Nil Battey Sannata

Nil Battey Sannata

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ashwini Iyer Tiwari
Starring Swara Bhaskar
Cinematography Gavemic U. Ary
Production
company
Distributed by Eros International
Release dates
  • April 22, 2016 (2016-04-22)
Running time
 104 minutes[1]
Country India
Language Hindi
Box office ₹3 crore (US$450,000)[2](opening week)

Nil Battey Sannata is a 2016 Indian comedy drama film directed by debutant director Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, and produced by Anand L. Rai, Ajay Rai and Alan McAlex under the banner of Colour Yellow and JAR Pictures. Swara Bhaskar essays the lead role of Chanda Sahay, a school drop-out household maid and single mother of a sullen and reluctant to learn young girl named Apeaksha Shivlal Sahay played by Ria Shukla. The film sets to deliver the message that, irrespective of one’s social status, everyone has a right to dream, inspire and change their lives

The film depicts the routine life of Chanda who wants big things for her only child and works in multiple menial-mechanical jobs, to put her through school. In an attempt to change her daughter's perspective of life, Chanda gets enrolled in Apeksha's class with the help of one of her employers and close friends, played by Ratna Pathak, and the school principal played by Pankaj Tripathi. Sanjay Suri had a cameo appearance in the film.

Released in India on 22 April 2016, Nil Battey Sannata was distributed by Eros International. The film received critical acclaim and was positively received by the audiences as well. Reviewers praised most aspects of the production, with particular emphasis on its narrative, realism and the performances of the star cast. Bhaskar garnered huge praise for her performance. The film was declared a "hit" after its second weekend. It is set to have a Tamil remake entitled Amma Kanakku, starring Dhanush and Revathi.

Plot

Apu (Ria Shukla) is a Class 10 student and is giving up on studies, because she knows her mother Chanda (Swara Bhaskar), a house-help, will not be able to provide for her higher studies. Her mother tries hard and even enrolled her for maths tuition but Apu thinks only children of rich parents become doctors or engineers and believes she'll end up being a maid too like her mother. To change her perspective of life Chanda herself gets enrolled into school.

Cast

Production

Development

Bhaskar was sceptic about the film because of the age difference between her and her character

The film was directed by debutant director Ashwini Iyer Tiwari.[3][4] The idea for the film was conceived from at the time, when she worked with the Chicago based advertising company Leo Burnett Worldwide, for a Kaun Banega Crorepati promo.[5] The screenplay for the film was written by Iyer, Neeraj Singh, Pranjal Choudhary and Nitesh Tiwari.[6] In an interview with The Indian Express, Iyer said, "For a year, Nitesh and I worked on the script along with screenwriters”.[5]

After going through the script, JAR Pictures’ Ajay G Rai, decided to produce the film, and insisted on Iyer to direct it as well. After initial reluctance, Iyer learnt further aspects cinematography as a part of her preparation to direct her debut feature film.[5] Gavemic U Ary worked as the cinematographer for the film, and Kunal Sharma headed the sound department. The visual effects were given by Prasad Film Labs, a motion picture post production studio based in Hyderabad.[6]

Casting

Mukesh Chhabra took the role of the casting director for the film.[5] Swara Bhaskar was the first to be cast in the role of Chanda Sahay, a single mother of a 15 year old girl. Initially sceptic about taking up the role of a mother on screen too soon in her career, she changed her mind after reading the script.[7][8] In part of her attempts to understand the role better, Bhaskar stayed with the domestic help from Agra, where the film is set.[8] After the release of the film, Bhaskar, in an interview with Daily News and Analysis said that her friends in the Hindi film industry advised her not to take up the role as they felt it would be a "career suicide" for her. She further added that she ignored the suggestions, and that she went ahead with the project as "the story stayed in my mind".[8] The next role to be cast was that of the 15 year old daughter of the protagonist. After a thorough search, Ria Shukla was selected for the role after the auditions in Lucknow.[8] Ratna Pathak and Pankaj Tripathi play important supporting roles in the film.[9][10] There were 25 kids, native to Agra, who played the roles of the students at the school.[10]

Soundtrack

Untitled
Soundtrack album by Rohan & Vinayak
Recorded 2016
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Language Hindi
Label Eros International

Film music was composed by newcomers Rohan & Vinayak, and Manoj Yadav, Nitesh Tiwari and Shreyas Jain are the lyricists for the production.[11][12]

Track listing
No. TitleLyricsSinger(s) Length
1. "Murabba"  Nitesh TiwariNeuman Pinto 3:55
2. "Maths Mein Dabba Gul"  Nitesh TiwariAarti Shena, Rohan Utpat 2:59
3. "Maula"  Manoj YadavNandini Srikar 3:37
4. "Maa (Female Version)"  Shreyas JainMohan Kanan 3:25
5. "Maa (Male Version)"  Shreyas JainHariharan 3:26
6. "Chanda Theme"  Nitesh Tiwari  2:07

