Nishant

Vishwam is the youngest brother of the powerful and cruel landowner Zamindar (Amrish Puri). He is married to Rukmani and, unlike his brothers, does not indulge in alcohol or women. But one day the village gets a new school teacher, whose wife Sushila (Shabana Azmi) instantly catches Vishwam's eye. Noticing this, his brothers come one night and kidnap Sushila for all to see, including her husband who tries to stop them but fails. He is shocked that no one of the so many present people dared to even raise a voice to stop this abduction. He turns to every possible authority, including the police, the court, the press, but is shocked to see a complete rejection resulting from the fear to face off the Zamindar.

This is the story of Shyam Benegal's Nishaant, a well-made film which portrays the state of those times' rural India. The film depicts a reality which is a bit difficult to see. The proceedings are very serious and the film is dark and dim. Benegal's direction is excellent, with a serene narrative style that easily conveys the raw atmosphere of the village as well as the film's own mood. It is realistic and authentic, without any overt dramatisation. I did expect more from the ending though. The light at the end of the tunnel does finally seem to appear, but sadly the story itself remains somewhat incomplete and doleful. I think the ending did give the viewer an opportunity to interpret it the way he wants to, which is great, but one would expect to see some brightness in it.

The film shows us the power of human nature. While Sushila terribly misses her son and goes through emotionally destructive experiences of gang-rape and humiliation, she later accepts the cruel reality, finds comfort in the house and ultimately starts getting attracted to the quiet Vishwam. Her absence tortures her husband and his helplessness makes his life miserable. One of the film's best scenes is when they finally meet in a local temple. She preaches him for his cowardice, ironically, in the same way he himself did with the people who did not stop her kidnappers. This makes him realise that a change must happen within the simple people and not the landowners.

The film is very well acted. Girish Karnad is excellent as the tormented teacher who loses his wife and is unable to get her back. Shabana Azmi is outstanding as Sushila in a restrained and deep act. I particularly liked her outburst at her husband. Her anger was so easy to relate to. Smita Patil makes her acting debut with this very film and though her part is small, she makes the best of every scene she appears in. Amrish Puri is successfully frightening as the merciless Zamindar. Naseeruddin Shah is as always wonderful and his character is very sympathetic despite the conflict it creates. The boy who plays Sushila's son is extremely cute.

Nishaant is a good film, a disturbing, real and engaging piece. What I particularly liked about the film is its unpredictability right until the very final scenes. My main complaint is that it was a tad too slow for my liking. While in the second half it gets far more enjoyable, and the film is thoroughly engaging thanks to its story and fantastic execution, the pace was still somewhat dragged, and at times made me like squirming in my seat. Nonetheless, it's a worthy effort. To those who expect to be purely entertained, this may not be the right film, but those who appreciate artistic excellence will definitely enjoy watching this picture.

I have seen very art films and this film is one of those very few. Normally films based on rural India are raw and real, well this film is no exception.

Now, I got introduced to Benegal through 'Zubaida'. Ever since then I got addicted to his works and eventually came across Nishant. Somehow what blew me away was the brilliant cast performances that makes the whole scenario very believable.

While Anant and Agashe play the cruel, sarcastic and womanizer brothers, its Nasser who gives you a breath of relief. On the other hand are Shabana and Girish who are a very devoted couple but then something just breaks through them.

On the third hand are the landlord Amrish, the shoe licker cop Kulbhushan and the innocent convict Sadhu.

Now these are the three sets of teams which sum up the entire film very very well. And oh yes how can you forget the lady of mysteriest Smitha!.

A very minor but strong credit goes to the lady who played 'Pochamma'. Her presence is very brief but strong at the same time.

Overall, please do watch this film and trust me you are gonna remember this piece for quite a long time.

I saw this film when it was released in the 70's, I was about 15 or so. I watched it again yesterday on DVD and once again was blown away by it brilliant acting, story, dialogue and subject matter.

I love Indian mainstream cinema, it has a big place in Indian culture, which very unfortunately and sadly is dismissed by many as kitch, but popular culture is popular culture and it has it's importance in society.

This movie on the other hand, is a perfect example of the other side of Indian cinema. I really wish movies by such great Indian directors (contemporary), can be shown in the West in regular cinemas (not small little places in remote parts of cities). To balance the mainstream of songs, dance, melodrama etc., we have this other cinema, which is so amazing, intelligent and brilliant, and very unfortunately has not been exposed to the NA market. It's just too sad!

