Bhavni Bhavai
Bhavni Bhavai | |
---|---|
Gujarati | ભવની ભવાઈ |
Directed by | Ketan Mehta |
Written by | |
Based on |
|
Produced by | Sanchar Film Cooperative Society Ltd. |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Pummy |
Edited by | Ramesh Asher |
Music by | Gaurang Vyas |
Release date |
|
Running time | 135 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Gujarati |
Budget | ₹3.5 lakh (equivalent to ₹81 lakh or US$97,000 in 2023)[1] |
Bhavni Bhavai (
Bhavni Bhavai was Ketan Mehta's debut film and received a critical acclaim. Mehta won the prestigious Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, while Meera Lakhia won National Film Award for Best Production Design at the 28th National Film Awards. The film was selected for a festival at the Museum of Modern Art and received UNESCO Club Human Rights award at the Three Continents Festival.[2]
Plot
The story begins with a group of
King Chakrasen (Naseeruddin Shah) badly wants an heir, but neither of his two queens conceives a child.
One day Chakrasen smells a foul odor at his darbar. Upon investigating he is told the place is not cleaned because
Years pass by, the work on stepwell continues, but they can't find the water. Jeevo (Mohan Gokhale) grows up and falls in love with gypsy girl, Ujam (Smita Patil). The royal astrologer accidentally discovers that Jeevo is the son of the king and tells the king that the king must sacrifice 'Batress Lakshano Purush' (a man with 32 qualities), if he wants water in the stepwell and Jeevo is the only eligible man besides the king himself. The army sets out to capture Jeevo, but he runs away. Ranglo (jester) (Nimesh Desai) learns the truth and decides to inform the elder queen. Before that, the prime minister captures him and puts him in jail. Jeevo makes a plan with Ujam and tells the king that if he agrees to end the untouchability of his caste, then he'll surrender — else he'll kill himself and the king won't be able to complete the sacrifice. After consulting his ministers, Chakrasen reluctantly agrees to the demand. On the day of the sacrifice, Ranglo escapes from the prison and tells the king that Jeevo is his own son, to which king is delightful and aborts the execution. The stepwell suddenly starts filling up with water.
As the story approaches the end, one of the
Production
Development
After graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India, Ketan Mehta was working for a satellite channel. Through his travels in villages, he came across the problems faced by rural population, specifically untouchability. He also came across Dhiruben Patel's play Bhavni Bhavai,[3] — which back then was performed as a Bhavai — and decided to turn it into a movie.[4] He was also inspired by Achhutno Vesh, a Bhavai performance.[5] For production, the people associated with had formed a cooperative, the Sanchal Film Cooperative Society.[5] The film was made on a meager budget of ₹3.5 lakh (equivalent to ₹81 lakh or US$97,000 in 2023), with funding from NFDC. Most of the actors, including Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Smita Patil agreed to work without any compensation
Naseeruddin Shah initially declined the role, because of his previous experience of working with Ketan Mehta, when the latter directed Eugène Ionesco's play The Lesson for him. Ketan Mehta persisted and Naseeruddin finally agreed to do it because of his liking for the film, though he was hesitant about playing the role of a "Bumbling Raja".[6]
Filming
Ketan Mehta filmed Bhavni Bhavai with
The chief theme of the film is struggles of Harijans. The film also presents a medieval story in modern ways. Instead of linear story, it has a circular structure.[5]
Cast
- Naseeruddin Shah as King Chakrasen
- Smita Patil as Ujam
- Mohan Gokhale as Jeevo
- Om Puri as Malo Bhagat
- Dina Pathak as Dhuli
- Benjamin Gilani as Prime Minister
- Suhasini Mulay as Younger Queen
- Nimesh Desai as Ranglo
- Gopi Desai as Rangli
Soundtrack
Bhavni Bhavai | |
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Feature film soundtrack | |
Length | 15:03 |
Bhavni Bhavai songs were composed by Gaurang Vyas and written by Dhiruben Patel.
No. | Title | Lyrics | Artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Pachhun Vali Ne Joyun Na" | Dhiruben Patel | Bhupinder Singh | 3:39 |
2. | "Hoon Mala No Dikro Jevo" | Dhiruben Patel | Praful Dave, Varsha Bhosle | 2:58 |
3. | "Ranglo Aave Raja Ranglo Aave" | Dhiruben Patel | Preeti Sagar, Praful Dave, Nimesh Desai | 5:56 |
4. | "Patal Pani Toye Niklya Nai" | Dhiruben Patel | Preeti Sagar | 2:30 |
Critical reception
Bhavni Bhavai received a wide critical acclaim and is considered one of the best
Accolades
Mehta won the prestigious Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, while Meera Lakhia won National Film Award for Best Production Design at the 28th National Film Awards. The film was selected for a festival at the Museum of Modern Art and received UNESCO Club Human Rights award at the Three Continents Festival.[2][11] The film was presented at the New Indian Cinema festival held in London along with 22 other films.[5]
References
- ^ a b Aditya Mani Jha (29 April 2013). "Bhavni Bhavai: Folk matters, and how to break the Fourth Wall". Archived from the original on 2 May 2013.
- ^ a b Banerjee 2013, p. 49.
- ^ "Dhiruben Patel". Muse India. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ Divyasha Doshi (10 November 2014). "હડકાયો કૂતરો કરડ્યો એટલે હું ફિલ્મ બનાવું છું. - કેતન મહેતા".
- ^ a b c d Thaker, Dhirubhai; Desai, Kumarpal, eds. (2007). Gujarat: A Panorama of the Heritage of Gujarat. Prakashan: 2 (1st ed.). Ahmedabad: Smt. Hiralaxmi Navanitbhai Shah Dhanya Gurjari Kendra, Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust. pp. 531–532.
- ^ Shah 2014, p. 256.
- ^ a b Hiren Dave (4 October 2009). "Bhavni Bhavai (Gujarati) (1980)".
- ^ Jai Arjun. "Dry well, foul smell - on Ketan Mehta's excellent Bhavni Bhavai".
- All Movie Guide. Archived from the originalon 20 December 2014.
- ^ "Bhavni Bhavai critics/reviews". Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ Thaker, Dhirubhai; Desai, Kumarpal, eds. (2007). Gujarat: A Panorama of the Heritage of Gujarat. Prakashan: 2 (1st ed.). Ahmedabad: Smt. Hiralaxmi Navanitbhai Shah Dhanya Gurjari Kendra, Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust. pp. 529–530.
Bibliography
- Banerjee, Shampa (2013). One Hundred Indian Feature Films: An Annotated Filmography. ISBN 9781135841058.
- Banerjee, Shampa (1986). Bhavni Bhavai : a Film by Ketan Mehta. ISBN 9788170460374.
- Shah, Naseeruddin (2014). And Then One Day: A Memoir. ISBN 9789351188407.
External links
- Bhavni Bhavai at IMDb
- Bhavni Bhavai at Rotten Tomatoes