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Ankur: The Seedling is a film of genre Drama directed by Shyam Benegal with Shabana Azmi
Ankur: The Seedling (1974)
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Add to a movie listAnkur (Hindi: अंकुर, Urdu: اَنکُر, translation: The Seedling) is an Indian colour film of 1974. It was the first feature film directed by Shyam Benegal and the debut of Indian actors Shabana Azmi and Anant Nag. Anant Nag was introduced in Ankur by Shyam Benegal after his higher education in Mumbai. Though Shabana Azmi had acted in other films as well, Ankur was her first release.
Like many of Benegal's other films, Ankur belongs to the genre of Indian art films, or more precisely, Indian Parallel cinema. The plot is based on a true story that occurred in Hyderabad, apparently in the 1950s. It was filmed almost entirely on location.
Ankur has won three National Film Awards and 43 other prizes, both in India and abroad. It was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 24th Berlin International Film Festival.
This film includes one whipping scene and more profanity than is usually found in Indian films.
Synopsis
Ankur is a film that analyzes human behavior in general and heavily stresses characterization (though the story is not fictional). The story revolves around two characters, Lakshmi and Surya. Ankur is also there.Actors
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Suggestions of similar film to Ankur: The Seedling
There are 323 films with the same actors, 23 films with the same director, 61744 with the same cinematographic genres, 6745 films with the same themes (including 536 films with the same 3 themes than Ankur: The Seedling), to have finally 70 suggestions of similar films.If you liked Ankur: The Seedling, you will probably like those similar films :
Night's End (1975)
, 2h20Directed by Shyam Benegal
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films about sexuality, Rape in fiction, Musical films, Bollywood
Actors Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Smita Patil, Anant Nag, Amrish Puri
Rating75%
Vishwam (Naseeruddin Shah) is the youngest brother of the powerful and influential village Zamindar (Amrish Puri). The Zamindar will not hesitate to do anything for the welfare and protection of his family, which also includes bending the law to his own advantage. The shy and quiet Vishwam is married to Rukmani (Smita Patil) and, unlike his brothers, does not indulge in alcohol or women, nor does he have any bad habits. Then the village gets a new schoolmaster (Girish Karnad), who has a wife, Sushila (Shabana Azmi). When Vishwam sees her for the first time, he is unable to take his eyes off her, and unable to get her out of his mind. Sushila does not reciprocate his attentions. Then one night, while the schoolmaster is enjoying a quiet dinner with his family, the bell rings and the two older brothers of Vishwam grab Sushila and take her forcibly when she goes to answer the door. Several people are present, but no one dares to raise a hand nor even a voice to stop this abduction. The distraught schoolteacher, who is denied justice by everyone from the local police officer to the district collector, is helped by the old priest (Satyadev Dubey) and finally they succeed in mobilizing the villagers and they slaughter their oppressors. In the end the frenzied villagers also kill the innocent Rukmani as well as Sushila whom her husband tried to rescue with the help of the rebellious villagers.
The Churning (1976)
, 2h14Directed by Shyam Benegal
Origin Inde
Genres Drama
Themes Films about music and musicians, Politique, Musical films, Political films, Bollywood
Actors Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Smita Patil, Girish Karnad, Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Mohan Agashe
Rating76%
The film traces the origins of the movement through its fictionalised narrative, based around rural empowerment, when a young veterinary surgeon, played by Girish Karnad, a character based on then, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) chief, the 33-year-old Verghese Kurien, who joined hands with local social worker, Tribhovandas Patel, which led to the setting up a local milk cooperative, in Anand, Gujarat.
Bhumika (1977)
, 2h22Directed by Shyam Benegal
Genres Drama, Biography, Musical
Themes Films about films, Films about music and musicians, Films about television, Musical films, Bollywood
Actors Smita Patil, Amol Palekar, Anant Nag, Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Dina Pathak
Rating73%
Bhumika tells the life story of an actress, Usha (Smita Patil), who is the granddaughter of a famous female singer of the old tradition from Devadasi community of Goa. Usha's mother is married to an abusive and alcoholic Brahmin. Following his early death, and over her mother's objections, Usha is taken to Bombay by family hanger-on Keshav Dalvi (Amol Palekar) to audition successfully as a singer in a Bombay studio: the first step in a process, watched approvingly by Usha's doting grandmother and with horror by her mother, that will eventually carry her to on-camera adolescent stardom, and to an ill-starred love marriage with Keshav. Usha’s motives for stubbornly pursuing this relationship (culminating in a pre-marital pregnancy) with the unattractive and much older Keshav — who appears to have lusted after her since childhood — are not spelled out. Presumably she feels indebted to him for his loyalty to her family (of which he frequently reminds her) and for her own worldly success; she is also a headstrong girl who clearly enjoys her acting career and is bent on challenging her uptight mother (who opposes the match because Keshav does not belong to their caste, just as she opposes cinema itself because of its presumed un-respectability).
