''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' (A Thousand Wishes Like This) is an Indian
political drama
A political drama can describe a play, film or TV program that has a political component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a politician or series of political events.
Dramatists who have written political dramas in ...
film made by director
Sudhir Mishra
Sudhir Mishra (born 22 January 1959) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for directing the films ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'', ''Dharavi (film), Dharavi'' and ''Chameli (film), Chameli''.
Mishra has had a 30-year career, with his ...
in 2003 but released in 2005. Set against the backdrop of the
Indian Emergency
The Emergency in India was a 21-month period from 1975 to 1977 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had a state of emergency declared across the country. Officially issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352 of the Constitution beca ...
, the movie tells the story of three young people in the 1970s, when India was undergoing massive social and political changes. The title is taken from a poem by
Mirza Ghalib
)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Kala Mahal, Agra, Maratha Confederacy
, death_date =
, death_place = Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, British India
, occupation = Poet
, language ...
.
It went to 12 film festivals in 6 months including
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
,
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, River to River (
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 ...
),
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
,
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
, Bite The Mango (Bradford), Commonwealth (
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 ...
), India (
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
),
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, and Pacific Rim (
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
).
Plot
The film opens at
Hindu College
Hindu College may refers to several colleges around the world, including:
India
*Dharmamurthi Rao Bhahadur Calavala Cunnan Chetty's Hindu College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
* Gobardanga Hindu College, West Bengal
* Gokul Das Hindu Girls College, Moradab ...
,
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 w ...
with the story of three students, Siddharth Tyabji (
Kay Kay Menon
Krishna Kumar Menon (born 2 October 1966), better known by the stage name Kay Kay Menon, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and also in Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu cinema.
Early life
Menon was born in a Nair fa ...
), Geeta Rao (
Chitrangada Singh
Chitrangda Singh (born 30 August) is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi cinema. She made her acting debut in 2005 with '' Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' for which she won Bollywood Movie Award – Best Female Debut.
Singh has starred in ...
) and Vikram Malhotra (
Shiney Ahuja
Shiney Ahuja (born 15 May 1973) is an Indian actor in Bollywood films. He won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' in 2006 and then followed with several hit films like ''Gangster'', ''Woh Lamhe'', ''Life in a M ...
).
Siddharth is a driven revolutionary who dreams of bringing a revolution in the state of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
that will end the
caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
-based discrimination there, bring social justice, and improve society. Geeta is a London-returned, South Indian in love with the firebrand Siddharth. She has led a very sheltered life and is yet to explore the terrain of the Indian socio-political landscape. While she finds Siddharth's Naxalite rhetoric attractive, she is not sure if she can whole-heartedly subscribe to it. Every time they come to a choice, Siddharth chooses his ideology over his love for her thus breaking her heart time and again. Vikram is a middle-class boy who dreams of making it big, whatever the cost. He is particularly afflicted by his father's
Gandhian The followers of Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest figure of the Indian independence movement, are called Gandhians.
Gandhi's legacy includes a wide range of ideas ranging from his dream of ideal India (or ''Rama Rajya)'', economics, environmentalism, ...
ideas, but irritated and frustrated at the same time, seeing his father's way of life as ineffective in bringing about change.
Siddharth leaves for Bihar to bring about a revolution; Geeta leaves for
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
to get a degree; and Vikram sets up an office in Delhi.
A few years later, Vikram is a fixer in the power corridors of government, Geeta is married to promising
IAS IAS may refer to:
Science
* Institute for Advanced Study, in Princeton, New Jersey, United States
* Image Analysis & Stereology, the official journal of the International Society for Stereology & Image Analysis.
* Iowa Archeological Society, Uni ...
Officer Arun Mehta (
Ram Kapoor
Ram Kapoor (; born 1 September 1973) is an Indian actor who works in films and television serials. He gained popularity portraying Jai Walia in the television series ''Kasamh Se'' and the character of Ram Kapoor in ''Bade Achhe Lagte Hain''. He ...
