BHOPAL : Based on Amrita Pritam’s novel of the same name, ‘Pinjar’ (The Skeleton) – the classic 2003 movie – was screened here on Wednesday at the Antarang Hall of Bharat Bhawan as part of the 34th anniversary celebrations of Bharat Bhawan.
The period film was directed by Chandra Prakash Dwivedi and he contributed to the screenplay also. Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpai and Sanjay Suri are in the lead roles. Besides critical acclaim, the film also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Manoj Bajpai and Munish Sappal won National Film Award – Special Jury Award and Filmfare Best Art Direction Award.
The plot of the movie revolves around a character Puro, a young woman of Punjabi Hindu family, leading a pleasant life with her family. And then comes partition, throwing Puro’s life asunder.
“Watching the movie was a superb experience. My three hours were put to good use. More movies like this one should be made. It not only entertains but introduces us to the atmosphere and culture of those times. The direction and screenplay were tight and every actor did justice to his character. Not only acting, but sets, costume, make-up and music were in keeping with that era,” said city-based poet Badra Vasti, adding, “I am seeing it for the third time. I first watched it in 2003 in a cinema theatre. The audience is thin due to lack of adequate publicity and because of the odd time of the show. Had the film been screened in the evening, the hall would have been full to the brim”.
“I saw this movie for the first time. It is a great work of art. It reminds us of the pain and agony the people, especially the women, underwent due to partition In fact, by the time the movie ended, I was in tears,” said 52-year-old Kalpana Jain who had come all the way from Lalghati with her uncle to watch the movie. ” I didn’t miss a single movie of the fest. And I’ll come to watch ‘Sahib, Biwi Aur Gulam’ with my mother and daughter-in-law tomorrow.”
“It was an amazing movie. I watched the movie for the first time on the big screen. The movie highlights the Hindu-Muslim conflict and the conditions before and during the Partition, especially the agony of women. Its music was awesome. I liked the acting of Manoj Bajpai and it brought tears into my eyes,” said Shazia, a school teacher.