Release

Marketing and Release

Ria Shukla, Pankaj Tripathi and Swara Bhaskar at Trailer launch of the film

The film was first screened in the last week of September 2015 at the Silk Road Film Festival, Fuzhou, China.[13] It then went on be screened at the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) on 23 October 2015, and was lauded at the event.[14] The release of the first look of the film coincided with the International Women's Day, March 8.[15] In the first look poster of the film, a smiling Swara Bhaskar is seen taking a leap with Ria Shukla, wearing a red sari and a blue salwar kameez respectively. The poster was unveiled by actress Sonam Kapoor, a close friend of Bhaskar.[15] The official trailer was released by Eros productions on 22 March 2016.[16] The launch took place at a media session in a classroom set-up with Bhaskar, Shukla and Pankaj Tripathi.[17] At the event, the film's producer Anand L. Rai said, "I associated with Nil Battey Sannata straight from my heart and I'm feeling very proud of the film."[18] The trailer was well received both by critics and audiences.[17][18] In an interview with The Indian Express, Iyer said that "the story of Nil Battey Sannata is relevant as well as inspiring".[9] The film had its theatrical release in India on 22 April 2016.[19]

Box Office

The film released all over India on less than 300 screens and had an average opening at the box-office. It collected ₹25 lakh (US$37,000) on its opening, but the figure grew on the second day as a result of positive word of mouth reviews.[20] The film collected ₹60 lakh (US$89,000) on Saturday, and the numbers kept on increasing and the film collected ₹1.05 crore (US$160,000) on Sunday bringing the opening week collections to ₹1.9 crore (US$280,000).[21] The film beat both its fellow releases Laal Rang and Santa Banta Pvt Ltd in the opening weekend box-office collections.[22] The film collected ₹3 crore (US$450,000) in its opening week.[2] The film was declared tax free in the states of Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi by their respective state governments.[23][24] The film was declared a "hit" in its second weekend as the modest collection continued and the film picked up pace in the rural areas of the country.[25]

Reception

Nil Battey Sannata opened to critical acclaim, and was positively received by the audiences as well.[26] On the review aggregator Reviewmonk, the film has a rating of 100% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1 out of 10.[27] It received overwhelming praise, chiefly for the direction, and for Bhaskar, Shukla and Tripathi. Kunal Guha of the Mumbai Mirror wrote, "It's rare to come across films that force you to keep aside your yardsticks of what a good film is and dive into the experience".[28] Namrata Thakur of Rediff.com gave the film the highest praise and deemed it "an absolute gem", saying "there is hardly a dull moment in the film". She went on to say that in 2015 Dum Laga Ke Haisha was the feelgood film which left a lasting impression on everyone, and this year it is Nil Battey Sannata.[29]

Swara Bhaskar and Ria Shukla both garnered praise for their performances

The realistic approach towards the portrayal of the mother-daughter relationship was widely lauded by critics. While Gautaman Bhaskaran of Hindustan Times gave it 4 stars out of 5 and remarked that the film "is a powerful and honest work",[30] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express noted that, "the film relies on keeping things real".[31] Mohar Basu in his review of The Times of India described the movie as "unpretentious", saying that, "the movie wins you over with its innocence and simplicity".[1] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV resonated the fact describing the film as, "a disarmingly simple and heart-warming film".[32] Suparna Sharma of Deccan Chronicle called it a, "real film in a real setting about real people" that delivers several empowering, powerful messages."[33]

The performances of the lead cast were chiefly praised by critics. Rachit Gupta writing for Filmfare noted that, "The actors make this film so memorable". He gave Bhaskar the highest praise saying that she delivered the "performance of a lifetime", while also praising Shukla's "super", Pathak's "phenomenal" and Tripathi's "masterclass" performabnces.[34] In his review, CNN-News18 film critic Rajeev Masand deemed Bhaskar to be "the heart of the film" noting that with "not one note out of place, she grabs your attention", and Surabhi Redkar in her review for Koimoi resonated the sentiment commneting that "here’s a film that proves why she [Bhaskar] deserved a solo since start".[35][36] Udita Jhunjhunwala of Firstpost praised Bhaksar, stating that, "This is one of her most nuanced performances and a welcome change", and highlighting Tripathi called him the "scene-stealer as the zealous school principal".[37]

Tamil Remake

Main article: Amma Kanakku

In November 2015, Iyer agreed terms to direct a remake of the film in Tamil, for producers Dhanush and Anand L. Rai. Dhanush had been shown a preview of the film by Rai, during a visit to Mumbai in September 2015 and the duo chose to co-produce the film, with Iyer retained as director.[38] Amala Paul and Revathi were signed on to play the leading roles, while Samuthirakani also accepted to portray another pivotal role in the film.[39] The film began shooting on 7 January 2016 with a launch ceremony held in Chennai and completed on 23 February 2016.[40][41]

