Govind Nihalani’s movies 'Drishti' (Vision) and 'Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa' now on DVD

Rudraa Home Video has released two rare films from Govind Nihalani on VCD and DVD. The films are ‘Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa’ based on the novel by Mahasweta Devi and ‘Drishti’ on a story by Shashi Deshpande.

“Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa” (Mother of 1084) brings Mahasweta Devi’s novel to life. The film marks Jaya Bachchan’s return to the screen as Sujata Chatterjee who awakens one early morning to the shattering news that her youngest and favourite son, Brati, is lying dead in the police morgue, reduced to a mere numerical: Corpse No. 1084. Propelled on a journey of discovery, she begins to recognize her own alienation as a woman and wife from the complacent, hypocritical bourgeois society her son had rebelled against.

With a searing performance by Jaya Bachchan, the film won the National Award for Best Hindi film. The film has been showcased at various festivals including the London Intl. Film Festival; Intl. Film Festival, Mumbai; Intl. Film Festival of India; Human Rights Film Festival, Brussels; and festivals at Bradford, Philadelphia, Palm Springs, Tehran and Rome.

The “Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa” DVD has a bonus feature – “The Making of Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa” containing reminiscences and interviews with Govind Nihalani, Jaya Bachchan and Joy Sengupta interspersed with on-location footage.

In “Drishti”, Nihkhil (Shekhar Kapoor) and Sandhya (Dimple Kapadia) are a happily married, urban, professional couple. On their eighth wedding anniversary one of their friends brings along his nephew Rahul (Irfan Khan) who is a classical singer. Sandhya develops an attraction and has an affair with him. She confides in her friend, but does not tell Nikhil about it. After a couple of months, the affair ends. After about a year, Nikhil falls in love with his assistant in the lab. He tells Sandhya about it and leaves her. Sandhya is shattered. They part. Four years after the divorce they meet again, and Sandhya mentions to Nikhil about her affair with Rahul…

“Drishti”, a remarkable product with inputs from leading luminaries, has story and screenplay by Shashi Deshpande, lyrics by Vasant Dev and music by Kishori Amonkar. This contemporary tale with awesome performances from the lead cast won the National Award for Best Hindi film and was also showcased in the Indian Panorama.

A unique feature of this release is the inclusion of Anti-smoking messages produced by the CPAA (Cancer Patients Aid Association). Directed by Shaad Ali, this is part of an award winning campaign that features Vivek Oberoi, Urmila Matondkar and Shashi Kapoor.

Dr. Kailashnath Koppikar, Director, Rudraa Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. says, “This nothing to do with the Ministry of Health’s directive on smoking in films! We have included these messages voluntarily. The CPAA has been doing exemplary work for cancer patients and we felt that this was the least we could do to support them and help in spreading awareness. To this end, we have also included some details of the CPAA on the inlays.”

Adds Mr. Subhash Chheda, Director, “As part of our social commitment, we look forward to showcasing public service messages and supporting other worthy NGOs with our other titles in future. We are sure that our costumers will appreciate our gesture and support our initiative.”