Anwar (2007 film)
Anwar (Hindi: अनवर) is a 2007 Indian romantic thriller film written and directed by Manish Jha, who is famous for his work in Matrubhoomi. The film stars Siddharth Koirala, Manisha Koirala, Rajpal Yadav and Nauheed Cyrusi.
| Anwar | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Manish Jha |
| Produced by | Rajesh Singh |
| Story by | Manish Jha |
| Starring | Siddharth Koirala Manisha Koirala Nauheed Cyrusi |
| Music by | Mithoon Pankaj Awasthi |
| Cinematography | Kartik Vijay |
| Edited by | Amitabh Shukla |
| Distributed by | Dayal Creations Pvt. Ltd. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Plot
Anwar, lives a middle-class lifestyle in Lucknow, India, with his mother and sister Suraiya. Anwar is researching on ancient Hindu mandirs. The family rents out a room to a poor widow and her attractive daughter, Mehru, whom Anwar falls in love with.
Anwar is certain of Mehru's love for him, but she runs away with Udit (Anwar's Friend). Anwar reacts impulsively which results in death of Udit. Following which, Mehru commits suicide. A guilt-ridden Anwar takes shelter in an ancient Hindu temple in Dholpur carrying a bag, which contains drawings of mandirs and notes on Lord Krishna, Devi Meera, and Mehru. This bag ends up with the police, who now believe that Anwar is a terrorist who is planning to detonate bombs in sacred Hindu temples.
The place is surrounded by the police, politicians who are anxious to win the Hindu vote, the media, and a huge crowd who are here to see the show. Set against post 9/11 scenario, amidst the craze for Valentine's Day, Britney Spears, Osama Bin Laden, George W. Bush, and the American way of life, Anwar must now examine his options.
In the climax, Anwar gets shot by the cops and he dies immediately. While dying, he has a vision of himself as lord Krishna and his love Mehru as Meera, re-uniting with each other.
Cast
- Manisha Koirala as Anita
- Siddharth Koirala as Anwar
- Rajpal Yadav as Gopinath
- Vijay Raaz as Master Pasha
- Yashpal Sharma as S.P. Tiwari
- Hiten Tejwani as Udit
- Nauheed Cyrusi as Mehru
- Sudhir Pandey as Minister
- Pankaj Jha
- Lalit Tiwari
- Rasika Dugal as Deepti
- Sanjay Mishra as Director in the Film
- Prithvi Zutshi as CM
- Sharat Sonu as Gardener
Themes
The film set in Lucknow, is about stereotyping of Muslims in the post-9/11 era. The film was inspired by the director's experience in New York two days after the 9/11 attacks when he was detained by the police and interrogated for five hours, who presumed him to be a Muslim, since he was unshaven and had long hair.[1]
Production
The film was directed by Manish Jha with Faiza Ahmad Khan, Arghya Lahiri, Rishab Seth and Meghna Sethy as assistant directors. It was shot in Kakori, Bakshi Ka Talab and Lucknow during April 2006.[2]
Soundtrack
| Anwar | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Mithoon, Pankaj Awasthi | |||
| Released | 1 December 2006 | ||
| Recorded | 2006 | ||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||
| Length | 60:01 | ||
| Label | Saregama | ||
| |||
The music is composed by Mithoon and Pankaj Awasthi and released on Saregama label.[3]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Maula Mere Maula" | Sayeed Quadri | Mithoon | Roop Kumar Rathod | 6:04 |
| 2. | "Tose Naina Lage" (Javeda Zindagi) | Hasan Kamal | Mithoon | Kshitij Tarey, Shilpa Rao | 8:22 |
| 3. | "Bangla Khula Khula" | Dharam Sarthi | Pankaj Awasthi | Megha Sriram | 5:18 |
| 4. | "Dilbar Mera" | Shyam Ravindran | Pankaj Awasthi | Pankaj Awasthi | 4:53 |
| 5. | "Jo Maine Aas Lagayi" | Pankaj Awasthi | Pankaj Awasthi | Pankaj Awasthi | 2:05 |
| 6. | "Anwar's Dream - Symphony In Blue" | Pankaj Awasthi | Pankaj Awasthi | 3:16 | |
| 7. | "Anwar's Confession - Into The Black" | Pankaj Awasthi | Pankaj Awasthi | Pankaj Awasthi | 3:17 |
| 8. | "Mela - Shadow of Sunlight" | Pankaj Awasthi | Pankaj Awasthi | Pankaj Awasthi | 2:39 |
| 9. | "Bangla Khula Khula" (Remix) | Dharam Sarthi | Pankaj Awasthi | Megha Sriram | 5:18 |
| 10. | "Maula Mere Maula" (Uplifting Club Mix) | Sayeed Quadri | Mithoon | Roop Kumar Rathod | 7:25 |
| 11. | "Maula Mere Maula" (Sunset Lounge Mix) | Sayeed Quadri | Mithoon | Roop Kumar Rathod | 6:53 |
| 12. | "Maula Mere Maula" (DJ San's Electronic Lab Mix) | Sayeed Quadri | Mithoon | Roop Kumar Rathod | 4:31 |
| Total length: | 60:01 | ||||
Reception
Vipin Vijayan of Rediff.com gave 2 out of 5 stars stating "Movie is strictly okay, the saving graces are the music and cinematography".[4] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave 1 out of 5 stars stating "Anwar tries to make a statement, but too many sub-plots in the screenplay spoil the show. The songs are sure to appeal to the connoisseurs of good music and called 'Maula Mere' and 'Tose Naina Lagey' standout winning tracks by composer Mithoon. Cinematography is up to the mark".[5]
References
- "Indian makes film on post-9/11experience". Associated Press, CNN-IBN. 26 April 2006.
- "The eat is on… Kakoris entice Bollywood to Lucknow". Indian Express. 26 April 2006.
- "Mithoon and Pankaj Awasthi's album Anwar". India Today. 22 January 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- "Anwar is strictly okay". Rediff.com. 12 January 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- "Anwar Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. 12 January 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2020.