Connection
The Obsession is a film of genre Drama directed by Shyam Benegal with Shabana Azmi
The Obsession (1978)
If you like this film, let us know!
Add to a movie listJunoon (Hindi: जुनून, translation: The Obsession) is a critically acclaimed and award-winning 1978 Indian Hindi language film produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Shyam Benegal. The film is based on Ruskin Bond's fictional novella, A Flight of Pigeons, set around the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The film also had award-winning soundtrack, composed by Vanraj Bhatia, and cinematography by Govind Nihalani.
Its cast included Shashi Kapoor, his wife Jennifer Kendal, Nafisa Ali, Tom Alter, Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval, Pearl Padamsee and Sushma Seth. The film also featured Shashi and Jennifer's children Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, and Sanjana Kapoor,
Synopsis
The story is set around the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Javed Khan (Shashi Kapoor) is a feckless feudal chieftain with a Muslim Pathan heritage, whose world revolves around breeding carrier pigeons. His younger brother-in-law, Sarfaraz Khan (Naseeruddin Shah) is politically awakened and actively plots the fight against the British. Freedom fighters attack the local British administrators while they are in Sunday Worship at Church, massacring them all. Miriam Labadoor, Jennifer Kendal) manages to escape with her daughter, Ruth (Nafisa Ali) and mother. The three women seek refuge with the wealthy Hindu family of Lala Ramjimal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda). Lala is torn between his loyalty for India and his privileged position under the British. However, matters are taken out of his hand by Javed Khan who barges into Lala's house and forcibly takes Ruth and her family to his own house. This leads to jealousy on part of his wife, Firdaus (Shabana Azmi) and anger on part of his brother, who ultimately gives in to the Pathan tradition of offering hospitality and sanctuary (Nanawatai) even to uninvited guests. Various situations ensue due to cultural misunderstandings in the domestic routine of the Muslim household with its new English guests. Javed falls in love with Ruth, and wants to marry her but is opposed bitterly by her mother. Noticing intense feelings of Javed for her daughter Ruth, Miriam Labadoor (mother) cleverly makes an agreement with Javed that she would only give her daughter’s hand to Javed if British were defeated. At first instance, Javed is hesitant but accepts the offer when again Miriam asks him if he has misgivings in his war against the British. There are simmerings of a love affair under the watchful suspicious eyes of Firdaus.Actors
Shabana Azmi
(Firdaus (Javed's wife))
Shashi Kapoor
(Javed Khan)
Jennifer Kendal
(Mrs. Mariam Labadoor)
Nafisa Ali
(Ruth Labadoor)
Naseeruddin Shah
(Sarfaraz Khan)
Comments
Leave comment :
Suggestions of similar film to The Obsession
There are 370 films with the same actors, 23 films with the same director, 62400 with the same cinematographic genres (including 3205 with exactly the same 2 genres than The Obsession), 7796 films with the same themes, to have finally 70 suggestions of similar films.If you liked The Obsession, you will probably like those similar films :
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.
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.
, 3h42Directed by Shyam Benegal
Genres Drama, Biography, Action, Historical
Themes Spy films, Political films, Alternate history films
Actors Sachin Khedekar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajit Kapur, Divya Dutta, Kelly Dorji, Arif Zakaria
Rating75%
Set up in British Raj, after a political disagreement with Mahatma Gandhi, Bose's arrest and subsequent release sets the scene for his escape to Germany, via Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. A few days before his escape, he sought solitude and, on this pretext, avoided meeting British guards and grew a beard on the night of his escape. He dresses himself as a Pathan to avoid being identified. Bose escapes from under British surveillance at his house in Calcutta on 19 January 1941, accompanied by his nephew Sisir K. Bose in a car.
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.
Well Done Abba (2010)
, 2h24Directed by Shyam Benegal
Genres Comedy
Themes Political films
Actors Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba, Ravi Kishan, Sammir Dattani, Ila Arun, Salim Ghouse
Rating71%
The film tells the story of Armaan Ali (Boman Irani), a Muslim driver working in Mumbai, who takes a one month leave from his employer to find a groom for his daughter Muskaan (Minissha Lamba), who lives in a village near Hyderabad, India. Armaan does not turn up for three months, and his employer makes the difficult decision to sack him, but he asks his boss to listen to why he could not come. Getting soft, his employer allows him to drive to Pune where he has a meeting. Armaan starts the story from here.
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 Crossing (1984)
, 2h21Directed by Goutam Ghose
Origin Inde
Genres Drama
Themes Films about music and musicians, Politique, Musical films, Political films, Bollywood
Actors Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Utpal Dutt, Mohan Agashe, Anil Chatterjee
Rating76%
The film of exploitation in rural Bihar, in which a landlord (Utpal Dutt)’s men wreck a village and kill the benevolent schoolmaster (Anil Chatterjee) who was a progressive force in the village. The labourer Naurangia (Naseeruddin Shah) breaks with a tradition to passive resistance and retaliates by killing the landlord’s brother. Naurangia and his wife Rama (Shabana Azmi) become fugitives from justice. After many efforts to find sustenance elsewhere, the two decide to return home. To earn the fare, they agree to drive the herd of pigs through the river, causing the pregnant Rama to believe she has lost her baby.But they have to swim across a wide, swiftly flowing river, in which they nearly drown before reaching safety. At the end of the film Naurangia puts his ear to her belly and listens to the heartbeats of the unborn baby.
The Market Place (1983)
, 2h47Directed by Shyam Benegal
Genres Drama, Comedy, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality, Erotic films, Films about prostitution
Actors Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Smita Patil, Neena Gupta, Amrish Puri
Rating74%
For years an aging Rukmini Bai (Shabana Azmi) has been the Madame of a brothel in Hyderabad, India. One day she gets the news that she now has a new landlord in Mr. Gupta (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), whose daughter is to marry the mayor's son Sushil, shortly. Led by City Councillor, Shantidevi, the people in this town demand that this brothel be moved elsewhere, preferably on the outskirts of the town, and they do succeed, compelling Rukmini to move with her women to their new location, which happens to be near the Dargah of Baba Karak Shah. Ironically, this attracts a lot of people, and the patronage to Rukmini's bordello increases. Then complications set in when Sushil refuses to marry his father's choice, childlike Malti, and wants to marry Zeenat (Smita Patil) - a prostitute, not entirely by choice and seeking for a better existence, who resides with Rukmini.
Red Alert: The War Within (2010)
, 2hDirected by Anant Mahadevan
Genres Drama, War, Thriller, Action
Themes Political films
Actors Suniel Shetty, Vinod Khanna, Naseeruddin Shah, Sameera Reddy, Ayesha Dharker, Seema Biswas
Rating64%
The Essence (1987)
, 2h20Directed by Shyam Benegal
Genres Drama
Actors Shabana Azmi, Om Puri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Neena Gupta, Mohan Agashe, Pallavi Joshi
Rating68%