Parzania
Parzania | |
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PVR Pictures | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 122 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | English |
Budget | US$700,000[1] |
Parzania (
The film is inspired by the true story of a ten-year-old
The film was premiered at 36th
Plot
Allan (Corin Nemec), an American, arrives in Ahmedabad searching for answers, to find internal peace and to understand the world and his troubled life. He chooses India as his school and Gandhi as the subject of his thesis. It is here that he meets the Pithawala family — Cyrus (Naseeruddin Shah), his wife Shernaz (Sarika), son Parzan (Parzan Dastur) and daughter Dilshad (Pearl Barsiwala). The Pithawalas being Parsis follow Zoroastrianism. Through them and the teachings of a Gandhian, Allan starts to find peace of mind.
The plot is based on the story of Rupa Mody, whose son went missing after the
Cast
- Naseeruddin Shah as Cyrus
- Corin Nemec as Allan
- Sarika as Shernaz
- Parzan Dasturas Parzan
- Pearl Barsiwalla
- Raj Zutshi
- Asif Basra
- Pushpendra Saini
- Ram Gopal Bajaj
Production
In the
While deciding on the cast, Dholakia said that they were not looking at people's physical appearances. He added:
We didn't want glamorous people to play realistic roles. We've shot the film without any makeup, etc. We needed people who looked believable. So casting did play a major role, and I'm not even talking about the principal cast. Every actor in the film has been auditioned, and that includes people with one line to say or not even that.[9]
Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah was the first and obvious choice for the film. But Dholakia was very apprehensive about whether Shah would agree to do the film, and if he could pay his remuneration. His latter worry was because the film started out as a very low-budget film. After Dholakia narrated the script to him, Shah said, "I agree in principle, provided we make this sensitively and sensibly."[9] Shah thought that the film's story needed to be told, and he felt that he had to be part of it. After agreeing to join the cast, Shah did not actively research for his character. Being a parent himself, he felt that it was not difficult for him to empathize with the family whose son was lost in the riots.[8] After 18 years of hiatus, Sarika chose to return to cinema with this film. Since the film dealt with a real and sensitive issue, she felt that Parzania went beyond than being just a film.[10] Despite facing the camera after a long gap, Sarika felt quite comfortable during the shooting.[11]
Shortly thereafter, Shah, Sarika and Dholakia went through the script in great detail. Owing to their screen and real-life experiences, Shah and Sarika suggested changes and revised the script several times.[9]
Because the film was about communal riots in Gujarat, the film was purposefully not released there, as the cinema owners refused to screen it, fearing backlash.[12][13][14] After an initiative by ANHAD, a civil rights group, the film was screened at some places in the state after April 2007.[15]
Awards and honours
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | National Film Awards[16] | Best Director | Rahul Dholakia | Won |
Best Actress | Sarika | Won | ||
2008 | Filmfare Awards | Best Story | David N. Donihue, Rahul Dholakia | Nominated |
Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
Screen Awards | Ramnath Goenka Memorial Award | Rahul Dholakia[17] | Won |
References
- The Los Angeles Times. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- Allmovie. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ "Apex court SIT submits report on Gulbarg Society massacre". The Hindustan Times. 14 May 2010. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011.
- ^ Kamath, Sudhish (3 December 2005). "Turnout spells success for IFFI". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 March 2006. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ "Modi's blog evokes anger among victims". The Hindu. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ Sen, Raja (30 August 2006). "Parzania director: 2006's National award winner?". Rediff.com. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ Sengupta, Somini (20 February 2007). "In India, Showing Sectarian Pain to Eyes That Are Closed". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ The Telegraph. Archived from the originalon 6 October 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ a b c Sen, Raja (31 August 2006). "Will Parzania reach theatres?". Rediff.com. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ Mathur, Barkha (9 August 2007). "'I've matured over the years'". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
- ^ Nair, Suresh (22 July 2004). "18 saal baad..." Times News Network. The Times of India. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
- ^ "Flicker of hope for Parzania in Gujarat". The Times of India. 28 January 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ "Parzania director's offer to Gujarat exhibitors". The Hindu. 3 February 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ Sharma, Radha (3 February 2007). "Gujarat will see Parzania if Bajrangi says OK!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ "Gujarat finally screens Parzania". CNN-IBN. 24 April 2007. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012.
- ^ "53rd National Film Awards – 2006". Directorate of Film Festivals. p. 30. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ 'Rahul Dholakia' Wins Ramnath Goenka Memorial Award IndiaGlitz, 11 January 2008.