Review By Kamal K

This is the story of Shyam Benegal's Nishant, a well-made film which portrays the state of those times' rural India. The film depicts a reality which is a bit difficult to see. The proceedings are very serious and the film is dark and dim.

In a feudal village in the 1940s, the village's new schoolmaster's wife, Sushila (Shabana Azmi), is abducted for the enjoyment of the zamindar's cruel, depraved younger brothers. The schoolmaster tries to recover her through official channels, including the local police official (Kulbushan Kharbanda), but meets everything from indifference to abject fear of the powerful zamindar (Amrish Puri). In the meantime, Suhsila tries to make the best of her imprisonment, demanding concessions like trips to the temple to worship and access to her own kitchen where she can prepare her meals with some dignity. The zamindar's youngest (and most uncertain) brother, Vishwam (Naseeruddin Shah) shows signs of being in love with her, to the chagrin of his wife Rukmini (Smita Patil), who bristles at the possibility that Sushila may come to replace her. Eventually, the local pandit - through most of the film another pawn of the zamindar - incites the schoolmaster and the rest of the town to revolt against the zamindar's tyrrany, with indiscriminately tragic results.

Girish Karnad is excellent as the tormented teacher who loses his wife and is unable to get her back. Shabana Azmi is outstanding as Sushila in a restrained and deep act. I particularly liked her outburst at her husband. Her anger was so easy to relate to. Smita Patil makes her acting debut with this very film and though her part is small, she makes the best of every scene she appears in. Amrish Puri is successfully frightening as the merciless Zamindar. Naseeruddin Shah is as always wonderful and his character is very sympathetic despite the conflict it creates. The boy who plays Sushila's son is extremely cute.

This movie is a timeless classic. One more feather to the cap of the director Shyam Benegal. This movie was nominated for Cannes film festival and unfortunately did not win any award.

Nishant is a good film, a disturbing, real and engaging piece. What is particularly likeable about the film is its unpredictability right until the very final scenes. But the main complaint is that it was a tad too slow. While in the second half it gets far more enjoyable, and the film is thoroughly engaging thanks to its story and fantastic execution, the pace was still somewhat dragged, and at times will make you like squirming in my seat. Nonetheless, it's a worthy effort. To those who expect to be purely entertained, this may not be the right film, but those who appreciate artistic excellence will definitely enjoy watching this picture.

'Nishaant' is perhaps Benegal's most chilling movie to date. With this movie who also introduces the ever so talented Smita Patil to Hindi cinema. Through brilliant execution and with superb cinematography, Shyam Benegal tells us this compelling, brutally honest and haunting tragic story. The background music brilliantly adds to the mood. While dealing with various themes such as oppression, corruption, power, violence, abduction and poverty, he also presents controversial taboo issues like rape and homosexuality. 'Nishaant' is also quite graphic in nature. Particularly the scene where Anjaiya and Prasad gang rape Sushila is disturbing to watch and then there's the shattering ending which haunts the viewer.

Like in all of Benegal's films, the actors do nothing short of a fantastic job. Amrish Puri gives a restrained performance and his silence makes his character much more frightening than any of the over-the-top villain roles he was more known for. Shabana Azmi is sublime. Smita Patil is very effective in a small but strong role. With a brave choice, she already proves that she's here to stay and if it weren't for her untimely death one would have witnessed more of India's best actress on screen. Naseeruddin Shah is excellent. Mohan Agashe and Anant Nag are scary as the evil brothers. Girish Karnad too is great.

Benegal also deserves mention for portraying unusual relationships between the characters. When Sushila encounters her husband, she resents him for not rescuing her and chooses to come back to the 'zameendar's haveli' instead of going back home. Yet, she too is conflicted as she terribly misses her son but also develops an attraction towards her kidnappers' brother Vishwam (the only sympathetic brother in the household). There's Rukmani who was once proud of her faithful husband Vishwam but she perceives Sushila as a threat and once her husband begins a physical relationship with her, it becomes resentment.

'Nishaant' is based on a true story and Benegal portrays the realities of a village sensibly as he shows a good understanding of life in the village. Although there have been plenty of films that try to use the same themes, they lack the gritty rawness of 'Nishaant'. Overall, 'Nishaant' is an excellent compelling drama that needs to be watched.