Nishant
Year: 1975
Director: Shyam Benegal
Producer: Music: Vanraj Bhatia
Cast: Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Smita Patil, Amrish Puri
Raw, unpolished and gritty. Nishaant’s story is as disturbing as it is ironic. On display in the film are a bevy of new actors who’d later be known as the main players in parallel cinema. Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Girish Karnad, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Anant Nag and of course the menacing Amrish Puri, long before Mogambo was born. But at the centre of the story is Shabana Azmi’s character Sushila, who’s abducted from her hudband’s home to become the muse of a powerful landlord’s younger brother. Such is the impact of Nishant’s silent but stoic images that it impressed Indian and international viewers. The film won acclaim at international film festivals like Cannes and Berlin. Also, Indian cinema discovered Smita Patil with this film.
