Zakhm (transl. Wound) is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language drama film[2] written and directed by Mahesh Bhatt and produced by Mahesh and Pooja Bhatt. The film stars Ajay Devgn, Kunal Khemu, Pooja Bhatt, Sonali Bendre and Nagarjuna. Zakhm was based on the life of Mahesh Bhatt's mother Shirin Mohammad Ali, while his daughter Pooja Bhatt essayed her character in this film.[3][4][5]
| Zakhm | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster for Zakhm | |
| Directed by | Mahesh Bhatt |
| Written by | Girish Dhamija (dialogues) |
| Screenplay by | Tanuja Chandra Mahesh Bhatt |
| Story by | Mahesh Bhatt |
| Produced by | Mukesh Bhatt Pooja Bhatt |
| Starring | Ajay Devgn Nagarjuna Pooja Bhatt Sonali Bendre Kunal Khemu Akshay Anand |
| Cinematography | Nirmal Jani |
| Edited by | Sanjay Sankla |
| Music by | M. M. Kreem |
Production company | Pooja Bhatt Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Zakhm was awarded with the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Devgn's performance won him his first National Film Award for Best Actor.
Plot
editMusic director Ajay argues with his wife, Sonia. Sonia wants to give birth to their child in England whereas Ajay wants his child to be born in India and does not want to go to England (because of the insecurity caused by the Mumbai riots).
Ajay soon learns that his mother has been burned by a group of Muslim rioters while leaving a temple and is in a critical condition. In a flashback, the struggles that his mother had to undergo to raise her children are shown. She was in love with a Hindu film producer Raman Desai but was not allowed to marry him on account of her Muslim faith. He marries her but does not document or acknowledge their marriage as it was done without any traditional upholdings. As she had children with a Hindu man, naturally she lives her later life as a Hindu, even in front of her son.
After his father's sudden death caused by an accident on the day Ajay's younger brother is born, Ajay realizes his mother is a Muslim. She makes him promise to bury her according to her faith when she dies, for it is only through a proper burial that she will be able to find herself reunited with her lover in heaven. She also takes a promise from Ajay that he will never tell his brother about her real identity. Ajay's mother succumbs to the burns. Sonia learns about her mother-in-law's past life and decides not to leave Ajay. She stands by him and supports his decision to bury his mother. However, Ajay's task is impeded by a fundamentalist leader Subodhbhai, who wanted to make this a political issue and encouraged the Hindu youth to kill Muslims. Anand happens to be a youth leader and Ajay's younger brother. But when Anand learns of Subodhbhai's intentions, he stands by his brother's decision to bury their mom according to Islamic customs. Her body is buried as she had desired, and she reunites with Raman in heaven. At last, Ajay is seen releasing his mother's Mangalsutra in the sea, indicating the end of her life of struggle and meeting with her husband.
Cast
edit- Ajay Devgn as Music director Ajay Desai
- Kunal Khemu as young Ajay
- Nagarjuna as Producer turned Director Raman Desai, Ajay's late father
- Sonali Bendre as Sonia Maheshwari Desai, Ajay's wife
- Pooja Bhatt as Noor Hussain Khan, Ajay's mother
- Ashutosh Rana as Subodh Malgaonkar
- Sharat Saxena as Inspector Pawar
- Akshay Anand as Anand Kumar Desai, Ajay's brother
- Avtar Gill as Isa
- Zafar Karachiwala
- Saurabh Shukla as Gurdayal Singh
- Madan Jain as Journalist Anwar Hashmi
- Vishwajeet Pradhan as Senior Inspector Vishwajeet Yadav
Soundtrack
edit| Zakhm | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Length | 34:40 | |||
| Label | HMV Audio | |||
| M. M. Keeravani chronology | ||||
| ||||
The music was composed by M. M. Keeravani with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The soundtrack was released by the HMV Audio Company. The composer selected Chitra for " Gali main aaj Chand nikala " but due to unknown reasons the song was later sung by Alka Yagnik.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gali Mein Aaj Chaand Nikla" | Alka Yagnik | 5:07 |
| 2. | "Hum Yahan Tum Yahan (Male)" | Kumar Sanu | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Maa Ne Kaha (Male)" | M. M. Keeravani | 2:48 |
| 4. | "Padh Likh Ke" | Alka Yagnik | 4:35 |
| 5. | "Hum Yahan Tum Yahan (Female)" | Alka Yagnik | 4:52 |
| 6. | "Maa Ne Kaha (Female)" | Chitra | 2:47 |
| 7. | "Raat Sari Bekaraari Mein" | Alka Yagnik | 5:04 |
| 8. | "Maa Ne Kaha (Sad)" | M. M. Kreem | 1:29 |
| 9. | "Gali Mein Aaj Chaand Nikla (Sad)" | Alka Yagnik | 3:06 |
| Total length: | 34:40 | ||
Reception
editMukhtar Anjoom of Deccan Herald wrote that "Mahesh Bhatt foolishly swerves and rams the brakes while cruising along a solid theme. By making it personalized, he fails to tackle the wider ramifications of divisive politics and fritters away the opportunity to make a masterpiece of his swansong".[6]
Awards
edit- Won: 1998 National Film Award for Best Actor – Ajay Devgn[7]
- Won: 1999 Screen Award for Best Actor – Ajay Devgn[8]
TV series
editThe story has been adapted into a TV series, named Naamkarann, which aired on STAR Plus from September 2016 to June 2018.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Zakhm". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ Khanna, Anish (25 December 1998). "Film Review – Zakhm". Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 5 November 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ "Pooja Bhatt recalls wearing her grandmother's saree and mangalsutra in 'Zakhm' as the film was based on Mahesh Bhatt's mother's life - Exclusive!". The Times of India. 15 March 2023. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Pooja Bhatt recalls being terrified of playing her grandmom in Zakhm, wearing her saree and mangalsutra". Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "When Mahesh Bhatt's father put sindoor on his mother's remains: 'It was too little too late, that broke me down'". 11 March 2023. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Cinema Reviews - Deccan Herald".
- ^ Namrata, Nongpiur (21 May 2011). "10 National Award Winning Actors of Bollywood". Mens XP. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (1 March 1999). "That's No Shooting Star". Outlook. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ Singh, Anvita (28 July 2016). "Mahesh Bhatts TV show based on Zakhm to star Viraf Patel and Barkha Bisht?". India Today. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.