''Liar's Dice'' is a 2013 Indian
Hindi-language
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 des ...
road movie
A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienatio ...
written and directed by
Geetu Mohandas
Gayatri Das (born 8 June 1981), known professionally as Geetu Mohandas, is an Indian actress and director known for her works in Malayalam cinema and Bollywood. In 2013, she directed the socio political film '' Liar's Dice'' which has received ...
and starring
Geetanjali Thapa
Geetanjali Thapa is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Hindi films. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress (2013) for her performance in '' Liar's Dice''.
Career
A professional model before joining the film industry, in 2010 ...
and
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Siddiqui's feature film debut was alongside director Prashant Bhargava in ''Patang'' (2012). He ga ...
. The film tells the story of a young mother from a remote village who, going in search of her missing husband, goes missing herself. The film examines the human cost of migration to cities and the exploitation of migrant workers.
The production is Mohandas' feature film debut; she had previously made the short film ''Kelkkunndo'' in 2008, which received wide acclaim.
''Liar's Dice'' had its world premiere at the
Mumbai Film Festival
The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) is a public trust that organises the annual international film festival in Mumbai famously known as the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. Actor, producer and author Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the Chairperson ...
in October 2013, where it took part in the Indian competition section.
In January 2014, the film was screened at the
Sundance Film Festival and the
International Film Festival Rotterdam.
It won a special jury award at the
Sofia International Film Festival
Sofia International Film Festival (SIFF) ( Bulgarian: ''Международен София Филм Фест, София Филм Фест''), also known as Sofia Film Fest, is an annual film festival in Sofia, capital city of Bulgaria, taking pl ...
.
''Liar's Dice'' went on to receive two awards at the
61st National Film Awards
The 61st National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2013 in the Indian cinema. The ceremony was held on 3 May 2014.
...
:
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...
for Geetanjali Thapa, and
Best Cinematography for Rajeev Ravi. The film was
India's official entry at the
87th Academy Awards
The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2014 and took place on February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30  ...
for
Best Foreign Language Film, but was not nominated.
Art director
Ajay Sharma, who had worked on movies such as ''
Happy Journey'' (2014), won the Best Art Director Award at the
Maharashtra State Film Awards Maharashtra State Film Awards, one of the prestigious awards of Marathi cinema, are awarded by the Government of Maharashtra to Marathi language films and artists. They were first awarded in 1963.
Winners 2000
This year's award ceremony took plac ...
.
Plot
The canvas of the film stretches from a small village in the mountains called
Chitkul
Chhitkul is a village in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. During winters, the place mostly remains covered with the snow and the inhabitants move to lower regions of Himachal.
According to a recent study by Centre of Atmospheric Sciences ...
on the border with China, to the big city of Delhi. Kamala, a young mother from a tribal community, her three-year-old daughter, and her daughter's pet goat, embark on a journey to find her husband who has been missing for the last five months. Along the way, they meet an army deserter, Nawazuddin, who accompanies them. They travel together until they reach the house of Kamala's husband's boss, but he is away. Kamala and Nawazuddin quarrel and part ways. Kamala decides to go to Delhi to search for her husband, and she runs into Nawazuddin at the train station. He decides to accompany her and her daughter once more, in order to keep them safe. They arrive in Delhi together and a series of mishaps ensues. Kamala keeps trying to call her husband's phone and finally hears a ringtone. The ringing appears to be coming from Nawazuddin's bag, however. Kamala opens the bag and finds her husband's wallet, his watch, and his belongings.
At the end of the film, Nawazuddin is seen working in construction and Kamala is back in her village.
Cast
*
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Siddiqui's feature film debut was alongside director Prashant Bhargava in ''Patang'' (2012). He ga ...
as Nawazuddin
*
Geetanjali Thapa
Geetanjali Thapa is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Hindi films. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress (2013) for her performance in '' Liar's Dice''.
Career
A professional model before joining the film industry, in 2010 ...
as Kamala
* Manya Gupta as Manya
* Vikram Bhagra as Hotel owner
* Murari Kumar as Hotel boy
Production
Director Geetu Mohandas is a noted actress in
Malayalam cinema. She wrote the script to the film in 2007, before her debut short ''Kelkkunndo'' (Are You Listening) in 2008. However, she was unable to get the film financed due to the unusual storyline and a relatively unknown cast. Nevertheless, after the critical success received at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) for her short film, she managed to get a project development grant of €10,000 (around Rs.8.45 lakh now) from the IFFR's Hubert Bals Fund.
[
The film faced difficulties in raising funds before Alan McAlex and Ajay G. Rai, producers from Jar Pictures, stepped in. The final project was co-produced with Mohandas' own production company, Unplugged.
''Liar's Dice'' was shot on a low budget using a small crew in under a month in March 2012.][ It was filmed on location in the village of ]Chitkul
Chhitkul is a village in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. During winters, the place mostly remains covered with the snow and the inhabitants move to lower regions of Himachal.
According to a recent study by Centre of Atmospheric Sciences ...
in Kinnaur district, Shimla
Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, the ...
, and various locations in Delhi, including the Jama Masjid
A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.*
*
*
*
*
*
*
...
. The cinematography was done by Mohandas' husband, Rajeev Ravi
Rajeev Ravi is an Indian cinematographer, director, and producer from Kochi, Kerala. He's best known for his work in Hindi and Malayalam films.
After graduating from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 1997, he started his career ...
, who had previously worked on movies such as '' Dev.D'' (2009) and ''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 ...
'' (2012).[
]
Reception
''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' called the film a "quietly effective debut".[
]
Awards
*61st National Film Awards
The 61st National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2013 in the Indian cinema. The ceremony was held on 3 May 2014.
...
**National Film Award for Best Actress
The National Film Award for Best Actress (officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role wi ...
- Geetanjali Thapa
Geetanjali Thapa is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Hindi films. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress (2013) for her performance in '' Liar's Dice''.
Career
A professional model before joining the film industry, in 2010 ...
**National Film Award for Best Cinematography
The National Film Award for Best Cinematography is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards p ...
- Rajeev Ravi
Rajeev Ravi is an Indian cinematographer, director, and producer from Kochi, Kerala. He's best known for his work in Hindi and Malayalam films.
After graduating from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 1997, he started his career ...
*Sofia International Film Festival
Sofia International Film Festival (SIFF) ( Bulgarian: ''Международен София Филм Фест, София Филм Фест''), also known as Sofia Film Fest, is an annual film festival in Sofia, capital city of Bulgaria, taking pl ...
, 2014
**Won Special Jury Award
* NYIFF 2014
**Won Best Actress
**Won Best Film Award in international competition
*Pesaro International Film Festival, 2014
**Won Lino Micciche Award for Best Film
* Granada Cines del Sur Film Festival
**Won Bronce Alhambra award
See also
*
*
* Liar's dice
References
External links
*
{{Indian submission for Academy Awards
2013 films
2010s Hindi-language films
Films set in Himachal Pradesh
Films shot in Himachal Pradesh
Films set in Delhi
Films shot in Delhi
2010s drama road movies
Indian drama road movies
Films featuring a Best Actress National Award-winning performance
Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography National Film Award
Works about human migration
Films about human trafficking in India
2013 directorial debut films
2013 drama films