Man Push Cart (2005)

A night in the life of a former Pakistani rock star who now sells coffee from his push cart on the streets of Manhattan.

Director:

Ramin Bahrani

Writer:

Ramin Bahrani

Stars:

Ahmad Razvi, Leticia Dolera, Charles Daniel Sandoval

8 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ahmad Razvi	...	Ahmad
Leticia Dolera	...	Noemi
Charles Daniel Sandoval	...	Mohammad
Ali Reza	...	Manish
Farooq 'Duke' Muhammad	...	Duke
Panicker Upendran	...	Noori (as Upendran K. Panicker)
Arun Lal	...	Father-in-Law
Razia Mujahid	...	Mother-in-Law
Hassan Razvi	...	Ahmad's son
Mustafa Razvi	...	Pakistani Driver
Altaf Houssein	...	Altaf
Bill Lewis	...	Final Customer
Abdelrahma Abdelaziz	...	Friend at Bar
Ronak Ricky Patel	...	Newstand Worker
Shaana Levy	...	Club Worker (as Shaana Diya)

Storyline

Every night while the city sleeps, Ahmad, a Pakistani immigrant, struggles to drag his heavy cart along the streets of New York to his corner in Midtown Manhattan. And every morning, from inside his cart he sells coffee and donuts to a city he cannot call his own. He is the worker found on every street corner in every city. He is a man who wonders if he will ever escape his fate.

---

Plot Keywords:

pakistani | coffee | push cart | immigrant | manhattan new york city | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pakistani Rockstar Atif Aslam's three songs were included in the film. "Aadat" is the main track while portions of the songs "Ehsaas" and "Yakeen" are also introduced in the film. All are taken from the album Jal Pari.

---

Connections

Featured in Life Itself (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Aadat
Written by Goher Mumtaz
Performed by Atif Aslam and Goher Mumtaz

User Reviews

Haunting, Sensual Mood Piece

Moving with a slow even rhythm, this film portrays a man's struggle to get by as an immigrant to the U.S. from Pakistan. His life centers on his work as a street vendor who must pull his cart to a New York city street corner every morning and sell coffee and such to the busy urban customers. The cart, like his troubles in life are quite allot for him to keep under control as he makes his way through the crowded NYC landscape. What makes the film work so well is the overall atmosphere and style in which it was shot. Ahmad is a reticent soul and much is expressed in his eyes and demeanor, his world is urban and dark, the vast majority of this film is at night and Ahmad seems to be living in a nighttime existence. There's a feeling of confinement and being trapped as well. Even when Ahmed loses his cart it seems there is no place to go to look for it. The relationship that develops with a woman that he meets who also works as a street vendor is tentative and cautionary in its process but also intriguing and sensual. The film is non manipulative and non judgmental, it's an outsider's gaze into one man's lonely isolated existence far from his past and former self.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Urdu

Release Date:

10 May 2006 (France)

Also Known As:

Czlowiek z budka

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,694, 10 September 2006

Gross USA:

$36,608

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$55,903

Company Credits

Production Co:

Noruz Films (I), Flip Side Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1