Anwar (2007 film)

Anwar
Anwar
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Anwar
Anwar
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Manish Jha
Written by	Screenplay and Dialogues: ; Manish Jha
Story by	Manish Jha
Produced by	Rajesh Singh & Sanjiv Jaiswal
Starring	Siddharth Koirala; Manisha Koirala; Nauheed Cyrusi
Cinematography	Kartik Vijay
Edited by	Amitabh Shukla
Music by	Mithoon; Pankaj Awasthi
Distributed by	Dayal Creations Pvt. Ltd. (along with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and United Artists)
Release date	12 January 2007;
Running time	124 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹3 crore
Box office	₹12 lakh

Anwar (

Hindi: अनवर) is a 2007 Indian romantic thriller film written and directed by Manish Jha, who is famous for his work in Matrubhoomi. The film stars Siddharth Koirala, Manisha Koirala, Rajpal Yadav and Nauheed Cyrusi

. The songs "Maula Mere Maula" and "Tose Naina Lage" are two of the most popular songs of 2007 and consider as a cult film over the years.

Plot

Anwar lives a middle-class lifestyle in

Lucknow, India

, with his mother and sister Suraiya. Anwar is researching ancient Hindu Temples. The family rents out a room to a poor widow and her daughter, Mehru, whom Anwar falls in love with.

Anwar is certain of Mehru's love for him, but Mehru has her heart set on settling in America. She is tired of the

Lord Krishna, Devi Meera

, and Mehru. This bag ends up with the police, who come to the conclusion that Anwar is a terrorist who is planning to detonate bombs in sacred Hindu temples.

The place is surrounded by the police, politicians who are anxious to win the Hindu vote, the media, and a huge crowd drawn by the spectacle. Set against post 9/11 scenario, amidst the craze for Valentine's Day, Britney Spears, Osama bin Laden, George W. Bush, and the American way of life, Anwar must now examine his options.

In the end, Anwar

gets shot by the cops

and dies immediately. While dying, he has a vision of himself as Lord Krishna and his love Mehru as Meera, reuniting with each other.

Cast

Siddharth Koirala as Anwar
Nauheed Cyrusi as Mehreen "Mehru"
Manisha Koirala as Anita
Rajpal Yadav as Gopinath
Vijay Raaz as Master Pasha
Yashpal Sharma as S.P. Tiwari
Hiten Tejwani as Udit
Sudhir Pandey as Minister
Pankaj Jha
Lalit Tiwari
Rasika Dugal as Deepti
Sanjay Mishra as Director in the Film
Ranjith Velayudhan
Prithvi Zutshi as CM
Sharat Sonu as Gardener

Themes

The film set in Lucknow is about stereotyping of Muslims in the post-

9/11 era. The film was inspired by the director's experience in New York two days after the 9/11 attacks when he was detained by the police and interrogated for five hours, who presumed him to be a Muslim, since he was unshaven and had long hair.^[2]

Production

The film was directed by Manish Jha with Faiza Ahmad Khan, Arghya Lahiri, Rishab Seth, and Meghna Sethy as assistant directors. It was shot in Kakori, Bakshi Ka Talab and Lucknow during April 2006.^[3]

Soundtrack

The music is composed by Mithoon and Pankaj Awasthi, released on Saregama label. The movie is most notable for actor Siddharth Koirala.^[4]

Track list
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Maula Mere Maula"	Roop Kumar Rathod, Kshitij Tarey, Mithoon	6:04
2.	"Javeda Zindagi - Tose Naina Laage"	Hasan Kamal	Mithoon	Kshitij Tarey, Shilpa Rao	8:22
3.	"Bangla Khula Khula"	Dharam Sarthi	Pankaj Awasthi	Megha Sriram	5:18
4.	"Dilbar Mera"	Shyam Ravindran	Pankaj Awasthi	Pankaj Awasthi	4:53
5.	"Jo Maine Aas Lagayi"	Pankaj Awasthi	Pankaj Awasthi	Pankaj Awasthi	2:05
6.	"Anwar's Dream - Symphony In Blue"		Pankaj Awasthi	Pankaj Awasthi	3:16
7.	"Anwar's Confession - Into The Black"	Pankaj Awasthi	Pankaj Awasthi	Pankaj Awasthi	3:17
8.	"Mela - Shadow of Sunlight"	Pankaj Awasthi	Pankaj Awasthi	Pankaj Awasthi	2:39
9.	"Bangla Khula Khula" (Remix)	Dharam Sarthi	Pankaj Awasthi	Megha Sriram	5:18
10.	"Maula Mere Maula" (Uplifting Club Mix)	Sayeed Quadri	Mithoon	Roop Kumar Rathod, Kshitij Tarey, Mithoon	7:25
11.	"Maula Mere Maula" (Sunset Lounge Mix)	Sayeed Quadri	Mithoon	Roop Kumar Rathod, Kshitij Tarey, Mithoon	6:53
12.	"Maula Mere Maula" (DJ San's Electronic Lab Mix)	Sayeed Quadri	Mithoon	Roop Kumar Rathod, Kshitij Tarey, Mithoon	4:31
Total length:					60:01

Reception

Vipin Vijayan of Rediff.com gave 2 out of 5 stars stating "Movie is strictly okay, the saving graces are the music and cinematography".^[5] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave 1 out of 5 stars stating "Anwar tries to make a statement, but too many sub-plots in the screenplay spoil the show. The songs are sure to appeal to the connoisseurs of good music and called 'Maula Mere' and 'Tose Naina Lagey' standout winning tracks by composer Mithoon. Cinematography is up to the mark".^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b "Anwar – Movie". Box Office India.
^ "Indian makes film on post-9/11experience". Associated Press, CNN-IBN. 26 April 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.
^ "The eat is on… Kakoris entice Bollywood to Lucknow". Indian Express. 26 April 2006.^{[dead link]}
^ "Mithoon and Pankaj Awasthi's album Anwar". India Today. 22 January 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
^ "Anwar is strictly okay". Rediff.com. 12 January 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
^ "Anwar Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. 12 January 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2020.

External links

Anwar at
IMDb

[auto-1] "Anwar – Movie". Box Office India.

[cn-2] "Indian makes film on post-9/11experience". Associated Press, CNN-IBN. 26 April 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.

[3] "The eat is on… Kakoris entice Bollywood to Lucknow". Indian Express. 26 April 2006.^{[dead link]}

[4] "Mithoon and Pankaj Awasthi's album Anwar". India Today. 22 January 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2020.

[5] "Anwar is strictly okay". Rediff.com. 12 January 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2020.

[6] "Anwar Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. 12 January 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2020.

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