Aagaman

Aagaman
Directed by Muzaffar Ali
Produced by Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Seed and Development Corporation
Written by Agam Vipin Jain (Kotki)
Story by R. Trivedi
Starring
Music by
  • Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan[1]
Production
company
Integrated Films
Release date
 1982
Running time
 150 mins.
Country India
Language Hindi

Aagaman is a 1982 Hindi language drama film directed by Muzaffar Ali and produced by Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Seed and Development Corporation under the banner of Integrated Films. The cast included Saeed Jaffrey, Suresh Oberoi, Dilip Dhawan, Anupam Kher, Bharat Bhushan and Raj Bisaria. The film marked the debut of Anupam Kher.[2][3] In 2012 The Hollywood Reporter included him in its list of five best actors in Asia.[4] The plot involved the politics and working techniques of Uttar Pradesh sugarcane co-operative societies.[5][6] Upon release the film received mixed reviews. In November 2012 the film was shown at the 43rd International Film Festival of India.[7]

Plot

In a village of Awadh, sugarcane planters are exploited by mill owner (Bharat Bhushan). A young man (Suresh Oberoi) returns to this village after receiving a degree in law from a reputed university of Lucknow. Seeing the poor condition of planters he urges them to stop selling their sugarcane to the mill owner and instead start their own co-operative mill. The mill owner, his landlord-agent (Saeed Jaffrey) and son discourage the villagers from doing so. The mill owner's son urges the people to form a planter's union and continue selling their crop to the mill. Initially the villagers trust him but after continuous persuasions from the young man and realising that only self-sufficiency can improve their condition, they unite and set up their own mill. In the end the young man marries a village girl (Deepa) who was very active in the movement.[8]

Cast

Aagaman was Anupam Kher's first film

Soundtrack

  1. "Ab Toot Girengi Zanjeere" - Hariharan
  2. "Ab Tut Girengi Zanjire (Part-2)" - Hariharan, Ghulam Mustafa Khan
  3. "Junoon Ki Yaad Manao" - Hariharan
  4. "Chhoone Na Doongi Sharir" - Anuradha Paudwal
  5. "Nisar Mai Teri Galiyo Pe" - Ghulam Mustafa Khan
  6. "Ye Daagh Daagh Ujala (Part-2)" - Ghulam Mustafa Khan
  7. "Ye Gaagh Daagh Ujala (Part-3)" - Anuradha Paudwal
  8. "Yeh Daagh Daagh Ujala" - Anuradha Paudwal

Production

The then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Vishwanath Pratap Singh asked Muzaffar Ali to make a film for promoting the sugarcane co-operative societies in the state. Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Seed and Development Corporation provided the necessary budget.[8] R. N. Trivedi and Asghar Wajahat wrote the film's story,[8][9] Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan composed the film's music and the lyrics were written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Hasrat Jaipuri.[1][8]

Reviews

Upon release the film received mixed reviews from film critics. Muzaffar Ali's early films like Gaman, Umrao Jaan and Aagaman focused on Awadh. In an article published in 2012, Business Standard noted that "To [Muzaffar] Ali goes the credit of portraying Awadh truthfully on cinema; the only other claimant being Satyajit Ray in Shatranj Ke Khiladi".[10] Sumit Mitra of India Today called it a disappointing film and criticised Ali's film-making technique and cinematography. He added that "Ali's approach to direction is more that of film club enthusiast than film maker" and the lyrics used were "totally out of context". Mitra criticised the promotional nature of the film by saying that the state owned co-operative societies have dominated the market but praised Saeed Jaffrey's acting.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Simha, Hara Mandira (2000). Hindi filmography: 1981-1999. 2. Satinder Kaur, University of California. p. 94.
  2. ↑ Joshi, Priya (27 May 2014). "Anupam Kher commemorates 30 years as an actor". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Talking to the skies with flying colours". Rashtriya Sahara. Sahara India Mass Communication. 2 (2): 162. 1991. Anupam Kher: Frankly speaking, my first film was Muzaffar Ali's Aagaman, but somehow "I am a workaholic and enjoy my Mahesh Bhatt's Saaraansh released first and since then I have never looked back.
  4. ↑ Indo-Asian News Service (4 November 2012). "Anupam Kher among five most talented actors in Asia". Mumbai: NDTV. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Somaaya, Bhawana (2003). "The Story So Far". Indian Express Group. p. 143. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Ray, Bibekananda; Joshi, Naveen (1 January 2005). Conscience of the race: India's offbeat cinema. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 68. ISBN 978-81-230-1298-8.
  7. ↑ "IFFI Bulletin - 26th November" (PDF). International Film Festival of India. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Mitra, Sumit (15 August 1983). "Quaint mix : Aagaman is bad advertisement and worse as a film". India Today. Living Media. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Young writers bringing innovation to films: Asghar Wajahat". Zee News. 12 January 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  10. ↑ Bhandari, Bhupesh; Sharma, Priyanka (11 February 2012). "Awadh's storyteller". Business Standard. New Delhi. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
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