Author: Arundhati Roy
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 112
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0143029274
Description
In 1988, Arundhati Roy wrote the story and screenplay for 'In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones', a low budget film. The screenplay of this moving, funny and unusual film is published here for the first time together with over thirty stills and a witty, nostalgic preface by her in which she writes about the making of the film, its relevance today and its significance in the development of her art and her politics.
The film, produced and directed by Pradip Krishen, had almost no big names, and was shown just once on national television in a late-night slot, when few people saw it. Despite this, it acquired near cult status, especially among young English-speaking urban Indians.
Set in a not-so-fictional school of Architecture in the year 1974, it is the story of dope-smoking, bellbottom-wearing, vaguely idealistic final-year students in the run up to the submission of their architectural theses. The main character, Annie - Anand Grover - doing his ninth year in college, is a misguided visionary who breeds chickens in his hostel room and is in love with a small-time cabaret dancer.
There are also Radha, a bright, brash and not-so-sweet young thing, and her boyfriend Arjun; Mankind and his Ugandan roommate Kasozi, who grinds his teeth when he dreams of Idi Amin; Lekha, who does not hesitate to trade coyness for marks; and Professor Y D Billimoria, whom the students call Yamdoot - the messenger of the God of Death. Also a character in the film, perhaps the most important, is English as she is spoken by students in Delhi University - ' an alloy, melted down and then re-fashioned, soldered together with Hindi (occasionally even a little Punjabi).'