References

  1. 1 2 Basu, Mohar (22 April 2016). "Nil Battey Sannata Movie Review". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 Tuteja, Joginder (29 April 2016). "Box Office: The Jungle Book, Fan & The New Releases". Koimoi. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Ewan M. "LFF: Nil Battey Sannata (The New Classmate, 2015)".
  4. ↑ "‘Nil Battey Sannata’ wins applause at BFI London Film Festival 2015". 24 October 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Sahani, Alaka (15 April 2016). "Nil Battey Sannata: Twice as Nice". The Indian Express. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Nil Battey Sannata Cast & Crew". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Geety Sahgal (21 November 2014). "Nil Battey Sannata wraps up".
  8. 1 2 3 4 "People warned me against taking up 'Nil Battey Sannata': Swara Bhaskar". Daily News and Analysis. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Today’s filmmakers are fearless: Ashwini Iyer". The Indian Express. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  10. 1 2 Kaushal, Ruchi (22 April 2016). "‘Nil Battey Sannata’ is my story: Pankaj Tripathi". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Tuteja, Joginder (18 April 2016). "Nil Battey Sannata". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "Nil Battey Sannata’s song 'Maths Mein Dabba Gul' strikes a chord with the youth". The Times of India. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  13. ↑ "Swara Bhaskar wins best actress title in China". The Indian Express. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  14. ↑ Dedhia, Sonil (24 October 2015). "‘Nil Battey Sannata’ wins applause at BFI London Film Festival 2015". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  15. 1 2 "Swara Bhaskar's Nil Battey Sannata First Look Poster Revealed". International Business Tiems. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Watch: Swara Bhaskar in heartwarming trailer of 'Nil Battey Sannata'". Daily News and Analysis. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Nil Battey Sannata trailer: A heartwarming and inspirational tale". Hindustan Times. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  18. 1 2 "'Nil Battey Sannata' trailer launched". The Times of India. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  19. ↑ "'Nil Battey Sannata' Declared Tax-free in Delhi". The Indian Express. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  20. ↑ "'Nil Battey Sannata' box office: Swara Bhaskar- starrer earns Rs 85 lac in two days". The Times of India. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  21. ↑ "Nil Battey Sannata". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  22. ↑ Tuteja, Joginder (26 April 2016). "1st Weekend Box Office: Nil Battey Sannata, Laal Rang & Santa Banta Pvt. Ltd.". Koimoi. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  23. ↑ "Aanand L Rai’s Nil Battey Sannata becomes tax-free in Delhi, UP". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  24. ↑ "Nil Battey Sannata declared tax free in Delhi, UP". India Today. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  25. ↑ "‘Nil Battey Sannata’ going well at box office". The Indian Express. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  26. ↑ Hooli, Shekhar (22 April 2016). "'Nil Battey Sannata' movie review by audience: Live update". International Business Times. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  27. ↑ "Nil Battey Sannata Reviews - The Review Monk". Review Monk Team. 25 April 2016.
  28. ↑ "Film review: Nil Battey Sannata - Mumbai Mirror -". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  29. ↑ Thakker, Namrata (22 April 2016). "Review: Nil Battey Sannata is an absolute gem!". Rediff.com. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  30. ↑ Bhaskaran, Gautaman (22 April 2016). "Nil Battey Sannata review: A mother-daughter angst told sensitively". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  31. ↑ Gupta, Shubhra (23 April 2016). "Nil Battey Sannata movie review: The performances of this Swara Bhaskar starrer film are life-like". The Indian Express. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  32. ↑ Chatterjee, Saibal (22 April 2016). "Nil Battey Sannata Movie Review". NDTV. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  33. ↑ Sharma, Suparna (23 April 2016). "Nil Battey Sannata movie review: The mathematics of dreams". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  34. ↑ Gupta, Rachit (22 April 2016). "Movie Review: Nil Battey Sannata". Filmfare. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  35. ↑ Masand, Rajeev (22 April 2016). "'Nil Battey Sannata' Review: Swara Bhaskar Breaks, Then Wins Your Heart". CNN-News18. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  36. ↑ Redkar, Surabhi (22 April 2016). "Nil Battey Sannata Review". Koimoi. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  37. ↑ Jhunjhunwala, Udita (23 April 2016). "'Nil Battey Sannata' review: Swara Bhaskar shows performance-heavy films can also be fun". Firstpost. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  38. ↑ Avinash Lohana (Nov 24, 2015). "No role for Dhanush in mom-daughter story". Bangalore Mirror Bureau.
  39. ↑ "Amala Paul in Dhanush's next". IndiaGlitz. November 25, 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  40. ↑ "Amala Paul - Dhanush new movie title and pooja". IndiaGlitz. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  41. ↑ "Dhanush kick starts 'Amma Kanakku'". The Times of India. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.

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