Roja

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This article is about the film by Mani Ratnam. For the actress turned politician, see Roja Selvamani.
Roja
Directed by Mani Ratnam
Produced by Mani Ratnam
K. Balachander
Written by Mani Ratnam
Starring Arvind Swamy
Madhoo
Pankaj Kapoor
Nasser
Janagaraj
Music by A. R. Rahman
Distributed by Madras Talkies
Release date(s) 1992
Running time 137 mins
Language Tamil
IMDb profile

Roja (1992) is a Tamil film directed by Mani Ratnam. The movie was subsequently dubbed in other Indian languages, catapulting Mani Ratnam to national acclaim. This film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman, who debuted in this movie. This soundtrack is among the All Time Top 10 soundtracks listed by TIME magazine [1], issued in 2005.

Roja was dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, and Telugu. The film was recently re-released for international audiences in light of the growing fear of terrorist attacks the world over.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Vaishnavi and Madhoo from the film Roja
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Vaishnavi and Madhoo from the film Roja

Roja (Madhoo) is a village girl, born and brought up in Southern Tamil Nadu. She prays that the handsome suitor and top cryptologist Rishi (Arvind Swamy), arriving in the village soon, accepts a proposal to get married to her sister. It soon emerges that Roja's sister is in love with another, and to everyone's surprise Rishi requests Roja's hand in marriage. Roja gets married to Rishi, and the couple move out of the village to live in the city. They both fall in love here, and settle down. Working for the Indian Government, Rishi is assigned a posting at an army communications center in Kashmir. Roja's world is shattered when Rishi is abducted by militant Kashmiri separatists who want the release of their terrorist leader from prison, held by the Indian military forces. Roja pleads with politicians and the military for help, but she has little success. The film is set against the backdrop of the longstanding struggle between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Soundtrack

The soundtrack features 5 songs composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Vairamuthu.

[edit] Awards

The film has been nominated for the following awards since its release:

1993 Moscow International Film Festival (Russia)

The film has won the following awards since its release:

1993 National Film Awards (India)

  • Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Music Director - A. R. Rahman
  • Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Lyricist - Vairamuthu
  • Won - Nargis Dutt Award - Best Feature Film on National Integration - Roja - Mani Ratnam

[edit] External link


Films directed by Mani Ratnam
Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983) • Unaru (1985) • Pagal Nilavu (1985) • Idaya Kovil (1985) • Mouna Raagam (1986) • Nayagan (1987) • Agni Natchathiram (1988) • Geethanjali (1989) • Anjali (1990) • Thalapathi (1991) • Roja (1992) • Thiruda Thiruda (1993) • Bombay (1995) • Iruvar (1997) • Dil Se (1998) • Alaipayuthey (2000) • Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) • Aayitha Ezhuthu (2004) • Yuva (2004) • Guru (2007) • Lajjo (2007)