Author: Urmila Matondkar
Naseeruddin Shah/Ashmit Patel
Director/Composer/Na: Pankuj Parashar
Publisher: Excel Home Videos
Year: 2006
Language: hl
Pages: NA
ISBN/UPC (if available): EHV1045
Description
The Truth That Will Change Your Life… Forever. Banaras takes us on a fascinating journey into the divine light and blinding darkness of the human mind. It is a classic about love, trust, betrayal, divinity and redemption.
The film deals with a variety of relationships – Relationship of humans with God, the relationship of great men like Buddha, Kabir, Tulsi, Vyas and Shankaracharya with Banaras. With relationships at the core, the film delves into the attachment of a loving daughter with her parents and with her soulmate.
Shwetambari (Urmila Matondkar), the bright, beautiful and only child of rich and aristocratic Brahmin parents (Dimple Kapadia and Raj Babbar), studies science at the local university where Soham (Ashmit Patel), a low-caste mystic and a protégé of Balaji (Naseeruddin Shah), teaches music. When the two fall in love, the peace in Banaras is disturbed.
The orthodox and the conservatives surface to be fore threatening to take away everything from the young lovers. When her powerful parents ignore the social strictures for the happiness of their daughter, destiny walks in to take complete control. Shattered, Shwetambari abandons her beloved city and turns inward to look for the answers.
Years later, Shwetambari, the world teacher in philosophy and religion, is confronted with the final choice – to return to Banaras and meet her dying father or to continue denying all attachments. Does Shwetambari go back to Banaras? And if she does, do the sleeping demons and the dark secrets, lying underneath like a dormant volcano, erupt once again and destroy her tranquil mind forever?
Review:
"A far cry from those masala films, Hindi cinema s generally associated with Banaras caters to an open-minded audience."
- BBC official review
"BANARAS is the fore-runner of a newly created genre in Indian Cinema."
- Indus Age, Sydney.
Cast :
Urmila Matondkar, Naseeruddin Shah, Ashmit Patel, Raj Babbar and Dimple Kapadia.
Produced by: L C. Singh.
Directed by: Pankuj Parashar.