Family Comes First (2005)

An ordinary 60 plus couple - Vidhyadhar Patwardhan and his wife are forced to search for their faith in human values and society after the death of their only son Amar. In the process they undergo the most testing struggle of their lives.

Director:

Mahesh Manjrekar (as Mahesh V. Manjrekar)

Writers:

Yash Gawli (screenplay) (as Yash), Yash Keswani (screenplay)

Stars:

Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, John Abraham

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Amitabh Bachchan	...	Vidhyadar Ramkrishna Patwardhan
Sharmila Tagore	...	Sumitra
John Abraham	...	Amar V. Patwardhan
Sanjay Dutt	...	Ali Asghar
Anusha Dhandekar	...	Jenny Mayer
Prem Chopra	...	Arora
Sharat Saxena	...	Vidhadhar's friend
Beena Banerjee	...	Swati Chitnis
Shivaaji Satam	...	Bharucha
Sachin Khedekar	...	Police Inspector
Amitabh Dayal	...	Harshwardhan Kadam
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Alter	...	Anderson (British Consultate)
Tanvi Hegde	...	Asha
Ninad Kamat
Viju Khote	...	Politician

Storyline

Vidyadhar Patwardhan lives a middle-class life with his wife, Sumitra. They have a son, Amar, who lives abroad in London, U.K., and it is through his income that the family lives on. Then Amar returns home with Jenny Mayer, his fiancée, and both are welcomed. Both do not look kindly upon Amar's habit to drink. While the parents are busy preparing for a surprise birthday party for Amar, Amar gets himself killed in a fight. A devastated Vidyadhar and Sumitra arrange for his funeral, and thereafter follow-up with the police as to the conviction of the killer, who has been identified as Harshvardhan Kadam. The police version is quite different from that of Vidyadhar, and they claim that Amar and Jenny were involved in smuggling drugs, a fight ensued, and Amar was killed. Subsequently, two men are killed in a police encounter, after confessing that they had killed Amar over a fight over drugs. Then Jenny is arrested for possession of drugs and lodged in a cell. She is subsequently released...

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Plot Keywords:

man wears eyeglasses | fight | police | middle class | urban setting | 

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Taglines:

...a man who has lost all but not his faith

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Just like Sarkar the film had no songs.

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Alternate Versions

Will be made in two languages -- Hindi and English. The English title is Versus.

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Connections

Remake of In the Bedroom (2001)

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Soundtracks

Dhoop Khile Jab Tum Muskarao
Performed by (vocals by) Zubeen Garg
Composed by Anand Raj Anand

User Reviews

This movie doesn't do a lot to encourage tourism in India...

"Viruddh" is a very unusual film in that it's like two totally different films. The first portion is lighthearted and fun--the second extremely sad and cynical. And, this final portion will do little to encourage tourism in India--particularly to Mumbai!

When the film begins, Vidhyadar (Amitabh Bachchan) is sitting in a jail cell--refusing to eat. The police inspector says he feels guilt every time Vidhyadar comes to his office or looks at him. Why? What immediately follows is NOT an explanation of this short prologue but instead is a surprisingly warm and lighthearted segment about Vidhyadar's life before some incident occurred--and what that incident is you'll just have to wait to see. This sweet portion of the film concerns the man and his relationship with his wife. They obviously love each other and their life is quite predictable but nice. Their son, Amal, lives lives in London and helps to support his retired parents. However, you know that Amal will soon die, as his ghost narrates portions of the movie!

The film changes when Amal returns home for a visit. Surprisingly, he brings along his girlfriend, Jenny, and he's worried that his parents may not approve of this relationship. However, they all become fast friends and life is looking just fine. But, when Amal just happens to be in the wrong place soon after his marriage, he is murdered and everything is turned upside down. It isn't just because of the murder but because the savage killer is well-connected and his father's influence manages to completely subvert justice. It's the police themselves who not only help the killer escape justice but also to ruin Amal's reputation in order to get the murderer off for his crimes. Vidhyadar's faith in the system is destroyed and he then decides to take it upon himself to receive justice. What this is and how he does it is something you'll need to see for yourself.

There is a lot to admire about the film. Bachchan's acting (as usual) is superb and it's easy to see why he's probably the most beloved and famous Bollywood actor today. His emotional range is astoundingly good. In fact, the acting is excellent all around. Also, the direction and production values are generally quite nice. The story is also very compelling and your heart breaks for the parents--as you feel really connected with them.

On the other hand, there are a few problems which prevent an even higher score. The biggest is that the ending, while satisfying to watch, is awfully difficult to believe. I'll say no more--you just need to see it to know what I mean. Additionally, I think the use of slow-motion was a bit over-used. Still, a super-impressive film and one that cannot help but grab your heart. And a great example of an Indian film that is every bit as good as most of the films coming out of Hollywood.

Also, for non-Indians, there needs to be a bit of an explanation for one small bit in the film. The father's attending a meeting where folks stand in the park just to laugh hysterically with their friends IS a real thing. Mira Nair shows this in her made for TV film "The Laughing Club of India" and these clubs have been promoted for good physical and emotional health.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (India)

Also Known As:

Family Comes First

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$110,360, 24 July 2005

Gross USA:

$327,615

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,048,588

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (A.B.C.L.), Satyajeet Movies Pvt. Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Color:

Color