Sooryavansham
| Sooryavansham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | E. V. V. Satyanarayana |
| Produced by | G. A. Sheshagiri Rao |
| Written by | Aadesh K. Arjun (dialogues) |
| Story by | Vikraman |
| Starring |
Amitabh Bachchan Soundarya Jayasudha Anupam Kher Kader Khan Mukesh Rishi |
| Music by | Anu Malik |
| Cinematography | S. Gopala Reddy |
| Edited by | Gautham Raju |
| Distributed by | Padmalaya Combines |
Release dates | 21 May 1999 |
Running time | 176 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Sooryavansham is a 1999 Bollywood drama film starring Amitabh Bachchan in a dual role, Jayasudha, Soundarya, Rachana Banerjee, Anupam Kher and Kader Khan. The film marked the Bollywood debut of Telugu director E. V. V. Satyanarayana and remained his first and only directorial in Hindi. It is also the only Hindi film that the late actress Soundarya acted in. Although the film was a little above average at the box office, critics hailed Amitabh Bachchan's performance as one of his best since his comeback after a hiatus in 1997.
It is the Hindi remake of the Tamil film Suryavamsam (1997), starring Sarath Kumar and Devayani. The movie is often televised in some Indian movie channels (typically as matinee movie). In July 1999, about two months after the release of Sooryavansham, Amitabh Bachchan was accorded "The Greatest Star of Stage or Screen" distinction by BBC News online users.[1] The movie is spoken highly of not only for its realistic storyline, but also for its lyrical songs. At the Box Office, Sooryavansham earned a raw collection of Rs 45.0 million (1999), and its external collection was £51,165 (in the UK).[2]
The movie shows a true to life story related to a common run Indian family, where the esteem of a family is held in high regard. The story is an exemplary portrayal of the liabilities of a responsible father, obligations of a dutiful son, role of a virtuous wife and harmony in the family unified by psychological bonds.
Synopsis
It is a story of a benevolent and illustrious son Heera who is banished by his stern and commanding father Thakur Bhanupratap Singh, because of Heera being illiterate; both these roles were acted by Amitabh Bachchan. By dint of his diligence and by the back up of a supportive wife Radha (Soundarya), Heera steadily rises to a respectable social status. Later, Thakur Bhanupratap apprehends Heera's goodness and accepts him into his family. In the other important roles are Anupam Kher, Kader Khan, Jayasudha, Rachna Banerjee, Shivaji Satam, Bindu, Mukesh Rishi and Rajesh Khattar. The mellifluous songs have added to the charm of the story.
Plot
Thakur Bhanupratap Singh (Amitabh Bachchan) is the distinguished head of 'Sooryavansh' descent and the village Bharatpur, besides being the father of three sons. An otherwise devoted and benevolent son Heera Singh (Amitabh Bachchan, in a dual role) is disliked by his father Thakur Bhanupratap because of Heera being illiterate. Heera has to do menial household work and has substantially no kinship with Sooryavansh. Heera's ladylove is Gauri (Rachna Banerjee), who has been adopted by Thakur Bhanupratap after the demise of her parents in her childhood. Gauri studies in city and Heera awaits the weekends eagerly when she returns home. (Heera and Gauri's romantic attachment is featured by the song "Dil Mere Tu Deewana Hai") In due course of time, Heera proposes Gauri only to be turned down by the latter. The reason of her rejection is that she does not want to unite with an untaught man. She also makes Heera declare before Thakur Bhanupratap that he won't marry Gauri by his own choice. This adds to the wrath of Thakur Bhanupratap against Heera.
Heera's goodness captivates Radha (Soundarya), who happens to be a compassionate woman. She tries to make Heera leave behind his miserable past and proclaims her love for him. A reluctant Heera asks Radha to forsake him when Radha sings the song "Dil Mere Tu Deewana Hai", which is associated with his past melancholy. His close friend Dharmendra (Anupam Kher) encourages Heera to accept Radha. Soon Radha and Heera bind in a conjugal relationship, defying the impediments by many relatives and acquaintances.This provokes Radha's mother (Bindu), who considers Heera ineligible for their educated daughter, subsequently enraging Thakur Bhanupratap. Thakur Bhanupratap relinquishes to Heera the latter's share of property, thus snapping the little tie he had with Heera. However, a humble Heera returns the property documents regarding his father's reprimand as his blessings.
Heera and Radha start living in the village outskirts and soon a son is born to them. Radha teaches Heera reading, writing and some arithmetic while she pursues her I.A.S. studies. In due course of time, Heera becomes a notable businessman and Radha the District Collector.
Thakur Bhanupratap incidentally comes across Heera and Radha's son, and after learning that the child is his grandson, develops a friendly relation with him. This happens unbeknownst to Heera and Radha. One day, Heera gives his son some canned kheer (rice pudding) to be offered to his friend after a premonition that this so-called 'friend' is his father Thakur Bhanupratap. Heera's mother (Jayasudha) comes to know about the secret meeting of Thakur Bhanupratap with his grandson and urges him to accept Heera back into their family. She praises Heera to be as valuable as a diamond. She says, "How can Thakur Bhanupratap, who is adhered to his high ideals, bow down to the fondness of a child? Nowadays, they are the children who drive their parents out of home whereas Heera is the son who has been expelled by his father." Thakur Bhanupratap apprehends Heera's goodness and rings him up when he is attacked by a serious malady apparently because of consuming the "kheer" offered by Heera. He is hospitalised and Heera is suspected of attempting on his father's life.
