Trishna (2011)

The story of the tragic relationship between the son of a property developer and the daughter of an auto rickshaw owner.

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writers:

Michael Winterbottom (screenplay), Thomas Hardy (novel)

Stars:

Freida Pinto, Riz Ahmed, Meeta Vashisht

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freida Pinto	...	Trishna
Riz Ahmed	...	Jay
Meeta Vashisht	...	Bhaanumathi
Harish Khanna	...	Vijay
Roshan Seth	...	Mr. Singh
Leela Madhauram	...	Devshri
Pratiksha Singh	...	Pratiksha
Neet Mohan	...	Sandeep
Sam Hastings	...	Sam
Marc Richardson	...	Marc
Anurag Kashyap	...	Anurag
Kalki Koechlin	...	Kalki
Amit Trivedi	...	Amit
Meenakshi Singh	...	Rita
Chanchal Sharma	...	Chanchal

Storyline

Based on Thomas Hardy's classic novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles, 'Trishna' tells the story of one woman whose life is destroyed by a combination of love and circumstances. Set in contemporary Rajasthan, Trishna (Freida Pinto) meets a wealthy young British businessman Jay Singh (Riz Ahmed) who has come to India to work in his father's hotel business. After an accident destroys her father's Jeep, Trishna goes to work for Jay, and they fall in love. But despite their feelings for each other, they cannot escape the conflicting pressures of a rural society which is changing rapidly through industrialisation, urbanisation and, above all, education. Trishna's tragedy is that she is torn between the traditions of her family life and the dreams and ambitions that her education has given her.

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Plot Keywords:

india | ambiguous ending | based on novel | character name in title | title spoken by character

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, some violence, drug use and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Triszna. Pragnienie milosci

Filming Locations:

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$29,140 (USA) (13 July 2012)

Gross:

$234,432 (USA) (17 August 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film i Väst, Head Gear Films, Revolution Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Intoxicating to Wtch, but Weak on Character Development

To claim that TRISHNA is an adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' is really stretching the imagination. This is an engrossing film about caste differences in India: the screenwriters are not mentioned - only the fact that director Michael Winterbottom based his story on Hardy's famous novel seems to be more of a PR draw than reality. But the film is well acted and the aromas and atmospheres of India are well captured.

TRISHNA reveals the life of one woman whose life is destroyed by a combination of love and circumstances. Set in contemporary Rajasthan, Trishna (Freida Pinto, beautiful and sensitive) meets a wealthy young British businessman Jay Singh (Riz Ahmed, inordinately handsome and polished) who has come to India to work in his father's hotel business. After an accident destroys her father's Jeep, Trishna goes to work for Jay, and they fall in love. But despite their feelings for each other, they cannot escape the conflicting pressures of a rural society which is changing rapidly through industrialization, urbanization and, above all, education. Trishna's tragedy is that she is torn between the traditions of her family life and the dreams and ambitions that her education has given her: the sexual double standard to which Tess falls victim despite being a truly good woman makes her despised by society after losing her virginity before marriage. Trishna has choices after she receives an education, but she instead chooses to follow her passion for Jay. Jay truly loves Trishna but his social class demands that he keep Trishna as an employee, making his physical love affair with her a private matter due to the rules of the caste system. Jay does not seem to be a villain here and Trishna is not a victim: these two facts make the ending a bit over the top and unnecessary. A more intelligent script could have made this a first class film.

Freida Pinto and Riz Ahmed are fascinating to observe as they work through the confines of love in a world that does not condone their union. The other characters in the cast are excellent - especially Roshan Seth as Jay's father. In setting the story in contemporary India the director seems to have decided it was important to include cellphones and Bollywood dancing rehearsals and filmmaking to provide spice. But in the end it is the fine acting by Pinto and Ahmed that make this film work.

Grady Harp