''Hava Aney Dey'' ('' en, Let the Wind Blow'') is a 2004 Indian
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
-language
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
written and directed by
Partho Sen-Gupta
Partho Sen-Gupta (also spelled Partho Sen Gupta or Partho Sengupta pronounced ''Partho Shen-Goopto'') is an independent film director and screenwriter. He is a French citizen, of Indian origin. He has a post-graduate in Film Direction from FEMI ...
. It stars Aniket Vishwasrao,
Nishikant Kamat,
Tannishtha Chatterjee
Tannishtha Chatterjee is an Indian actress and director best known in the west for her performance in the British film ''Brick Lane'' (2007), the film adaptation of Monica Ali's best selling novel of the same name[Rajshree Thakur
Rajshree Thakur (born 22 September 1981) is an Indian actress best known for her role as Saloni in the Hindi television drama ''Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar'' and Preeti Jindal in ''Shaadi Mubarak'' She was born in Mumbai. Before ''Saat Phere: ...]
in the lead roles. The film was shot on location in the northern suburbs (
Vikhroli
Vikhroli (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ikʰɾoɭiː is a suburb of Mumbai located on the northeastern side of the city. The suburb has a railway station by the name Vikhroli on the Central Railway (India), Central Railway line. ...
and
Andheri
Andheri ( n̪d̪ʱeɾiː is a locality in the western part of the city of Mumbai in India. Udayanagari, the name of a hill near the Mahakali caves, inspired the name Andheri. On the former islet of Versova, also known as Vasave, there was ano ...
East) of
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, in October–November 2003 with a mixed crew composed of French and Indian technicians. It is an Indo-French co-production between Santocha Productions, Paris and Mystique Media Ltd, Mumbai and Independent Movies LTD, Mumbai. It was also funded partly by the Fonds Sud, of the French Foreign Ministry and the French Cultural Ministry. It was post-produced partly in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
Plot
"India is in the throes of the new global economy. The new capitalist order is changing people’s lives. But a new war of ideals is separating the old values from the new… There is also the war with Pakistan… the two brothers who are fighting for Kashmir. The two countries have equipped themselves with Oppenheimer’s deadly toy."Film Archive
Berlinale
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
. 7 February 2004.
Arjun (
Aniket Vishwasrao
Aniket Vishwasrao is an Indian actor. He is best known for his work in Marathi cinema. He made his screen debut in Sudhir Mishra's '' Chameli'' and first appeared in Marathi cinema with ''Lapoon Chhapoon'' (2007). In 2011, he achieved popularity ...
), 18 years old, lives in the northern suburbs of Bombay with his widowed mother Sheela, who works hard to make ends meet. She has one goal in life: that Arjun gets a diploma and a good job. Arjun is attracted to Salma (
Rajshree Thakur
Rajshree Thakur (born 22 September 1981) is an Indian actress best known for her role as Saloni in the Hindi television drama ''Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar'' and Preeti Jindal in ''Shaadi Mubarak'' She was born in Mumbai. Before ''Saat Phere: ...
), a girl from a Muslim upper-class family. Arjun knows that she is beyond his reach.
Chabia (
Nishikant Kamat), 21 years old, is Arjun's best friend and a mechanic in a garage. Chabia loves Mona (
Tannishtha Chatterjee
Tannishtha Chatterjee is an Indian actress and director best known in the west for her performance in the British film ''Brick Lane'' (2007), the film adaptation of Monica Ali's best selling novel of the same name[Aniket Vishwasrao
Aniket Vishwasrao is an Indian actor. He is best known for his work in Marathi cinema. He made his screen debut in Sudhir Mishra's '' Chameli'' and first appeared in Marathi cinema with ''Lapoon Chhapoon'' (2007). In 2011, he achieved popularity ...]
as Arjun
*
Nishikant Kamat as Chabia
*
Tannishtha Chatterjee
Tannishtha Chatterjee is an Indian actress and director best known in the west for her performance in the British film ''Brick Lane'' (2007), the film adaptation of Monica Ali's best selling novel of the same name[Rajshree Thakur
Rajshree Thakur (born 22 September 1981) is an Indian actress best known for her role as Saloni in the Hindi television drama ''Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar'' and Preeti Jindal in ''Shaadi Mubarak'' She was born in Mumbai. Before ''Saat Phere: ...]
