''B.A. Pass'' is a 2012 Indian
neo noir erotic thriller film, produced by Narendra Singh and directed by Ajay Bahl, and starring
Shilpa Shukla,
Shadab Kamal,
Rajesh Sharma, and
Dibyendu Bhattacharya
Dibyendu Bhattacharya is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema and Bengali cinema And web series. He is best known for his role in '' Dev D.'' and as Layak Talukdar in ''Criminal Justice'', 2019 Hotstar
Disney+ Hotstar (also known as ...
in lead roles. It is distributed by
Bharat Shah
Bharat Shah (born 5 August 1944) is an indian businessman and diamond merchant, Hindi film financier and distributor, under his banner VIP Films. He has produced several Bollywood films, such as '' Dil Se..'' (1998) starring Shah Rukh Khan a ...
's VIP films banner. The film is based on the 2009 short story "The Railway Aunty" by Mohan Sikka.
[
The movie was earlier scheduled to be released on 12 July 2013 but was eventually released on 2 August 2013. The date was postponed because of a major release, '']Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
''Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'' () is a 2013 Hindi-language biographical sports drama film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra from a script written by Prasoon Joshi. The story is based on the life of Milkha Singh, an Indian athlete and Olympian who w ...
'', on 12 July 2013. Upon release, the movie received universal critical acclaim.
Plot
The story begins with the death of the parents of Mukesh, a teenager who has just graduated from high school. Mukesh is put into the care of an unfriendly aunt. He struggles to get along with his aunt's family who refuses to provide him with any money. As he struggles to study in the first year of his BA, he also worries for his two sisters who have been sent to live in an orphanage for girls. Mukesh bonds with an undertaker named Johnny over their mutual love of chess. Johnny has a brother in Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...
who has invited him to live there, but Johnny has no money to get to Mauritius. He tells Mukesh of his dream to leave the country one day.
One day Mukesh is introduced to a cougar named Sarika, a woman much older than him, at a kitty party in his aunt's place. He happens to go to Sarika's home to get apples, only to be seduced by Sarika. She pays him for his services as a gigolo
A gigolo () is a male escort or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship, often living in her residence or having to be present at her beck and call.
The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifes ...
and the two routinely have sex
Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones ( ova, of ...
. Sarika introduces Mukesh to many older women who finally make him a male prostitute. On one occasion, Sarika's husband catches her and Mukesh trying to have sex. Her husband then slaps and rapes
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, Abusive power and control, ...
Sarika in front of Mukesh to show who wears the pants in the house. He complains to Mukesh's aunt that Mukesh had been seeking a loan from Sarika, and tried to kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
her. This makes Mukesh's aunt throw him out of the house.
Mukesh comes to Johnny's house and stays with him. Sarika refuses to stay in touch with him, and makes sure that none of her female friends who were Mukesh's clients entertain him. Frustrated, Mukesh asks Johnny to visit Sarika and ask for the money she owes him. Johnny returns to say that she refused to do so and threatened to call the police.
Meanwhile, Mukesh's sisters are having a hard time at the orphanage. Out of desperation, Mukesh decides to offer his sexual services to men. In the process, he is rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...
d and beaten up by a gang.
Feeling betrayed by Sarika and holding her responsible for his misery, Mukesh barges into her home and demands the money that is due to him. Sarika says she gave the money to Johnny, but Mukesh refuses to believe her. Sarika's husband, Ashok, arrives suddenly, and to prove her innocence Sarika makes an unsuspecting Mukesh stab her lightly to make it look like he attacked her. In a state of shock, Mukesh stabs her three more times till she dies, in front of Ashok. Mukesh then runs away to Johnny's house.
Shortly, he receives a call from his sisters who have run away from the orphanage, and need his help. Mukesh realises that Sarika told the truth, and Johnny has packed up and left the country with his money. He receives another call from his sisters to pick them up at the railway station. Mukesh tells them to wait till he arrives. On his way, he is seen by the police who chase him to the top of a building's balcony. As the police point a gun at him, he gets yet another call from his sisters. Mukesh while trapped, commits suicide by jumping off the balcony and dies on the spot.
Cast
* Shilpa Shukla as Sarika Khanna
* Shadab Kamal as Mukesh
* Rajesh Sharma as Ashok Khanna
* Deepti Naval
Deepti Naval (born 3 February 1952) is an Indian-born American actress, director, and writer, predominantly active in Hindi cinema.