At hospital, Heera confronts Deshraj/Kevada Thakur (Mukesh Rishi) and his men when Thakur Bhanupratap arrives in Heera's rescue. It is then when Thakur Bhanupratap declares that Kevada Thakur had poisoned the "kheer" offered to him by Heera in an attempt to kill him because of his rivalry with the Sooryavansh ancestry. (Kevada Thakur has tricked Thakur Bhanupratap into leaving the "kheer" aside unattended in his car when he poisons it. Thakur Bhanupratap returns to his car and gets a whiff of kevada oil, which Kevada Thakur uses as fragrance.) A combat ensues between Thakur Bhanupratap and Kevada Thakur in which Heera fights his father's enemies until Kevada Thakur confesses his guilt.
In the final scene of the movie, the kith and kin of "Sooryavansh" unite, with Thakur Bhanupratap embracing Heera.
Cast
- Amitabh Bachchan: Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh / Heera Singh
- Soundarya: Radha Singh
- Jayasudha: Sharda, Heera's mother
- Rachana Banerjee: Gauri
- Anupam Kher: Dharmendra (Mindra)
- Kader Khan: Major Ranjit Singh
- Shivaji Satam: Radha's father
- Bindu: Radha's mother
- Mukesh Rishi: Deshraj Thakur / Kevda Thakur
Production
Filming
The movie was shot at several locations of India and Sri Lanka. The places which provided rustic perspectives for the various scenes are:
- Balaram Palace Resort, Chitrasani village, Palanpur, Gujarat, India
- Kiri Vihara, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
- Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Kandy, Sri Lanka
- Polonnaruwa Vatadage, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
- Qutb Shahi Tombs, Hyderabad, India etc.[3]
Trivia
- Initially, Amitabh's son Abhishek Bachchan was the choice of the producers to characterise 'Heera Thakur'. Later, Amitabh himself was furnished the role.[4]
- Rekha dubbed the voice of actresses Jayasudha and Soundarya.
Music
Anu Malik composed the music for the songs of the movie. All the songs have been sung with befitting lyrics and pleasant inflection. The voices are of Kumar Sanu, Sonu Nigam, Chithra, Jaspinder Narula, Amitabh Bachchan (in the song 'Chori Se Chori Se'), and Anuradha Paudwal. The song 'dil mere tu deewana hai' is portrayed in different tones – once in happy note and twice with forlorn touch. All the songs aptly relate the story through various phases.[5]
Tracklist
| Track serial no. | Title | Singer(s) | Picturised on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Sooryavansham" | Sonu Nigam | Amitabh Bachchan |
| 2 | "Dil Mere Tu Deewana Hai" | Kumar Sanu | Amitabh Bachchan and Rachana Banerjee |
| 3 | "Dil Mere Tu Deewana Hai – 2" | Kumar Sanu | Amitabh Bachchan |
| 4 | "Dil Mere Tu Deewana Hai – female" | Chithra | Soundarya |
| 5 | "Peepal Ke Patwa" | Sonu Nigam, Jaspinder Narula | Amitabh Bachchan and Soundarya |
| 6 | "Chori Se Chori Se" | Amitabh Bachchan, Sonu Nigam, Jaspinder Narula | Amitabh Bachchan and Soundarya |
| 7 | "Har Subah Bahut Yaad" | Kumar Sanu, Chithra | – — |
| 8 | "Kore Kore Sapne" | Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal | Amitabh Bachchan and Soundarya |
| 9 | "Sooryavansham" | Sonu Nigam | Amitabh Bachchan |
Reviews
The movie received acclaim chiefly for Amitabh Bachchan's commendable performance in both the roles. Besides, the soulful and euphonious songs got laudatory analysis. It is one of the few Bollywood movies made with pragmative narratives. The movie lucidly shows a father's expectations with his children, and how a devoted son accomplishes the dream and wishes of his father (notwithstanding the latter's disdain towards his son). Apart from that, the movie conveys the lesson that no person should be neglected as inferior in status or class. Some ethical Indian cultures and values are portrayed in the movie as well.
Music Review
"Sooryavansham is perhaps the most melodious musical score among all recent Amitabh movies. While scripts don't quite give him the opportunity to play his age in a natural way, Anu Malik sure seems to have some regard for age. The songs of Sooryavansham sound like Anu Malik scored them in his typical spritely style. When he realized that Amitabh would have to shake a leg or two to them, he simply cut their tempo. Humor apart, if the songs of Sooryavansham are given a chance, with few generous hearings when they sound ordinary, they are indeed quite catchy and as I said before, melodious. Some sound influenced by South Indian numbers (like the movie itself)."[6] – Planet Bollywood
Reception
Box office
The story was one of a kind, different from the customary Bollywood brands. The movie was, still, a passable earner – the raw box office collection being Rs 45 million.[7] With a sober and down-to-earth story, Sooryavansham has been able to sustain among the viewers the incessant delight of watching it.
The movie was blockbuster in BENGAL territory . Celebrated 100 days at METRO cinema, CALCUTTA.
PADMALAYA films has recovered the entire production cost from the royalty they received from SET MAX channel due to the repeat telecast at the prime slot.
Remakes
| Suryavamsam (1997) (Tamil) | Suryavamsam (1998) (Telugu) | Sooryavansham (1999) (Hindi) | Surya Vamsha (2000) (Kannada) |
| Sarath Kumar | Daggubati Venkatesh | Amitabh Bachchan | Dr Vishnuvardhan |
| Devayani | Meena Durairaj | Soundarya | Isha Koppikar |
References
- ↑ "BBC News". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
- ↑ "Sooryavansham at Box Office". ibosnetwork.com. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
- ↑ "Movie locations". wherewasitshot.com. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ↑ "Sooryavansham trivia". imdb.com. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ↑ "Sooryavansham Music Review". planetbollywood.com. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ↑ "Sooryavansham Music Review". planetbollywood.com. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ↑ "Sooryavansham at Box Office". ibosnetwork.com. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
External links
| ||||||||||||||