Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003)

Set in the backdrop of Indian Emergency 1975, the story revolves around 3 friends whose lives changes drastically after the turn of events.

Director:

Sudhir Mishra

Writers:

Sudhir Mishra (original story & screenplay), Shivkumar Subramaniam (original story & screenplay) (as Shiv Subramanyum)

Stars:

Kay Kay Menon, Shiney Ahuja, Chitrangda Singh

4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kay Kay Menon	...	Siddharth Tyabji
Shiney Ahuja	...	Vikram Malhotra
Chitrangda Singh	...	Geeta Rao
Ram Kapoor	...	Arun Mehta
Saurabh Shukla	...	Senior Bihari constable
Yashpal Sharma	...	Randhir Singh
Jasbir Malik	...	Mehmood Tyabji
Sohrab Ardeshir	...	The maharaja
Aditya Bhattacharya	...	Politician Sadiq
Arif Zakaria	...	Daryll
Anupam Shyam	...	SHO Jhanda Singh
Sandeep Kulkarni	...	Comrade Probir
Akhil Mishra	...	Vikram's father
Yusuf Hussain	...	Senior politician
Manohar Khushlani	...	Hotelier Wadhwani

Storyline

Geeta Rao has two admirers - one is Siddharth Tyabji and the other is Vikram Malhotra circa 1969 West Bengal that is witnessing it's struggle against the ruling Congress party, joining forces with left-wing Marxist and Communist parties. While Siddharth is directly involved in this struggle, Geeta and Vikram are romantically involved. When Vikram does not make any move toward marriage, despite of being introduced to Geeta's Madras-based family, she decides to give up on him, and he starts his romance with another young woman. While students continue to voice their disapproval of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Allahabad High Court gives a judgment indicting her for several offenses under the Representation of People Act. Mrs. Gandhi then uses her powers to clamp Emergency, taking away all powers of the judiciary, giving police virtually unlimited powers to the Police to detain anyone under the National Security Act, imprisoning leaders of all political parties, empowering her son, ...

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Taglines:

Politics, Love, Ambition. Can You Handle Them All?

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

India France

Language:

Hindi Punjabi English

Release Date:

15 April 2005 (India)

Also Known As:

A Thousand Desires Like These

Filming Locations:

India

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artcam International, Foundation Montecinema Verità, National Center of Cinematography Fonds Sud

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shiney Ahuja won the Filmfare Best Debut Award for his performance.

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Connections

References Do Raaste (1969)

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Soundtracks

Maan Yeh Bavra
Written by Swanand Kirkire and Ajay Jhingran
Composed by Shantanu Moitra
Performed by Swanand Kirkire and Ajay Jhingran
Courtesy of Virgin Records India

User Reviews

Refreshingly bold and meaningful

A few days ago, I watched Sudhir Mishra's Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi with some friends. I am still thinking of it after more than a week has passed. Rare does it happen that an Indian movie leaves such a lasting impression. It is refreshingly bold in its portrayal of its central characters and the story of their personal journeys in search for their identities.

The story is set in the early 70's when emergency and pro-poor (naxalite) movement shaped the thoughts and actions of millions of idealistic youth in India. The story deals with three characters- two males and a female, each from a different stratum of Indian society- each with different passions, goals and idealism. It is their story of love, hope and final attainment of their goals.

The central and most important character is without doubt Chitrangada Singh's Geeta. Her idealism draws her to revolutionary ideas, but she is torn by her need for the softer, more materialistic things of life, for love and a family. This constant pull shapes her life, her choices, and her final destination, depicted touchingly in the end of the movie. She is shown as the most human of all the characters, making her the most believable and most admirable. On one hand, I am in awe of her strength and inner resolve; on the other hand, I feel her suffering and emotional trauma.

KayKay Menon's character Siddharth starts out as a youth of privilege who takes a bold step of fighting for the cause he believes in, leaving behind his only true love. He struggles with the repressive authorities and the demons with in him- his sudden realization that he is after all human in the chase scene, had a dramatic effect on me, suddenly bringing other side of his nature into sharp perspective. His desire to fight out the authorities is derived from his own insecurities about himself. He finds his closure when he accepts his failures.

The most complex of all these characters is Shiny Ahuja's Vikram. His desire to climb the social ladder is surpassed only by his fiery passion for Geeta. She is the only centrality to his other wise meaningless, high powered, and politically connected life. She makes him yearn for making himself successful, and that is what drives her away from him. His choices can be understood only in the context of the complex and unfulfilled relationship he shares with Geeta. His love is never requited in the true sense of the word. Nevertheless, he is the one who finally brings meaning back into Geeta's life.

Technically, the movie is very good, with nice camera work and precise scissors of the editor. Some scenes are breathtaking in their beauty. Dialogues are sometimes difficult to understand, but that ends up adding to the over all tension of the movie. A must watch for any lover of good cinema!