Her major contribution has been in the area of art cinema, winning critical acclaim for her sensitive and 'clos ...
as Mrs.Suhasini
* Vicky Daware as smuggler
* Dibyendu Bhattacharya
Dibyendu Bhattacharya is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema and Bengali cinema And web series. He is best known for his role in '' Dev D.'' and as Layak Talukdar in ''Criminal Justice'', 2019 Hotstar
Disney+ Hotstar (also known as ...
as Johnny
* Vanya Joshi
* Shikha Joshi
* Vijay Kaushik as Phupha ji
* Kshitij Theatre Group
* Anula Navlekar as Chotti
* Happy Ranjit as Phd
* Amit Sharma as Amit
* Geeta Aggarwal Sharma as Bua Ji
* Raveena Sharma as Sonu
Production
The screenplay was written by Ritesh Shah, based on a short story, ''The Railway Aunty'' by Mohan Sikka, published in 2009 anthology, ''Delhi Noir'' edited by Hirsh Sawhney.[
Director Ajay Bahl had two choices for the lead role, ]Richa Chadda
Richa Chadda (born 18 December 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. After debuting in a small role in the comedy film '' Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!'' (2008), Chadda's breakthrough came in 2012 with a supporting role in the noir gang ...
and Shilpa Shukla, whose work he had liked in ''Khamosh Pani
''Khamosh Pani'' (Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), ਖ਼ਾਮੋਸ਼ ਪਾਨੀ (Gurmukhi); ''Silent Waters'') is a 2003 Indo-Pakistani film about a widowed mother and her young son living in a Punjabi village as it undergoes radical changes durin ...
''. Shukla had recently done '' Chak De! India'', and since he didn't want to go with a known face, he opted for Chaddha. However, when she was asked to act in ''Gangs of Wasseypur
''Gangs of Wasseypur'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language two-part crime film produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap, and written by Kashyap and Zeishan Quadri. Centered on the coal mafia (Mafia Raj) of Dhanbad, and the underlying power struggle ...
'', he then suggested that she do that film instead of B.A. Pass, and cast Shukla in the lead role.[
This film was mostly shot in the city of ]Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
. It was shot by director-cinematographer Ajay Bahl in the bylanes of Paharganj
Paharganj (literally 'hilly neighbourhood') is a neighbourhood of Central Delhi, located just west of the New Delhi Railway Station. Known as ''Shahganj'' or King's ganj or market place during Mughal era, it is one of the three administrative ...
, Barakhamba Road
Barakhamba, also known as Barakhamba Monument, is a 14th-century tomb building from the Tughlaq period that is located in New Delhi, India. Barakhamba means '12 Pillars' in Urdu and Hindi languages. The name has also been used for an upscale mo ...
and the Sarai Rohilla
Delhi Sarai Rohilla railway station (station code: DEE) is situated about from old Delhi railway junction in India. It is managed by Delhi Division of Northern Railway zone. Many trains from Delhi to Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat st ...
area of Delhi, and the principal photography which started in July 2011 in Delhi, after two months devoted to look test, was completed in January 2012.
The background score was composed by Alokananda Dasgupta.
Release
The film was premiered at the 2012 Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema
Osian's-Cinefan is one of Asia's leading film-festival devoted to Asian and Arab cinema, and is part of ''Osian's Film House Division''. The festival celebrated its 10th anniversary in July 2008. After a two-year break, the 12th staging of the f ...
in Delhi, it was commercially released all over India on 2 August 2013.
Accolades
At the 2012 Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema
Osian's-Cinefan is one of Asia's leading film-festival devoted to Asian and Arab cinema, and is part of ''Osian's Film House Division''. The festival celebrated its 10th anniversary in July 2008. After a two-year break, the 12th staging of the f ...
, the film won the Best Film Award in the 'Indian competition' section, while debutante Shadab Kamal won the Best Actor award. Later at the 2012 Montreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Interna ...
the film was part of the 'First Films World Competition', where it was nominated for the Golden Zenith for the Best First Fiction Feature Film.
In January 2013, at the first South Asian Film Festival held in Paris it won The Prix Du Public (voted best film by the French Audience).
*2014 Filmfare Awards: Best Actress (Critics) for ''B.A. Pass'' – Shilpa Shukla
*2014 Screen Awards: Best Actor in a Negative Role (Female) for ''B.A. Pass'' – Shilpa Shukla
*2014 Screen Awards
The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...
: Screen Award for Best Story
The winners of the Star Screen Awards for ''Best Story'' are listed below:
List of Winners
See also
* Screen Awards
The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomin ...
for ''B.A. Pass'' – Mohan Sikka
References
Bibliography
* ''Delhi Noir (Akashic noir series)'', ed. Hirsh Sawhney. Akashic Books, 2009. .
External links
*
* {{BH movie, b-a-pass
2012 films
Indian erotic thriller films
Films shot in Delhi
Films about prostitution in India
Films set in Delhi
Films about male prostitution
Films based on short fiction
Indian neo-noir films
Films with screenplays by Ritesh Shah
2012 directorial debut films
Films scored by Alokananda Dasgupta