Jal (film)

Jal
Directed by Girish Malik
Produced by NFDC
Clapstem Productions[1]
Screenplay by Girish Malik
Rakesh Mishra
Story by Rakesh Mishra
Starring Purab Kohli
Tannishtha Chatterjee
Kirti Kulhari
Mukul Dev
Saidah Jules
Yashpal Sharma (actor)
Ravi Gosain
Rohit Pathak
Music by Sonu Nigam
Bickram Ghosh
Cinematography Sunita Radia
Release date(s) Summer 2012
Country India
Language Hindi

Jal is an upcoming Hindi film which is set in the Rann of Kutch, India. The film is directed by Girish Malik. [2]

Logline - While trying to solve the water scarcity of his village, Bakka, an overconfident water diviner faces unforeseen circumstances when he tries to help a female ornithologist to save flamingos.[1]

Contents

Cast

Synopsis

Water, the most basic human necessity is the scarcest one in the Rann of Kutch, the barren desert in India. Humans are suffering the wrath of the sun and so are the migratory Flamingos.

Whose life is more important?

Every year thousand of Flamingos fly from Siberia to one the largest breeding grounds, in the Rann of Kutch. The marshy lands and the abundance of algae have turned this land into a paradise for these migratory birds. But this year, the winds have a strange eerie emptiness in them.

Kim, an ornithologist, who wants to study Flamingo chicks and their growth stages, comes to Rann of Kutch. Her European clothes and manners get her a lot of attention from the Rann villagers, who keep their wives and daughters behind closed doors and ghunght, to keep their faces covered from strangers. The village Kim is residing near happens to be the one who is facing an intense water shortage.

Meet Bakka, the flamboyant, traditional and overrated water diviner who is on the verge of solving the water problem of this village. Bakka, The Water God, as he fancies himself, tries to employ his magic but fails and becomes a target of villagers’ disdain. This failure further complicates Bakka’s life, as he was planning to marry Kesar, a girl from the neighboring, arch rival village, by convincing his Mukhiya, headman of the village, by pressurizing him after finding water.

Just then, Kim realizes that a lot of baby flamingo chicks are perishing due to the increase in salinity of water near the Flamingo habitat. She realizes that she needs sweet water to save the Flamingo chicks. When the sophisticated high end water detection devices do not bring the expected result, the village and Kim turn towards Bakka.

Bakka decides to use this situation to his advantage, and gets married to Kesar. This time Bakka’s chants bear fruits and water gushes out of the gut of the dry and arid land of Kutch. But the water goes to flamingos and leaves the villagers high and dry. Also the spot is too far from village for villagers to use this water. Now Bakka has to find water again to save his village, so he decides to ‘borrow’ the drilling machine. The entire village decides to sell their jewelry to buy diesel for the machine. But, fate isn’t without a sense of irony, it seems. Things get out of control and they all hurl towards a shattering climax which wrecks the life of everyone involved.

Travel to India, as we showcase the toughest living conditions on the planet through the eyes of the local Indian tribe, which has been at the receiving end of a lot of heat, dust and apathy. The emotions in these hearts have dried up and their beliefs are shattered just like the cracked land beneath their feet.

This heart wrenching story of the dry lands and arid minds will leave you gasping for water![1]

The film also stars Purab Kohli . It is 90 percent complete and is scheduled to release soon. [5]

Music

The music of the film is composed by the legendary singer Sonu Nigam and famous tabla player/percussionist Bickram Ghosh[6]. This is the first time the duo will be composing for a Bollywood film[7]. The composer-duo recorded the film’s title song with Shubha Mudgal. The title song is a unique composition, for which they have used ragas like Marwa and Puriya combined with rare musical instruments like the Armenian Duduk. The entire song was created in a day.[8]

Track List

Track # Title Composer(s) Lyrics Singer(s)
1 Jal De Jal De Sonu - Bickram Sonu Nigam, Sanjeev Tiwari Shubha Mudgal, Mudasir Ali [9]
2 You Fill My Life Sonu - Bickram Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Susanne
3 Zaalima [10] Sonu - Bickram NTT [10]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Jal Directed by Girish Malik". Picklemag. May 20, 2011. http://digital.turn-page.com/issue/31146/30. 
  2. ^ "Water (JAL)". cinando.com. http://www.cinando.com/DefaultController.aspx?PageId=FicheFilm&IdC=27443&IdF=115838&lang=es. Retrieved 29 Nov 2011. 
  3. ^ a b c d "On a brand new beat". Telegraphindia. March 23, 2011. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110323/jsp/entertainment/story_13751510.jsp. Retrieved 09 May 2011. 
  4. ^ "A class act". Telegraphindia. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110515/jsp/graphiti/story_13982039.jsp. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 
  5. ^ a b "Mukul learnt to ride a camel for Jal". Indianexpress. 06 May 2011. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Mukul-learnt-to-ride-a-camel-for-Jal/785621/. Retrieved 09 May 2011. 
  6. ^ "Sonu Nigam turns Bollywood composer". DNA India. 28 March 2011. http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_sonu-nigam-turns-bollywood-composer_1525339. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 
  7. ^ "Bickram Ghosh-Sonu Nigam collaborates for the movie Jal". Radio And Music. 28 March 2011. http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/editorial/news/bickram-ghosh-sonu-nigam-collaborates-movie-jal. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 
  8. ^ "Bickram Ghosh-Sonu Nigam Team Up, Combine Marwah-Purva With Armenian Duduk!". Planet Bollywood. http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=n032811125046. Retrieved 09 May 2011. 
  9. ^ "Mudasir Ali and his Musical Sojourn". Thoughts Connect. July 09, 2011. http://thoughtsconnect.com/2011/07/09/mudasir-ali-and-his-musical-sojourn/. Retrieved 27 July 2011. 
  10. ^ a b "Sonu and I have got two more films coming along: Bickram Ghosh". Planet Radio City. December 23, 2011. http://www.planetradiocity.com/musicreporter/celebrity-interview-details.php?interviewid=614&title=Sonu%20and%20I%20have%20got%20two%20more%20films%20coming%20along:%20Bickram%20Ghosh&pgno=2. Retrieved 25 December 2011.