Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002)

During a bus journey, a devout Hindu Brahmin woman protects a Muslim man when communal rioting breaks out.

Director:

Aparna Sen

Writers:

Aparna Sen (story), Dulal Dey (story)

Stars:

Rahul Bose, Konkona Sen Sharma, Bhisham Sahni

9 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rahul Bose	...	Raja Chowdhury / Jehangir Chowdhury
Konkona Sen Sharma	...	Meenakshi Iyer (as Konkona Sensharma)
Bhisham Sahni	...	Iqbal Ahmed Khan (as Bhisham Sahani)
Surekha Sikri	...	Najma Khan
Sunil Mukherjee
Anjan Dutt
Esha Chauhan
Kalyan Ray	...	Voice overs
P.P. Bajaj	...	Voice overs
Rahul Mulani	...	Voice overs
Shernaz Patel	...	Voice overs
Theron D'Souza	...	Voice overs
Mona Shetty	...	Voice overs (as Mona Ghosh Shetty)
Vijaya Subramanium	...	Meenakshi's Mother
A.V. Iyenger	...	Meenakshi's Father

Storyline

Meenakshi Iyer comes from a devout Hindu Brahmin family, purely vegetarian, who not only abstain from meat, but also food from restaurants, is the only child, married to Subramaniam Iyer from Tamil Nadu, has just given birth to a young son, Santhanam, and is visiting her mom. It is then they receive news that her mother-in-law is ill and wants Meenakshi back home in Calcutta. The parents arrange to drop her and her son off at the bus-stand, where they are introduced to a young photographer named Raja Chowdhury. Meenakshi's parents ask Raja to look after her, to which he agrees. The bus starts off, taking it's passengers through scenic hillside. The bus driver comes across a sign that the regular road is closed and he decides to take another route. After a few hours the bus comes to a stop as there is a line-up of vehicles ahead. The passengers are told that there has been a terrorist attack on a train resulting in the death of about 200 people. The region, predominately Hindu, believe...

---

Plot Keywords:

character names as title | surname in title | four word title | muslim | police | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

Uday Bhawalkar provided the vocals for the theme track of this movie. The theme is based on an ancient form of Indian classical music called "Dhrupad", rarely heard in movies.

---

Connections

References Days and Nights in the Forest (1970)

---

Soundtracks

Don't Look Away
Written by Zakir Hussain
Sung by Samantha and Chorus
Featuring on Alaap - Ustad Sultan Khan

User Reviews

Exceptional must-see movie

An exceptional movie. Aparna Sen's choice of majority Hindu population as perpetrators of communal violence was daring, and probably killed the film's prospects at the box office,but significant. There have been innumerable instances of communal violence in India against Muslims, lower class Hindus and Sikhs, for which not a single person has spent a day behind bars. True to life, Aparna Sen's film isn't focused on the violence or the people behind those crimes. That happens. The terror is in the background, only it's effect on the protagonists is visible on screen. The main story is about the change of heart of an orthodox, highly educated, prejudiced and ignorant woman. Some of the subtle nuances would probably escape non-Indian viewers, but there are plenty of things to appreciate for all. The ending ("Goodbye Mr Iyer") would easily be among the best 10 endings I have ever seen in any movies among them Mouchette and Dead Poet's Society. In the acting department,all the cast have acted well, but special mention must be made of Konkana Sensharma for her outstanding performance. Aparna Sen's direction is outstanding, and outclasses any of Mani Ratnam's films who makes similar kind of political-personal dramas. A must see movie for all.

Details

Country:

India

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 July 2002 (India)

Also Known As:

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer

Filming Locations:

Himalayas, West Bengal, India

Company Credits

Production Co:

Triplecom Media Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 123 min

Color:

Color