) who, as Geeta says "has it all", and Siddharth is still trying to foment a revolution. But all is not as it seems. Below the mask of happiness, each is quite unhappy. Vikram has 'made it' but he cannot get Geeta, the love of his life. Geeta is married, but she meets Siddharth on the sly, cheating on her husband.
Geeta gets a divorce from her husband because of her love for Siddharth, even though she does not want to hurt her husband's feelings. Geeta joins Siddharth in the village and starts to teach the children, whilst the police repeatedly try to hunt down her now husband, Siddharth. She bears a child with Siddharth whom she sends to her parents in London since she believes he deserves more than to grow up in the remote village.
Eventually the police round up the entire village, capturing Siddharth and Geeta for intent to cause unrest and brutally assaulting them – fabricating a story of a villagers' riot to explain their injuries. Geeta is bailed out of prison by her now influential ex-husband. Siddharth, on the run, is shot by the police, admitted to a local hospital, and placed under arrest while Geeta believes him to have been killed.
Vikram, who has been consoling Geeta and taking care of her during the absences of her ex-husband and of Siddharth, is informed that Siddharth is alive. Vikram travels to meet Siddharth and release him using his influential contacts. However, he has an accident on the way and is admitted to the same hospital as Siddharth. During the night, local Naxalites break into the crude hospital and free Siddharth while Vikram lays there. The next morning, the policemen in charge of guarding Siddharth, frustrated, accuse Vikram of having conspiring to free Siddharth and beat him up. After discovering that he is a man of influence, they resolve to kill him and dump his body to make it unrecognisable. Vikram, terrified and injured, attempts to escape but is chased down. The policemen finds that the Naxalites have emptied their revolver and they beat Vikram with an iron rod. Soon, the police chief and a local politician come looking for Vikram and are able to stop the policemen from killing him.
Vikram suffers severe
brain damage
Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...
and is rendered
mentally challenged
Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation, Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...
, while Siddharth tells Geeta that he intends to leave. Geeta refuses to accompany him. Siddharth has moved beyond simply trying to foment a revolution. He is prepared to delay it because he feels that the people are not ready in spite of their saying otherwise. He goes to London to study medicine and, through a letter, voices his anguish and disillusion with the idea of revolution, writing "I hope the mysteries of the human body will be less confusing" (in reference to his studying medicine and quitting the revolution).
The last scenes shows Geeta working in the village and taking care of the handicapped Vikram, who can no longer speak. The movie ends with Vikram writing "I love you Geeta" on a rock, as they sit by a placid lake and watch the sunset.
Cast
*
Kay Kay Menon
Krishna Kumar Menon (born 2 October 1966), better known by the stage name Kay Kay Menon, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and also in Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu cinema.
Early life
Menon was born in a Nair fa ...
as Siddharth Tyabji
*
Chitrangada Singh
Chitrangda Singh (born 30 August) is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi cinema. She made her acting debut in 2005 with '' Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' for which she won Bollywood Movie Award – Best Female Debut.
Singh has starred in ...
as Geeta Rao Mehta
*
Shiney Ahuja
Shiney Ahuja (born 15 May 1973) is an Indian actor in Bollywood films. He won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' in 2006 and then followed with several hit films like ''Gangster'', ''Woh Lamhe'', ''Life in a M ...
as Vikram Malhotra
*
Ram Kapoor
Ram Kapoor (; born 1 September 1973) is an Indian actor who works in films and television serials. He gained popularity portraying Jai Walia in the television series ''Kasamh Se'' and the character of Ram Kapoor in ''Bade Achhe Lagte Hain''. He ...
