshan". Filmfare. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- CNN-IBN. Archived from the originalon 16 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Box Office Earnings". Boxofficeindia.Com. 24 August 2011. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ "Aarakshan Has Decent Opening". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ "Aarakshan First Day Territorial Breakdown". Boxofficeindia.Com. 13 August 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "Aarakshan first Weekend Territorial Breakdown". Boxofficeindia.Com. 16 August 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ "Box Office Earnings". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ "Bodyguard Smashes All Records Bol Mummy Punjab Etc Very Poor". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Welcome to nginx". Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ "Overseas Box Office :2011-08-31 00:27:06". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ "verdict". boxofficeindia. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ "'Aarakshan' songs have universal appeal: Jha – Movies News – Bollywood – ibnlive". Ibnlive.in.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
- ^ "Aarakshan Music Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ "Aarakshan – music review by Mitesh Saraf". Planet Bollywood. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ "IRDS Awards: Vidya Balan wins best actress for THE DIRTY PICTURE". 17 January 2012.
- ^ "Nominations - Mirchi Music Award Hindi 2011". 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Sets of 'Aarakshan' bulldozed, Prakash Jha upset". Ibnlive.in.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ "Aarakshan upsets So-called-Dalit group". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ "Flak for Saif's Dalit act". Hindustan Times. 14 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ "After UP, Aarakshan banned in Punjab, AP". The Times of India. 11 August 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ "Screening of Aarakshan banned in Punjab/UP". DNA. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "Derogatory remarks in 'Aarakshan,' says Commission". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "Prakash Jha ready to remove 'objectionable' scenes from Aarakshan". Scenes to be removed. Rediff.com. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "Prakash Jha moves SC to lift ban on Aarakshan". The Times of India. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ "Supreme Court lifts ban on 'Aarakshan' in Uttar Pradesh". The Times of India. 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ "Anti climax as Gurgaon bans Aarakshan". Hindustan Times. 14 August 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Aarakshan at IMDb
- Aarakshan at AllMovie
- Aarakshan at Box Office Mojo
- Aarakshan at Rotten Tomatoes
- Aarakshan at Metacritic