Road, Movie
Encyclopedia
Road, Movie is a 2009 Indian road movie
directed by Dev Benegal
, and starring Abhay Deol
, Tannishtha Chatterjee
, and Satish Kaushik
. It premiered at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival and opened the section Generation 14plus at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
in February 2010. Road, Movie was released in India
on 5 March 2010.
), a restless young man, itches to escape his father's faltering hair oil business.
An old truck beckons, which, Vishnu sees as his ticket to freedom. He offers to drive the 1942 Chevy across the desert to the sea, where it has been sold to a local museum. As he sets off across the harsh terrain of desert India, he discovers he's not merely transporting a battered vehicle but an old touring cinema.
Along the way, Vishnu reluctantly picks up a young runaway (Mohammed Faizal Usmani), a wandering old entertainer (Satish Kaushik
) and a striking gypsy woman (Tannishtha Chatterjee
). Together they roam in the barren land, searching for water and an elusive fair. The journey turns dire when they are waylaid by corrupt cops and a notorious water lord.
The key to their freedom is the eccentric collection of films and the two forty-year-old film projectors in the back of the truck. As in '1001 Nights', if the films are good, they live and move on. If the films are boring, they face death in the outback.
The journey proves transformative for each of the travelers, but especially for Vishnu who discovers life, love and laughter on the Indian highway.
villages. Benegal completed the first draft of the film's script in only 10 days. The script was written at a difficult period in his career as his other projects had been unsuccessful in finding financial backers. He successfully submitted his screenplay to the L'Atelier screenwriting portion of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
. Abhay Deol signed on to play the role of Vishnu after reading the script which he found "really nice, dreamy and humorous." Filming took place in desert areas of the Kutch District
of Gujarat and Jaisalmer
in Rajasthan
.
. It was also screened at the 2009 Tokyo International Film Festival
where it was nominated for the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix Award and at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
.
Won
Road movie
A road movie is a film genre in which the main character or characters leave home to travel from place to place. They usually leave home to escape their current lives.-History:...
directed by Dev Benegal
Dev Benegal
Dev Benegal is an Indian director and screenwriter, most known for his debut film English, August , which won the 1995 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English....
, and starring Abhay Deol
Abhay Deol
Abhay Deol is an Indian actor from Mumbai, India. He is an Indian film actor and producer whose family has a long history in the Hindi film industry. Deol has appeared in films such as Dev.D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. He is the nephew of Bollywood actor Dharmendra, and the cousin of Sunny Deol and...
, Tannishtha Chatterjee
Tannishtha Chatterjee
Tannishtha Chatterjee is an Indian actress.She is best known in the west for her performance in the British film Brick Lane , the film adaptation of Monica Ali's best selling novel of the same name. She was nominated for the British Independent Film Awards as the best actress for Brick Lane...
, and Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik is an Indian film director and actor in Hindi films and theatre.As a film actor his most remembered for his role as 'Calendar' in Mr. India, and as 'Chanu Ahmed' in Sarah Gavron's English film Brick Lane...
. It premiered at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival and opened the section Generation 14plus at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
60th Berlin International Film Festival
The 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 11 to February 21, 2010, with Werner Herzog as President of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Chinese director Wang Quan'an's romantic drama Apart Together, in competition, while the closing film is Japanese...
in February 2010. Road, Movie was released 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...
on 5 March 2010.
Plot
Vishnu (Abhay DeolAbhay Deol
Abhay Deol is an Indian actor from Mumbai, India. He is an Indian film actor and producer whose family has a long history in the Hindi film industry. Deol has appeared in films such as Dev.D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. He is the nephew of Bollywood actor Dharmendra, and the cousin of Sunny Deol and...
), a restless young man, itches to escape his father's faltering hair oil business.
An old truck beckons, which, Vishnu sees as his ticket to freedom. He offers to drive the 1942 Chevy across the desert to the sea, where it has been sold to a local museum. As he sets off across the harsh terrain of desert India, he discovers he's not merely transporting a battered vehicle but an old touring cinema.