Akhil Mishra
Akhil Mishra (born 22 July 1965) is an Indian film and television actor who has worked in films such as ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'',
'' Gandhi, My Father'' and television serials such as '' Pradhanmantri''. He was working in the serial '' D ...
as Vikram's father
*
Saurabh Shukla
Saurabh Shukla (born 5 March 1963) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, and film director who works in Hindi and a few Tamil and Telugu films. He is famous for his roles in ''Satya'' (1998), '' Nayak: The Real Hero'' (2001), '' Yuva'' (2004), ''L ...
as Bihari constable
*
Anupam Shyam
Anupam Shyam Ojha (20 September 1957 – 8 August 2021) was an Indian film and television actor, who usually played villainous roles. He appeared as ''Thakur Sajjan Singh'' in the STAR Plus TV series ''Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya'' (2009 and 2021). ...
as Jhanda Singh
*
Shilpa Shukla
Shilpa Shukla (born 22 February 1982) is an Indian film and theatre actress. She is known for her roles in the 2007 sports drama '' Chak De! India'' and the 2013 neo-noir film '' B.A. Pass'', for which she was awarded the Filmfare Critics Awar ...
as Neeti
*
Satyajit Sharma
Satyajit Sharma (born 31 July 1969) is an Indian film and television actor. Sharma is known for his portrayal of the character Basant in the television soap opera ''Balika Vadhu''.
Filmography
• Nai Subah telefilm
*''Yeh Faasley''
*'' Paa'' a ...
as Maharaja's elder son
* Sanjay Singh as Sanjay Singh
*
Arif Zakaria
Arif Zakaria (born 11 November 1966) is an Indian actor. He has had roles in many films, beginning with his debut film ''Darmiyaan'' (1997), ''1947 Earth'' (1998), ''Dance like a man'' (2004), and biographical projects '' Mardana'' and the contr ...
as Daryll
*
V K Sharma
Vinod Kumar Sharma is an Indian actor, writer and director who works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films, television and stage. He is the recipient of a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for direction in theatre. He is the founder and director of Khilona Thea ...
as Maharaja's Secretary
*
Yusuf Hussain
Yusuf Hussain (21 January 1948 – 30 October 2021) was an Indian television actor known for his work predominantly in Bollywood. Yusuf was also known for his work in Dhoom 2, OMG – Oh My God!, Raees Dil Chahta Hai and Krrish 3. Yusuf was ...
as Senior Politician
Music
#"Baawra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna" –
Swanand Kirkire
Swanand Kirkire ( Marathi: स्वानंद किरकिरे) (born 29 April 1972) is an Indian lyricist, playback singer, writer, assistant director, actor and dialogue writer, both in television with Marathi and Hindi films.
Kirkire ...
Bhikhari Thakur
Bhikari Thakur (18 December 1887 – 10 July 1971) was an Indian Bhojpuri language poet, playwright, lyricist, actor, folk dancer, folk singer and social activist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest writer in Bhojpuri language and ...
#"Banvara Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna" – Shubha Mudgal
#"Hajaro Khwahishe Aisee Ke" – Shubha Mudgal
#"Hazaaro Khwaishe Aisi (2)" – Shubha Mudgal
#"He Sajni The (Club Mix)" –
Bhikhari Thakur
Bhikari Thakur (18 December 1887 – 10 July 1971) was an Indian Bhojpuri language poet, playwright, lyricist, actor, folk dancer, folk singer and social activist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest writer in Bhojpuri language and ...
#"Mann Yeh Baavra" –
Swanand Kirkire
Swanand Kirkire ( Marathi: स्वानंद किरकिरे) (born 29 April 1972) is an Indian lyricist, playback singer, writer, assistant director, actor and dialogue writer, both in television with Marathi and Hindi films.
Kirkire ...
, Ajay Jhingran
Critical reception
The film received positive reviews. ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' described it as a real reel from India. Avijit Ghosh of ''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' called it a "post-dated love letter to that lost generation." Sukanya Verma of ''
Rediff
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' said, "
Sudhir Mishra
Sudhir Mishra (born 22 January 1959) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for directing the films ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'', ''Dharavi (film), Dharavi'' and ''Chameli (film), Chameli''.
Mishra has had a 30-year career, with his ...
's drama is overwhelming, memorable."
Anupama Chopra
Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...
of ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...