Chakra is a 1981 Hindi movie directed by Rabindra Dharmaraj. The film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil and Kulbhushan Kharbanda.[1]
| Chakra | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Rabindra Dharmaraj |
| Written by | Jaywant Dalvi |
| Produced by | Pradeep Uppoor |
| Starring | Naseeruddin Shah Smita Patil Kulbhushan Kharbanda |
| Cinematography | Barun Mukherjee |
| Music by | Hridaynath Mangeshkar |
| Distributed by | Neo Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Plot
editAmma and her son Benwa become Bombay's slum-dwellers after running away from their village after her husband kills a moneylender who tried to rape her. The husband is then shot trying to steal some tin to build a hut.
In Bombay, Amma has a lover who provides for her and her son. Since the lover is a truck driver who travels most of the time, Amma takes on another lover – a vain pimp and petty crook, Lukka, who becomes Benwa's idol. Lukka is on parole and ordered to be present before the police every day.
Benwa marries the young Amli. Amma meanwhile becomes pregnant, though it is never clear whose child it is. Amma, of course, lets Anna know that it is his because she knows that of her two lovers, he alone is capable and responsible enough to take care of her and her child.
Lukka reappears, ravaged by syphilis and drugs; he is now a changed man and is disenchanted with the criminal life. But he still lives a life of crime and it is implied that there is no other choice for him. He even tries to dissuade Benwa from a life of crime without much success. Lukka is assaulted by the police at his illicit liquor den. The climax has Lukka assaulting a chemist who refuses to give him medicines unless he pays for it. Lukka grabs some medicines and makes a run for it, is chased by the police and hides in Amma's hut. The cops find him and arrest both him and Benwa, beating them brutally in the process. Amma has a miscarriage in the scuffle. In the end, bulldozers arrives to flatten the entire slum. A sort of exodus is shown in the final moments of the movie – and Benwa and Amli move on to a new slum, and a new shanty hut to continue the Chakra.
Cast
edit- Naseeruddin Shah as Lukka
- Smita Patil as Amma
- Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Anna
- Ranjit Chowdhry as Benwa
- Dilip Dhawan as Amma's husband
- Kaluram Dhobale as Child
- Arun Bakshi as Police inspector
- Rohini Hattangadi as Laxmi
- Salim Ghouse as Raghu
- Anjali Paigankar as Chenna
- Savita Bajaj as mentally challenged Chamnya's mother
- Suresh Bhagwat as Sweeper
- Yunus Parvez as Minister
- Suhas Bhalekar as drunkard in slums
- Alka Kubal as Amli
- Sudhir Pandey as Bhandari
- Uttam Sirur as Chamnya
- Sharayu Bhopatkar as Bhagi
- Satish Kaushik as boot polish guy[2]
- Madan Jain as Amli's brother
- Sumant Mastakar as Amli's father
- Ratan Gaurang as watchman
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | |||
| 1982 | Best Film | Pradeep Uppoor | Nominated |
| Best Director | Rabindra Dharmaraj | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Nasseruddin Shah | Won | |
| Best Actress | Smita Patil | Won | |
| Best Story | Jaywant Dalvi | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction | Bansi Chandragupta | Won | |
| Locarno International Film Festival | |||
| 1981 | Golden Leopard | Rabindra Dharmaraj | Won |
| Prize of the Ecumenical Jury | Won | ||
| National Film Awards | |||
| 1981 | Best Actress | Smita Patil[3] | Won |
References
edit- ^ Purie, Aroon (15 May 1981). "Film review: Chakra, starring Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Kulbhushan Kharbanda". India Today. New Delhi: Living Media India Limited. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ Kaushik, Satish (10 July 2019). "Satish Kaushik revisits Chakra". First of Many (Interview). Interviewed by Mimansa Shekhar. New Delhi: The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ "28th National Film Awards". Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2013.