Jal (transl. Water) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language drama film set in the Rann of Kutch, India, and follows an overconfident water diviner Bakka who tries to solve the drought problems in his village, but faces unforeseen circumstances when he tries to help a female bird watcher save flamingos. The film is directed by Girish Malik and is his debut film as a director.

Jal
Official Movie Poster
Directed byGirish Malik
Screenplay byGirish Malik
Rakesh Mishra
Story byRakesh Mishra
Produced byOneworld Films Pvt. Ltd.
StarringPurab Kohli
Tannishtha Chatterjee
Kirti Kulhari
Yashpal Sharma
Mukul Dev
Saidah Jules
Rasika Dugal
CinematographySunita Radia
Music bySonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
Production
company
Intermezzo Studio Alien Sense Films Pvt Ltd
Distributed byDAR Motion Pictures
Release dates
  • 6 October 2013 (2013-10-06) (BIFF)
  • 4 April 2014 (2014-04-04) (India)
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

The film was premiered and received special mention at the "New Currents" section of the Busan International Film Festival 2013 and in the "Indian Panorama" section of the International Film Festival of India.

The film was released in India on 4 April 2014.[1] One World Films has collaborated with DAR Motion Pictures for the distribution of Jal in India. The film received the National Film Award for Best Special Effects for the year 2013 at the 61st National Film Awards.[2] Jal was also short-listed as an Oscars 2014 contender in the Best Picture Category[3] and the Best Original Score Category. The film advanced in the top 114 films in the Best Original Score Category.[4]

Jaal Part 2 Web Series has been streaming online from the month of February 23-2024. The trending romantic film Jaal Part 2 will be released in these four languages, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, and Tamil. Tripti Berra and Banti lead the male roles in this series. This film trailer was launched on the PrimePlay YouTube channel and Instagram on 13 February.

Synopsis

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The story of Jal centers on Bakka (Purab Kohli), a young man who possesses a unique ability to locate water in the desert. With the backdrop of water scarcity, the film tells a complex story of love, relationships, enmity, deceit, and circumstances that bring about the dark side of human character.

Cast

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Music

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The music of the film is composed by Sonu Nigam and ace tabla player/percussionist Bickram Ghosh.[7] This is their first composing collaboration for a Bollywood film.

The composer duo recorded the film's title song with Shubha Mudgal. The title song used ragas like Marwa and Puriya combined with rare musical instruments like the Armenian Duduk. The entire song was created in a day.

Jal's background score is by Sonu Nigam and Bickram Ghosh. They used a mix of Indian and International sounds with a lot of percussion. Sonu Nigam and Bickram Ghosh were nominated in Oscars 2014 long list among top 114 in the Best Original Score Category.[4]

Soundtrack

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Jal
Soundtrack album by
Released19 March 2014 (India)
GenreFeature Film Soundtrack
LabelSaga Music & Unisys Info Solutions
ProducerSonu Nigam – Bickram Ghosh
Sonu NigamBickram Ghosh chronology
Sooper Se Ooper
(2013)
Jal
(2014)
Chowky
(2015)
Track # title Singer(s) Lyrics Composer(s)
1 Jal De (Title Song) Shubha Mudgal Sonu NigamSanjeev Tiwari Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
2 You Fill My Life Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Suzanne Sonu Nigam – Bickram Ghosh Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
3 Zaalima[8] Sonu Nigam Sonu Nigam Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
4 Paani Si Behti Jaye Ambarish Das Sanjeev Tiwari Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
5 Bakka Pani De Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
6 The Mirage and the Tornado Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
7 The Sweet Dream of Water Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
8 Mesmerized By Rann Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
9 The Tragedy of Rann Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
10 The Barren Land Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
11 The Cry of the Soul Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
12 Dried Up Tears Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
13 Nature and the Machine Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
14 Ankhiyan – Anthem Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
15 The Water Ritual 1 Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
16 The Water Ritual 2 Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
17 The Hope of Water Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
18 The Flow of Water Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
19 The Sorrow Within Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
20 Bakka And Kesar Tryst With Water Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
21 Chase Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
22 Anger Instrumental Instrumental Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh

Critical reception

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  • Times of India gave the film 3.5 stars : 'Jal' captures the bare beauty of the golden cracked earth and its tortuous tapestry in artfully mounted frames (cinematography: Sunita Radia). It's a picture-perfect album with stark sights and parched souls.[9]
  • Taran Adarsh from BollywoodHungama has rated 3.5/5 Stars and stated "JAL makes a rock-solid impact. It's poignant and powerful and I suggest, you take time out to watch this truly gripping fare"[10]
  • FilmFare gave the film 4/5 stars and appreciated the film "Great visuals and premise desiccated by a pedantic pace".[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Archive News". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  2. ^ "61st National Film Awards For 2013" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  3. ^ "323 FEATURE FILMS IN CONTENTION FOR 2014 BEST PICTURE OSCAR". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 12 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b "114 ORIGINAL SCORES IN 2014 OSCAR RACE". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 12 December 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d "On a brand new beat". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Calcutta, India. 23 March 2011. Archived from the original on 26 March 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  6. ^ "A class act". Telegraphindia. Calcutta, India. 15 May 2011. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  7. ^ "Sonu Nigam turns Bollywood composer". DNA India. 28 March 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  8. ^ "Sonu and I have got two more films coming along: Bickram Ghosh". Planet Radio City. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  9. ^ "Jal". Times of India. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  10. ^ "Bollywood Hungama Review". BollywoodHungama. 4 April 2014. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  11. ^ "Filmfare Review". Filmfare. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
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