Trishna (2011)

The story of the tragic relationship between the son of a property developer and the daughter of an auto rickshaw owner.

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writers:

Michael Winterbottom (screenplay), Thomas Hardy (novel)

Stars:

Freida Pinto, Riz Ahmed, Mita Vasisht

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freida Pinto	...	Trishna
Riz Ahmed	...	Jay
Mita Vasisht	...	Bhaanumathi (as Meeta Vasisht)
Harish Khannaa	...	Vijay (as Harish Khanna)
Roshan Seth	...	Mr. Singh
Leela Madhauram	...	Devshri
Pratiksha Singh	...	Pratiksha
Neet Mohan	...	Sandeep
Sam Hastings	...	Sam
Marc Richardson	...	Marc
Anurag Kashyap	...	Anurag
Kalki Koechlin	...	Kalki
Amit Trivedi	...	Amit
Meenakshi Singh	...	Rita
Chanchal Sharma	...	Chanchal

Storyline

Based on Thomas Hardy's classic novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles, 'Trishna' tells the story of one woman whose life is destroyed by a combination of love and circumstances. Set in contemporary Rajasthan, Trishna (Freida Pinto) meets a wealthy young British businessman Jay Singh (Riz Ahmed) who has come to India to work in his father's hotel business. After an accident destroys her father's Jeep, Trishna goes to work for Jay, and they fall in love. But despite their feelings for each other, they cannot escape the conflicting pressures of a rural society which is changing rapidly through industrialisation, urbanisation and, above all, education. Trishna's tragedy is that she is torn between the traditions of her family life and the dreams and ambitions that her education has given her.

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Plot Keywords:

woman | india | ambiguous ending | based on novel | title spoken by character | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, some violence, drug use and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English Hindi Punjabi Rajasthani

Release Date:

9 March 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Agapi dihos avrio

Filming Locations:

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,140, 15 July 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$234,432, 19 August 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Head Gear Films,UK Film Council,Metrol Technology

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Disappointing modern adaptation of a classic.

Michael Winterbottom's contemporary update of 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' was something that I had been looking forward to seeing for a long time. This is his third adaptation of a Thomas Hardy novel, and by far his most audacious: taking a story set in 19th century England and relocating it to modern day India, while retaining the essence and nuance of the original story, was no easy feat.

Unfortunately, it shows. I knew from the beginning that this was not a movie to judge as a literary adaptation, and I refuse to do so. This should be judged on its merits as a film in its own right – but even with this taken into consideration, there are major problems.

First, I would like to state that there are things to admire in this movie. Freida Pinto in the main role proves to the world (if there was any doubt after her performance in 'Slumdog Millionaire') what a talented actress she is. Combine with this with some truly beautiful cinematography and a story packed with emotional depth and powerful statements about modern Indian society, relationships and sexual politics – and we should be on for a winner, surely!

Yet, despite Pinto's wonderful lead performance, her talents do not extend to some of her co-stars - most notably Riz Ahmed, who in an inspired but flawed directorial decision plays a character in whom Alec and Angel from the novel are combined. The result, although more successful than I originally thought it would be, still isn't entirely believable, especially in the film's final third – by far the weakest section of the film.

There are other, more minor flaws: with the exception of some wonderful technical flourishes (including a brilliantly filmed murder scene at the end of the film, and some interesting decisions in the cinematography department in shooting a car crash nearer the start of the movie), the editing is sometimes very shoddy, which undercuts not only some of the most beautiful filmed scenes in the movie, but also creates frequent continuity errors.

However, by far the most disappointing thing about 'Trishna' is its script: it sounds all the way through like a first draft. The characters talk in tired clichés, and surprisingly, there are no interesting set pieces until very near the end of the movie, meaning that for most of its running time, the film is running on neutral, with very little passion or forward momentum driving the plot along. It stalls far too often, and although I don't know how many scenes were consigned to the cutting room floor before the film's release, I would argue whole-heartedly that there are still more that could be shed.

I'm sorry to say that 'Trishna', despite great potential, left me very disappointed. It is a flawed melodrama with no gusto or passion, which inevitably means that its overwrought ending feels horribly out of place. It isn't a complete disaster – as I have said, there are positives, and it is certainly a brave and interesting effort, which I am sure many film buffs and lovers of literature will be itching to see: indeed, I would encourage them to see it (albeit with their expectations lowered). However, for me, Roman Polanski's 1979 film 'Tess' remains the definitive adaptation of the Hardy novel.