Provoked: A True Story (2006)

It's the true story of a Punjabi woman named Kiranjit Ahluwalia who leaves India to marry a London-based guy, only to be badly abused. She ends up in prison for murdering her abusive husband.

Director:

Jag Mundhra

Writers:

Carl Austin, Rahila Gupta

Stars:

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Miranda Richardson, Naveen Andrews

Cast

Credited cast:
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan	...	Kiranjit Ahluwalia (as Aishwarya Rai)
Miranda Richardson	...	Veronica Scott
Naveen Andrews	...	Deepak Ahluwalia
Ray Panthaki	...	Ravi
Nandita Das	...	Radha Dalal
Robbie Coltrane	...	Lord Edward Foster
Raji James	...	Solicitor Anil Gupta
Leena Dhingra	...	Sheela Ahluwalia
Claire Louise Amias	...	Young Nurse
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wendy Albiston	...	Guard Miller
John Alford	...	Chris Jones - Legal Aid Solicitor
Vonda Barnes	...	Prisoner
Peter Benedict	...	Dr. Manning
Freya Berry	...	Dr. Emma Stillman
Lorraine Bruce	...	Doreen

Storyline

Provoked is the true story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, a Punjabi woman who moved to London after her marriage with Deepak Ahluwalia. Her husband seemed caring at first but then began to beat her up. He started drinking a lot and sleeping around with other women. he also subjected her to spousal rape. After ten years and having two children with him, out of fear, she sets him on fire while he is sleeping, two hours after another scene of domestic violence. He succumbs to the injuries ans she is sentenced to prison for life for premeditated murder. However the Southall Black Sisters, an NGO which fights against domestic violence helps her get justice. And after spending 3 1/2 years in jail, she is set free and reunited with her two children.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | murder | domestic violence | england | london england | 

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Taglines:

In prison she found freedom

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK India

Language:

English Punjabi

Release Date:

6 April 2007 (UK)

Also Known As:

Provoked

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£140,104 (United Kingdom), 8 April 2007, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Raj Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in 32 days.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Shrek the Third/Once/Even Money/The Wendell Baker Story/Provkoed (2007)

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Soundtracks

Sikh Hymns
Anand Karaj Lavan
Music by Ragis of Ramgarhia Gurudwara, Slough
Vocals by Ragis of Ramgarhia Gurudwara, Slough

User Reviews

Sensibly Conveyed

What I found most compelling about this movie is the way in which the core subject matter of the husband abusing his wife was revealed to the audience. It didn't focus entirely on the actual act of abuse which is something the movie could've easily gone in the direction of. One might argue that showing the actual scenes might've garnered more sympathy for Kiranjit but I beg to differ. I think by showing glimpses of the violence and leaving much to the imagination the director has done well to extract genuine sympathy from his audience. I must also mention that Aishwarya Rai has portrayed this role earnestly and might perhaps be the peacock feather in her acting career. She was apt, didn't over or under act and perfectly exhibited the emotional trauma that Kiranjit might've actually been through. The movie was controlled realism, in it that it portrayed the story realistically but didn't go into the gory details, which I believe isn't necessary at all.