Along the way, Vishnu reluctantly picks up a young runaway (Mohammed Faizal Usmani), a wandering old entertainer (Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik is an Indian film director and actor in Hindi films and theatre.As a film actor his most remembered for his role as 'Calendar' in Mr. India, and as 'Chanu Ahmed' in Sarah Gavron's English film Brick Lane...
) and a striking gypsy woman (Tannishtha Chatterjee
Tannishtha Chatterjee
Tannishtha Chatterjee is an Indian actress.She is best known in the west for her performance in the British film Brick Lane , the film adaptation of Monica Ali's best selling novel of the same name. She was nominated for the British Independent Film Awards as the best actress for Brick Lane...
). Together they roam in the barren land, searching for water and an elusive fair. The journey turns dire when they are waylaid by corrupt cops and a notorious water lord.
The key to their freedom is the eccentric collection of films and the two forty-year-old film projectors in the back of the truck. As in '1001 Nights', if the films are good, they live and move on. If the films are boring, they face death in the outback.
The journey proves transformative for each of the travelers, but especially for Vishnu who discovers life, love and laughter on the Indian highway.
Cast
- Abhay DeolAbhay DeolAbhay Deol is an Indian actor from Mumbai, India. He is an Indian film actor and producer whose family has a long history in the Hindi film industry. Deol has appeared in films such as Dev.D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. He is the nephew of Bollywood actor Dharmendra, and the cousin of Sunny Deol and...
as Vishnu - Tannishtha ChatterjeeTannishtha ChatterjeeTannishtha Chatterjee is an Indian actress.She is best known in the west for her performance in the British film Brick Lane , the film adaptation of Monica Ali's best selling novel of the same name. She was nominated for the British Independent Film Awards as the best actress for Brick Lane...
as the Woman - Mohammed Faisal as the Boy
- Satish KaushikSatish KaushikSatish Kaushik is an Indian film director and actor in Hindi films and theatre.As a film actor his most remembered for his role as 'Calendar' in Mr. India, and as 'Chanu Ahmed' in Sarah Gavron's English film Brick Lane...
as Om - Yashpal SharmaYashpal SharmaYashpal Sharma is a former Indian cricketer. He was a middle order batsman who played at the turn of the 1980s.-Early career:...
as the Waterlord - Veerendra Saxena as Police Chief
- Amitabh Srivastava as Father
- Suhita Thatte as Mother
- Hardik Mehta as Masseur
- Shradha Shrivastav as Sister
- Roshan Taneja as OPJ
Production
Road, Movie began in 2004 as an original idea by Dev Benegal. To do research for the film, he travelled for a year with a transient cinema troupe that showcased different films in rural RajasthanRajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
villages. Benegal completed the first draft of the film's script in only 10 days. The script was written at a difficult period in his career as his other projects had been unsuccessful in finding financial backers. He successfully submitted his screenplay to the L'Atelier screenwriting portion of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. Abhay Deol signed on to play the role of Vishnu after reading the script which he found "really nice, dreamy and humorous." Filming took place in desert areas of the Kutch District
Kutch District
Kutch district is a district of Gujarat state in western India. Covering an area of 45,652 km², it is the largest district of India....
of Gujarat and Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Jaysalmer , nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain...
in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
.
Release
Road, Movie premiered on 18 September 2009 at the 2009 Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
. It was also screened at the 2009 Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biannually from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter...
where it was nominated for the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix Award and at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
.
Box office
Road, Movie released in theatres on March 5, 2010 to a poor turnout at the cinemas. The film grossed a poor INR 11.1 million in its first week. In its second week, the film's collections saw a drop of a massive 90%, and netted INR 1.2 million. It was declared as a disaster at the box office.Awards
2011 Star Screen AwardsStar Screen Awards
The Star Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony in India honoring professional excellence in film. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professional from the industry itself.- History :...
Won
- Star Screen Award for Best Sound - Vikram Joglekar
External links
- Official website
- "Abhay Deol's Road, Movie is fantastic", Rediff.comRediff.comRediff.com India is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 as "Rediff On The NeT" and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA....
- Screen review