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The Obsession is a film of genre Drama directed by Shyam Benegal with Shabana Azmi
The Obsession (1978)
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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)
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Suggestions of similar film to The Obsession
There are 370 films with the same actors, 23 films with the same director, 62827 with the same cinematographic genres (including 3229 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 :
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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.
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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.
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