Story, Screenplay and Direction – Rohit Kaushik
Casts: Manisha Koirala, Gulshan Grover, Divya Datta, Jackie Shroff, Hrishita Bhatt and Arya Babbar
Producer – Inderjit Daheley
Music – Jaideep
Lyrics – Sayeed Quadri
Cinematography – Thomas Xavier
Choreographer – Rekha Chinni Prakash
Songs sung by – Sunidhi, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Kunal Ganjawala, Shankar Mahadevan.
Hindi, India, Released on 2015
Synopsis:
It is sharp, it is stunning, it captures your attention and the Indian Film Festival is a visual treat, which keeps the viewers spellbound till the end. The narrative is powerful, each frames a visual treat and the characters captivate you with their histrionics.
1952, the year is a year of wine and roses for our lovely and retired silent era actress Tarana, she is living her life to the hilt and has never seen the camera ever stop rolling, every move of her is being captured for posterity. She is in her world of make belief. The only reality that bites and shakes her from her slumber is the fact that she is no more an actor.
Her life and times as an actor of repute of the silent era films is known and respected in India , but then she is no more on the screen and has actually lost out, as she was a failure when it came to talking cinema.
Tarana acted sensibly and moved away from the film festival world, as she did not want to be termed a failure.
She could not bear the thought of rejection and could not face up to her successful friends; she packs her bags and migrates to England, far from the reality of cinema. She starts her life in a remote area, in a mansion. She starts to live her life in exile with her sister and her faithful domestic help who are dependent on her.
Life is not the same anymore, the film begins on a dramatic note, and its Tarana’s birthday and celebrations are in store. The day is filled with hope and expectations, Tarana lives with her sister Amanat.
The sisters live together in this mansion, surrounded by images and artifacts, which constantly remind them of the yesteryears, which are a living presence for Tarana and an eyesore for her sister.
The two sisters have an adopted daughter and she is going to be coming in the evening for celebrating Tarana’s birthday.
Come evening, and things would never be the same, their daughter, she is studying in Oxford, arrives with her boyfriend, Madan, a man of stunning looks and a life which is amazing and out of the world.
The other guest who arrives is Raisaheb and his wife, Jhankar. They have specially made this voyage from Bombay to spend time with Tarana.
Raisaheb, the man who made Tarana and the man who has a control or is it the other way….things unfold dramatically. Raisaheb a famous studio owner/ Producer and a star “HERO” of the silent era. He had launched many a face, actors who have fan following in thousands. He is married to Jhankar, a woman much younger then him.
In this gigantic mansion, away from civilization, the night is young and then the unexpected happens and a “death” opens a Pandora’s Box, which spares none of the main players.
There is tension and there is abuse and they are stuck together for the next 3 days as the police needs to investigate, life will never be the same for anyone, Madan is the man for all seasons and he becomes the mirror where the images of the past of each of them comes alive and the film ends on an unexpected ending, an ending which is pent up for decades an ending that had not to be, an ending that you cannot guess……..
The film festival of india narrative moves constantly from the early 50s to 1930s capturing the time the look the period, set against a film background. The past comes alive in black and white. Moments of film shoots, decadence, love, desperation, joy and passion mould the film to a terrific visual and gripping experience. The music haunts you with melodies that are refreshing once again. The costumes enthrall you, it is a visual treat that has to be witnessed and experienced. It will shock you………
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
A time gone by, an ere of wines and roses and decadence, the essence of Chehere are the people the masks that they wore and the lives they lived and the turmoil they faced in a society structuring itself.
While writing and filming the psychological thriller I carefully crafted the nuances and the emotions of my characters and strongly depended on logic. A haunting and dramatic look at the lives of the characters who are victims of their surroundings. The games they played and enacted to survive and succeed.
The camera never stopped rolling for our protagonist and as time never stands still the present is constantly a living past.
The deception, the deceit, the passion and the will to survive unfolds in the film, the year is 1952 and we witness the drama which unfolds due to the death of a woman desperate to be recognized….filmed in Black and white and color….cinema of the times gone by is unmasked in this thrilling narrative…..CHEHERE
CAST
Manisha Koirala
Divya Dutta
Hrishita Bhatt
Jackie Shroff
Gulshan Grover
Aryababbar
Rakesh Bedi
Story, screenplay & Direction: Rohit Kaushik
D.O.P : Thomas Xavier
Music : Jaideep Chowdhry
Art Direction: Bijon Dasgupta
Background Score: Sanjay Choudhry
Producers: Inderjeetsingh Dhalvi & Asish Patel
Executive Producer: Bob Bhrambhatt
Film Produced by AM Movies [U.K.] Ltd
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