Roja

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Roja
Directed by Mani Ratnam
Produced by Mani Ratnam
K. Balachander
Written by Mani Ratnam
Starring Arvind Swamy
Madhoo
Pankaj Kapoor
Nasser
Janagaraj
Music by A. R. Rahman
Distributed by Madras Talkies
Release date(s) 1992
Running time 137 mins
Language Tamil
IMDb profile

Roja (1992) is a Tamil film directed by Mani Ratnam. The movie was subsequently dubbed in other Indian languages, catapulting Mani Ratnam to national acclaim. This film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman, who debuted in this movie. This soundtrack is among the All Time Top 10 soundtracks listed by TIME magazine,[1] issued in 2005.

Roja was dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, and Telugu. The film was recently re-released for international audiences in light of the growing fear of terrorist attacks the world over. It is considered as one of the best films from Indian film industry stable from the 90s.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Vaishnavi and Madhoo from the film Roja
Vaishnavi and Madhoo from the film Roja

Roja revolves around one Man's love for his motherland and a wife's unfailing love for her husband. Roja (Madhoo) is a village girl, born and brought up in Sundarapandianpuram in Tirunelveli district in Southern Tamil Nadu. She prays that the handsome suitor and top cryptologist Rishi Kumar (Arvind Swamy), arriving in the village soon, accepts a proposal to get married to her sister. It soon emerges that Roja's sister is in love with another, and to everyone's surprise Rishi requests Roja's hand in marriage. Roja gets married to Rishi, and the couple move out of the village to live in the city. They both fall in love here, and settle down. Working for the Indian Government, Rishi is assigned a posting at an army communications center in Kashmir. Roja's world is shattered when Rishi is abducted by militant Kashmiri separatists who demand the release of their terrorist leader Wasim Khan from prison, held by Indian military forces. Roja pleads with politicians and the military for help, but she has little success. The film is set against the backdrop of the longstanding struggle between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, an issue that is still in the melting pot.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Awards

The film has been nominated for the following awards since its release:

1993 Moscow International Film Festival (Russia)

The film has won the following awards since its release:

1993 National Film Awards (India)

  • Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Music Director - A. R. Rahman
  • Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Lyricist - Vairamuthu

1993 Filmfare Awards South

[edit] Music

Roja:
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack by A. R. Rahman
Released 1992
Genre Soundtrack
Length 25:33
Label Lahari
Producer A. R. Rahman

Roja: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The soundtrack features score and 6 songs composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Vairamuthu. This soundtrack was revolutionary in that it changed the face of Tamil Film music, announcing the arrival of Rahman as a potent force in the Indian music scene. He used many instruments and grand arrangements to generate an epic sound to the songs. Songs such as "Rukkumani" had a loud thumping feel and became ingrained in pop culture.

Also many new singers were introduced to the Tamil music scene. Time magazine's noted film critic, Richard Corliss stated that the "astonishing debut work parades Rahman's gift for alchemizing outside influences until they are totally Tamil, totally Rahman."[1] Including the album on a list of Time magazine's Top 10 soundtracks of all time in 2005, he admitted to failing to properly check facts on a lyrics website when describing two songs using dubbed Hindi titles on his article.[2] The soundtrack also found success in its many dubbed versions.

Track listing:

  1. “Rukkumani” (6:02) – S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Chitra
  2. “Chinna Chinna Aasai” (4:57) – Minmini
  3. “Kaadhal Rojave” (5:04) – S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
  4. “Pudhu Vellai Mazhai” (5:18) – Unni Menon, Sujatha
  5. “Tamizha Tamizha” (3:05) – Hariharan
  6. “Chinna Chinna Aasai” (1:07) – Minmini

The soundtrack for Roja proved immensly popular and with success upon release.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Corliss, Richard (2005). Best Soundtracks - ALL TIME 100 MOVIES - TIME. Time. Retrieved on 24 February, 2008.
  2. ^ Corliss, Richard (June 02 2005). That Old Feeling - Secrets of the All-Time 100 - TIME. Time. Retrieved on 24 February, 2008.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by Mani Ratnam
Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983) • Unaru (1985) • Pagal Nilavu (1985) • Idaya Kovil (1985) • Mouna Raagam (1986) • Nayagan (1987) • Agni Natchathiram (1988) • Geethanjali (1989) • Anjali (1990) • Thalapathi (1991) • Roja (1992) • Thiruda Thiruda (1993) • Bombay (1995) • Iruvar (1997) • Dil Se (1998) • Alaipayuthey (2000) • Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) • Aayitha Ezhuthu (2004) • Yuva (2004) • Guru (2007)
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