Chingaari
Encyclopedia
Chingaari is a Bollywood
movie released in 2006
. The movie was directed by Kalpana Lajmi who previously directed Rudaali
(1993) and Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence
(2001). The movie is based on the novel, The Prostitute and the Postman by Bhupen Hazarika
.
The movie is a commentary on the abuse of power and in particular discusses the injustices of the priests in India
. Beneath the love triangle between the main characters, there is an age-old story that shows that not even "holy men" are exempt from the corruption of power.
) is a prostitute with a child, Titali, working with Ila Arun
. Chandan (Anuj Sawhney
) is a newly recruited postman. Upon his arrival in the village, he is moved by Basanti's sufferings. The third part of the love triangle is Bhuvan Panda (Mithun Chakraborty
), the village priest of the goddess, Kali
. He thinks of himself as a god and bends religion as per his will. In the movie, the priest follows some of the aghori rituals
and is one of Basanti's regular customers. Bhuvan Panda has a fetish for sadism
. He is shown to enjoy Basanti by stripping her and forcing himself on her and feeling her inflicting pain on her even as he completes his act of pleasure. Meanwhile Chandan befriends Titali and Basanti and it is here that Basanti discloses that she wants a better life for her daughter, Titali.
Chandan falls in love with Basanti and promises to give her and Titali a better life. The priest does not approve of the marriage, for obvious reasons. Bhuvan Panda plans to kill Basanti. Chandan tries to stop him and is killed. As this is happening, Basanti awaits her lover at the altar. When he does not arrive, Basanti leaves broken-hearted. In her despair, Basanti returns to her life of prostitution.
When the news of what happened to Chandan reaches Basanti, she and all the villagers attack the temple. In a climactic confrontation between the prostitute and the priest, Bhuvan Panda is killed at the hands of Basanti. The story ends with Basanti avenging the death of her lover.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movie released in 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
. The movie was directed by Kalpana Lajmi who previously directed Rudaali
Rudaali
Rudaali is a 1993 Hindi film directed by the feminist Indian director Kalpana Lajmi, based on the short story written by famous Bengali litterateur Mahasweta Devi.-Cultural background:...
(1993) and Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence
Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence
Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence is a 2001 Indian film directed by Kalpana Lajmi released on 4 May 2001. The lead actress, Raveena Tandon, won the distinguished National Film Award for Best Actress for her role as Durga Saikia. The film follows the story of a battered wife...
(2001). The movie is based on the novel, The Prostitute and the Postman by Bhupen Hazarika
Bhupen Hazarika
Bhupen Hazarika was an Indian lyricist, musician, singer, poet and film-maker from Assam. His songs,written and sung mainly in Assamese by the legend himself, are infused with humanity and universalism, and have been translated and sung in many languages, most notable being Bengali ,Hindi and...
.
The movie is a commentary on the abuse of power and in particular discusses the injustices of the priests in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Beneath the love triangle between the main characters, there is an age-old story that shows that not even "holy men" are exempt from the corruption of power.
Synopsis
The story is about a love triangle between a prostitute, a postman and a priest in Rangpur village. Basanti (Sushmita SenSushmita Sen
Sushmita Sen is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood films. A former model, Sen was crowned Miss Universe in 1994. She was the first Indian woman to win the contest.-Personal life:Sen was born on 19 November 1975....
) is a prostitute with a child, Titali, working with Ila Arun
Ila Arun
Ila Arun is a popular Indian actress, TV personality and a Rajasthani folk/folk-pop singer with a unique, husky voice and a penchant for folk-pop fusion. Her daughter is Ishita Arun.-Early life:She was born and brought up in the state capital of Jaipur...
. Chandan (Anuj Sawhney
Anuj Sawhney
Anuj Sawhney is an actor in the Mumbai based, Hindi language film industry, known coloquially as Bollywood. He became more popular after the film Tom, Dick, and Harry.-Filmography:*2008: Life Mein Kabhie Kabhiee...
) is a newly recruited postman. Upon his arrival in the village, he is moved by Basanti's sufferings. The third part of the love triangle is Bhuvan Panda (Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty is an Indian film actor, social activist, and entrepreneur, who has won three National Film Awards. He made his acting debut with the arthouse drama Mrigaya , for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor....
), the village priest of the goddess, Kali
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
. He thinks of himself as a god and bends religion as per his will. In the movie, the priest follows some of the aghori rituals
Aghori
The Aghori or Aghora are a Hindu sect believed to have split off from the Kapalika order in the fourteenth century AD. Many mainstream Hindus condemn them as non-Hindu because of their taboo violation of orthodox practices...
and is one of Basanti's regular customers. Bhuvan Panda has a fetish for sadism
Sadism and masochism as medical terms
In psychiatry, the terms sadism and masochism describe a personality type characterized by the actor or actrix deriving pleasure and gratification from inflicting physical pain and humiliation ; and from suffering pain and humiliation upon the self ; such pleasure often is sexual, but not...
. He is shown to enjoy Basanti by stripping her and forcing himself on her and feeling her inflicting pain on her even as he completes his act of pleasure. Meanwhile Chandan befriends Titali and Basanti and it is here that Basanti discloses that she wants a better life for her daughter, Titali.
Chandan falls in love with Basanti and promises to give her and Titali a better life. The priest does not approve of the marriage, for obvious reasons. Bhuvan Panda plans to kill Basanti. Chandan tries to stop him and is killed. As this is happening, Basanti awaits her lover at the altar. When he does not arrive, Basanti leaves broken-hearted. In her despair, Basanti returns to her life of prostitution.
When the news of what happened to Chandan reaches Basanti, she and all the villagers attack the temple. In a climactic confrontation between the prostitute and the priest, Bhuvan Panda is killed at the hands of Basanti. The story ends with Basanti avenging the death of her lover.
Cast
- Mithun ChakrabortyMithun ChakrabortyMithun Chakraborty is an Indian film actor, social activist, and entrepreneur, who has won three National Film Awards. He made his acting debut with the arthouse drama Mrigaya , for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor....
... Bhuvan Panda - Sushmita SenSushmita SenSushmita Sen is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood films. A former model, Sen was crowned Miss Universe in 1994. She was the first Indian woman to win the contest.-Personal life:Sen was born on 19 November 1975....
... Basanti - Anuj SawhneyAnuj SawhneyAnuj Sawhney is an actor in the Mumbai based, Hindi language film industry, known coloquially as Bollywood. He became more popular after the film Tom, Dick, and Harry.-Filmography:*2008: Life Mein Kabhie Kabhiee...
... Chandan
Trivia
- The original title of the film was to be A Prostitute And A Postman.
- Bipasha BasuBipasha BasuBipasha Basu is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Bollywood films. A former model, she was the winner of the Ford's Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest in 1996.-Early life:...
, Raveena TandonRaveena TandonRaveena Tandon is a National Film Award winning Indian actress, producer, and a former model. She has primarily worked in Bollywood films, though she appeared in a few Tamil, Kannada and Telugu films as well....
and Preity ZintaPreity ZintaPreity Zinta is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu, Punjabi and English language films. After graduating with a degree in criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year...
were all offered the role of Basanti.