as Salma
* Hridaynath Jadhav as Anil
* Yogesh Vinayak Joshi as Yogi
* Chinmay Kelkar as Sanju
* Tejas D. Parvatkar as Sudhir
* Deepak Qazir as Employment Agent
* Niaal Saad as Rohit
* Pubali Sanyal as Illa
* Ganesh Yadav as Sudhakar
Production credits
* Story and direction:
Partho Sen-Gupta
Partho Sen-Gupta (also spelled Partho Sen Gupta or Partho Sengupta pronounced ''Partho Shen-Goopto'') is an independent film director and screenwriter. He is a French citizen, of Indian origin. He has a post-graduate in Film Direction from FEMI ...
* Screenplay and dialogues: Yogesh Vinayak Joshi &
Partho Sen-Gupta
Partho Sen-Gupta (also spelled Partho Sen Gupta or Partho Sengupta pronounced ''Partho Shen-Goopto'') is an independent film director and screenwriter. He is a French citizen, of Indian origin. He has a post-graduate in Film Direction from FEMI ...
* Producer: Marie-Cécile Destandau
* Executive producer: Rakesh Mehra
* Co-producer: Brij Rathi
* Original music by
Eryck Abecassis
* Cinematography by Jean-Marc Ferriére
* Film editing by Annick Raoul
* Casting by Yogesh Vinayak Joshi
* Production design by Agnes Vergne
* Sound designer: Nikolas Javelle
* Location sound: Jacques Sans
* Re-recordist: Nathalie Vidal
Distribution and reception
It premièred at the
Berlinale
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
(Berlin International Film Festival) in 2004 and won awards at other important international film festivals.
''Hava Aney Dey'' is part of the
Global Film Initiative
The Global Film Initiative (GFI) was a non-profit film organization that supported cinematic works from developing nations and promotes cross-cultural understanding through use of film and non-traditional learning resources. Its most notable progr ...
's Global Lens 2008 Film Lineup of ten award-winning narrative, feature films from Argentina, China, Croatia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Philippines and South Africa. Global Lens 2008, its fifth year, premièred at the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
, (MOMA)
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in January, before embarking on a year-long tour of over 30 cities across the United States.
The
Indian Film Censor Board
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...
refused to give it a release certificate without a long list of sound and picture cuts reducing about 20 minutes of the film. The director refused to accept the censor decision, as it would destroy the film with the abrupt cuts and sound mutes. It was never released in India.
The film was never officially screened in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
as it was pulled out at the last minute (despite the selection by the festival) from the
Cinefan film festival
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 fe ...
in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
in 2005 by the censors. Indian filmmakers, artists, writers opposed to censorship continue to fight for the freedom to express themselves.
Film festival selections and awards
Awards
* Best Film Award (Durban International Film Festival)
* BBC Audience Award (Commonwealth Film Festival)
* Special Jury Mention (Hong Kong International Film Festival)
Selections
* 2004
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
* 2004 Hong Kong International Film Festival
* 2004 Commonwealth Film Festival
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
* 2004 Durban International Film Festival
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
* 2004 3rd Eye Asian Film Festival Mumbai,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
* 2004 Tokyo Filmex
* 2004 3 continents Film Festival, (
Nantes
Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
)
* 2004 River to River Indian Film Festival,
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
* 2008
International Film Festival Rotterdam,
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
See also
*
Censorship in India
Censorship in India has taken various forms throughout its history. Although the Constitution of India ''de jure'' guarantees freedom of expression, ''de facto'' there are various certain restrictions on content, with an official view towards ...
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, tt0440463, Hava Aney Dey
Director's Official WebsiteInterview at the Festival des 3 continents, Nantes, 2004
2000s Hindi-language films
2004 drama films
2004 films
Indian drama films
French drama films
Censorship in India
Films set in Mumbai
Hindi-language drama films
Films about nuclear war and weapons
India–Pakistan relations in popular culture
Nuclear weapons programme of India
Anti-nuclear movement in India
2000s French films