Praying with Anger

{{Infobox film

| name = Praying with Anger

| image = Praying with Anger.jpg

| caption = Film poster

| director = M. Night Shyamalan

| writer = M. Night Shyamalan

| producer = M. Night Shyamalan

| starring = {{Plainlist|

M. Night Shyamalan
Michael Muthu

}}

| cinematography = Madhu Ambat

| editing = Frank Reynolds

| music = Edmund Choi

| studio = Crescent Moon

| distributor = Cinevistaas

| released = {{film date|df=y|1992|9|12}} (United States; Toronto Film Festival)

| runtime = 107 minutes

| country = India
United States

| language = English

}}

Praying with Anger is a 1992 independent drama film written, produced, directed by, and starring M. Night Shyamalan in his directorial debut.{{cite web|title=Praying with Anger |url=https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film321182.html |website=filmaffinity.com |access-date=9 September 2024}}

It is about a young Indian American's return to India and explores the clash of Western values with those of the Indian subcontinent.

Plot

Indian American Dev Raman returns to his native country to spend a year as part of a college exchange program. He is initially reluctant, but his mother insists, and he respects her wishes. While there, he discovers that his cold and distant father, now deceased, carried a quiet and profound affection towards him.

While he is in India, he receives guidance from his friend Sanjay. As the visit progresses, Dev ignores Sanjay's suggestions, and the interaction between Indian and Western cultures quickly precipitates into misunderstanding and violence.{{cite web|url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/p/praying.html|author=James Berardinelli|title=Review: Praying with Anger|work=Reelviews.net|year=1993}}

Dev realizes that one may pray to the deities of the Hindu pantheon in almost any emotional state except indifference. As he explores his past and sees the miscommunication between the two cultures, Dev is overwhelmed and finds himself only able to pray with anger.

Cast

M. Night Shyamalan as Dev Raman{{Cite web|work=The NY Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/15/movies/reviews-film-american-comes-of-age-amid-india-s-old-ways.html|title=Reviews/Film; American Comes of Age Amid India's Old Ways|last=Holden|first=Stephen|date=15 September 1993}}
Mike Muthu as Sanjay
Richa Ahuja as Rupal Mohan
Sushma Ahuja as Mrs. Mohan
Arun Balachandran as Raj Kahn
Christabal Howie as Sabitha

Release

The film never received a wide release for mainstream distribution and has been shown primarily at film festivals. Praying with Anger screened at the 1993 AFI Fest, where it won the "First Film Competition" for American independent filmmakers.[https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/59634 AFI Catalog]