Aagaman
{{Short description|1982 film by Muzaffar Ali}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Aagaman
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name =
| director = Muzaffar Ali
| producer = Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Seed and Development Corporation
| writer = Asghar Wajahat
| screenplay =
| story = R. Trivedi
| based_on =
| narrator =
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Anupam Kher
- Rani Deepa
- Suresh Oberoi
- Saeed Jaffrey
- Dilip Dhawan
}}
| music = {{Plainlist|
- Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan{{cite book|last=Simha|first=Hara Mandira|title=Hindi filmography: 1981-1999|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TC9LAQAAIAAJ|year=2000|publisher=Satinder Kaur, University of California|page=94|volume=2}}
| lyrics = Faiz Ahmed Faiz
}}
| cinematography =
| editing =
| studio = Integrated Films
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|1982}}
| runtime = 150 mins.
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Aagaman is a 1982 Hindi language drama film directed by Muzaffar Ali and produced by Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Seed and Development Corporation under the banner of Integrated Films. The cast included Saeed Jaffrey, Suresh Oberoi, Dilip Dhawan, Anupam Kher, Bharat Bhushan and Raj Bisaria. The film marked the debut of Kher.{{cite news|last1=Joshi|first1=Priya|title=Anupam Kher commemorates 30 years as an actor|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/bollywood/news/a573809/anupam-kher-commemorates-30-years-as-an-actor.html|access-date=26 October 2014|work=Digital Spy|publisher=Hearst Corporation|date=27 May 2014}}{{cite journal|title=Talking to the skies with flying colours|journal=Rashtriya Sahara|date=1991|volume=2|issue=2|page=162|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ihtuAAAAMAAJ|publisher=Sahara India Mass Communication|quote=Anupam Kher: Frankly speaking, my first film was Muzaffar Ali's Aagaman, but somehow "I am a workaholic and enjoy my Mahesh Bhatt's Saaraansh released first and since then I have never looked back.}} The plot involved the politics and working techniques of Uttar Pradesh sugarcane co-operative societies.{{cite news|author=Somaaya, Bhawana|authorlink=Bhawana Somaaya|title=The Story So Far|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mK4aAQAAIAAJ|access-date=25 October 2014|publisher=Indian Express Group|date=2003|page=143}}{{cite book|last1=Ray|first1=Bibekananda|last2=Joshi|first2=Naveen|title=Conscience of the race: India's offbeat cinema|url=https://archive.org/details/conscienceofrace00rayb|date=1 January 2005|publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India|isbn=978-81-230-1298-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/conscienceofrace00rayb/page/68 68]}}
Upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics.
The film was also shown at the 43rd International Film Festival of India in 2012.{{cite web|title=IFFI Bulletin - 26th November|url=http://www.iffi.nic.in/43rd_IFFI-2012_26-Nov_Bulletin.pdf|publisher=International Film Festival of India|access-date=26 October 2014|date=26 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924033108/http://www.iffi.nic.in/43rd_IFFI-2012_26-Nov_Bulletin.pdf|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=dead}}
Plot
In a village of Awadh, sugarcane planters are exploited by mill owner (Bharat Bhushan). A young man (Suresh Oberoi) returns to this village after receiving a degree in law from a reputed university of Lucknow. Seeing the poor condition of planters, he urges them to stop selling their sugarcane to the mill owner and instead start their own co-operative mill. The mill owner, his landlord-agent (Saeed Jaffrey) and son discourage the villagers from doing so. The mill owner's son urges the people to form a planter's union and continue selling their crop to the mill. Initially, the villagers trust him, but after continuous persuasions from the young man and realising that only self-sufficiency can improve their condition, they unite and set up their own mill. In the end, the young man marries a village girl (Deepa), who was very active in the movement.
Cast
{{Cast listing|* Bharat Bhushan — Mill owner
- Saeed Jaffrey — Mill owner's agent
- Suresh Oberoi — The young man
- Deepa — Village girl}}
Soundtrack
- "Ab Toot Girengi Zanjeere" - Hariharan
- "Ab Tut Girengi Zanjire" (Part-2) - Hariharan, Ghulam Mustafa Khan
- "Junoon Ki Yaad Manao" - Hariharan
- "Chhoone Na Doongi Sharir" - Anuradha Paudwal
- "Nisar Mai Teri Galiyo Pe" - Ghulam Mustafa Khan
- "Ye Daagh Daagh Ujala" (Part-2) - Ghulam Mustafa Khan
- "Ye Gaagh Daagh Ujala" (Part-3) - Anuradha Paudwal
- "Yeh Daagh Daagh Ujala" - Anuradha Paudwal
Production
The then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Vishwanath Pratap Singh asked Muzaffar Ali to make a film for promoting the sugarcane co-operative societies in the state. Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Seed and Development Corporation provided the necessary budget. R. N. Trivedi and Asghar Wajahat wrote the film's story,{{cite web|title=Young writers bringing innovation to films: Asghar Wajahat|url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bollywood/young-writers-bringing-innovation-to-films-asghar-wajahat_149108.html|publisher=Zee News|access-date=26 October 2014|date=12 January 2014}} Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan composed the film's music and the lyrics were written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Hasrat Jaipuri.
Reviews
Upon release, the film received mixed reviews from film critics. Muzaffar Ali's early films like Gaman, Umrao Jaan and Aagaman focused on Awadh. In an article published in 2012, Business Standard noted that "To [Muzaffar] Ali goes the credit of portraying Awadh truthfully on cinema; the only other claimant being Satyajit Ray in Shatranj Ke Khiladi".{{cite news|last1=Bhandari|first1=Bhupesh|last2=Sharma|first2=Priyanka|title=Awadh's storyteller|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/awadh-s-storyteller-112021100016_1.html|access-date=25 October 2014|work=Business Standard|date=11 February 2012|location=New Delhi}} Sumit Mitra of India Today called it a disappointing film and criticised Ali's film-making technique and cinematography. He added that "Ali's approach to direction is more that of film club enthusiast than film maker" and the lyrics used were "totally out of context". Mitra criticised the promotional nature of the film by saying that the state owned co-operative societies have dominated the market, but praised Saeed Jaffrey's acting.{{cite news|last1=Mitra|first1=Sumit|title=Quaint mix : Aagaman is bad advertisement and worse as a film|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/film-review-aagaman-is-bad-advertisement-and-worse-as-a-film/1/371860.html|access-date=25 October 2014|work=India Today|publisher=Living Media|date=15 August 1983}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=0149570|title=Aagaman}}
{{Muzaffar Ali}}
{{Portal bar|1980s|Bollywood|Film|India}}
Category:Films directed by Muzaffar Ali