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PRODUCTION TEAM
Director :
Fareeda Mehta
Script :
Fareeda Mehta. D'apr�s la nouvelle de / Based on the short story by: Saadat Hasan Manto
Photography :
Avijit Mukul Kishore
Editor :
Aseem Sinha
Cast :
Surekha Sikri, Sadiya Siddiqui, Irfan Khan, Jeetu Shastri, Vrajesh Hirjee, Kay Kay, Sheeba Chaddha
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THE BLACK GARMENT
Sultana, a small-town prostitute, and her pimp Khudabaksh, migrate to the city and bring with them their dreams and meagre belongings. Initially she is bewildered by the crowds and the pace of the city. With the help of Anwari (a madam or perhaps a witch), she learns how to find her bearings; new perspectives appear. Sultana continues practicing her bright and artful seductions but they don't seem to work. Her business shrinks. In desperation, Khudabaksh tries his hand at many jobs, failing at each. His faith in his business acumen is replaced by his belief in a holy man. Sultana is bereft and turns pensive. Her loneliness and despair are reflected in her desire for the black salwaar (lower garment) that she needs to complete her costume for the observance of mourning in Moharram. One evening, soliciting from her balcony, she beckons a man. This man, Shankar, inverts their relationship with his wit and worldly wisdom. The downtown and back streets where Sultana's story unfolds, are peopled by an assortment of eccentric characters, including Mohammed Bhai, known as the "Godfather". His story converges with Sultana's but they never meet. Between these people, goods, favours and money constantly change hands. Destinies are set and changed, plots thicken and dissolve.
Fareeda Mehta
Born in 1959, Fareeda Mehta took a degree in microbiology from Bombay University, graduated from the Tara Institute of Social Sciences in Bombay in 1984, then from the Film and Television Institute of India in 1989. Her diploma film, The Colour of Breeze (1989) won best short at the Torino Film Festival. She has taught scriptwriting in Delhi and has directed several shorts, including Paitrik Sampati, Yadon Ke Kinare and In Search of Green Pastures. THE BLACK GARMENT marks her debut in features.
August 24, 2002 • 17:00:00 • EATON • E3.24.1 •
August 24, 2002 • 21:30:00 • EATON • E4.24.5 •
August 25, 2002 • 15:00:00 • EATON • E4.25.2 •
August 26, 2002 • 16:30:00 • EATON • E4.26.3 •
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