Zubeidaa (2001)
, 2h33Directed by Shyam Benegal
Genres Drama, Historical, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films about television, Musical films, Political films, Bollywood, Films about royalty
Actors Karisma Kapoor, Rekha, Manoj Bajpayee, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Rahul Singh
Rating64%
Zubeidaa is the story of Riyaz's (Rajit Kapoor) search to understand his mother, who is not known to him, as he was brought up by his grandmother in the absence of his mother. His mother's name was Zubeidaa (Karisma Kapoor) and she was the only daughter of a filmmaker named Suleman Seth (Amrish Puri). Zubeidaa acts in films secretly, but when her father finds out he forbids her to carry on and quickly arranges her marriage to Mehboob Alam (Vinod Sharawat). Things seem happy for her when she gives birth to Riyaz. However, a disagreement arises between Suleman and Mehboob's father, and Mehboob divorces Zubeidaa few days after she gives birth.
Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008)
, 2h14Directed by Shyam Benegal
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Bollywood
Actors Shreyas Talpade, Amrita Rao, Kunal Kapoor, Ravi Kishan, Ravi Jhankal, Yashpal Sharma
Rating68%
Mahadev (Shreyas Talpade) is an unemployed graduate with a Bachelor of Arts from Satna college, who is forced to make a living writing letters for the uneducated people of his village. His real ambition is to become a novel writer. Through his humble occupation, Mahadev has the potential to impact numerous lives. The movie is a satirical, but warm-hearted portrait of life in rural India.
Gaja Gamini (2000)
, 2h35Directed by Maqbool Fida Husain
Origin Inde
Genres Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Bollywood
Actors Madhuri Dixit, Shahrukh Khan, Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Tanvi Hegde, Shilpa Shirodkar
Rating45%
The central figure of the film is represented by a mysterious figure called "Gaja Gamini" (Madhuri Dixit), who inspires, arouses, and confuses the common man. "Gaja Gamini" is the inspiration behind Leonardo da Vinci's (Naseeruddin Shah) 'Mona Lisa', Kalidas' poem "Shakuntala", and a photojournalist named Shahrukh's (Shah Rukh Khan) photographs. The mysterious "Gaja Gamini" appears as four characters, one of them being Sangeeta, a blind girl from Banaras at the beginning of time, who inspires village women (Farida Jalal, Shilpa Shirodkar, and Shabana Aazmi) to revolt against a male-dominated system and carve a niche for women forever. Another character is Shakuntala, who is the subject of Kalidas' poem of the same name. Shakuntala incites jealousy in the women and love in the men around her, charming humans and animals alike in the forests of Kerala. "Gaja Gamini" is also Mona Lisa during the Renaissance, the object of painter Leonardo da Vinci's obsession. Finally, Monika, the most confusing sector of the film, is supposed to represent the woman of the New Millennium. Kamdev, the God of Love (Inder Kumar), walks the earth throughout history, attempting to win the love of "Gaja Gamini".
Fertility (2000)
, 2h14Directed by Shyam Benegal
Genres Drama
Themes Feminist films, Political films
Actors Shabana Azmi, Rajit Kapur, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Nandita Das, Surekha Sikri, Shrivallabh Vyas
Rating73%
The movie tells the story of a middle aged Muslim woman Gazala (Shabana Azmi), who is ill treated by her husband and sent back to her parent's home, just because she is unable to give birth to a son. Gazala does have a daughter Salma (Rajeshwari Sachdev). The plot revolves around Gazala's stay at her mother's home and the problems faced by the women of the house, being her mother and sisters-in-law. The film is a beautiful description of the problems faced by women in the name of fertility, or in a different sense the urge to have a male child, especially in rural India. Shyam Benegal provides a masterpiece, reflecting on the sorrowful plight of rural Indian women. The irony lies in the point where the movie begins with a scene which shows a bull being brought to impregnate a buffalo. Five different women, each with a different story depicting the harsh realities of a woman's life.
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000)
, 2h58Directed by Rakesh Roshan
Genres Drama, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Bollywood
Actors Hrithik Roshan, Ameesha Patel, Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil, Satish Shah, Mohnish Bahl
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, 2h35Directed by Abbas-Mustan
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Genres Drama, Musical theatre, Romance
Themes Pregnancy films, Films about music and musicians, Films about sexuality, Musical films, Bollywood
Actors Preity Zinta, Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Amrish Puri, Dalip Tahil, Farida Jalal
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, 1h59Directed by Reema Kagti
Genres Drama, Comedy, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Transport films, Musical films, Road movies, Bollywood
Actors Abhay Deol, Kay Kay Menon, Boman Irani, Shabana Azmi, Minissha Lamba, Raima Sen
Rating60%