Kisna: The Warrior Poet(2005)
Kisna: The Warrior Poet is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language period romance film written, edited, produced, and directed by Subhash Ghai. It stars Vivek Oberoi as Kisna Singh, Antonia Bernath as Katherine, and Isha Sharvani as Laxmi. The story is set in 1947 during the partition of India. Kisna, a young man from a royal family, protects a British woman from nationalist attackers. The film explores themes of duty, love, and sacrifice against a backdrop of political violence. It features cinematography by Ashok Mehta and music by A.R. Rahman. The film was released in both Hindi and English versions. The English version runs two hours, while the Hindi version is three hours. It received mixed reviews and was a box office failure, earning only about ₹4.85 crore worldwide against a ₹25 crore budget. The film is available on streaming platforms like Vidio.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5
- Theatrical Release
- 1 January 2005
- Director
- Subhash Ghai
- Language
- Hindi
- Runtime
- 2h 51m
- Rating
- 5.5/10
Storyline
In 1947, as India erupts in violence during partition, a young British woman named Katherine is trapped and alone. A brave Indian man named Kisna Singh decides to protect her and take her to safety. But his village turns against him, and a powerful nationalist leader chases them. During their dangerous journey, Kisna and Katherine fall in love, but Kisna is already engaged to another woman. He must choose between his duty and his heart.
“A warrior's heart, a poet's soul”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Kisna: The Warrior Poet
Cast reunions in this film: Amrish Puri & Om Puri (12 films together), Amrish Puri & Subhash Ghai (8 films together), and Om Puri & Vivek Oberoi (4 films together).
Trivia
- The film's original title was 'Kisna: The Warrior Poet' but it was shortened to just 'Kisna' for release.
- Subhash Ghai personally chose the remote Himalayan locations, filming in valleys rarely used for Indian cinema.
- Actress Antonia Bernath, who played Katherine, was a trained classical singer and performed her own songs.
- The movie was a major box office failure, ending Subhash Ghai's long streak of commercial hits.
- A.R. Rahman composed the music, but the soundtrack did not become popular like his other works.
- The film was shot simultaneously in Hindi and an English-language version titled 'The Warrior: Kisna'.
- It was one of the last major films to extensively use the old-fashioned 'Eastmancolor' film processing technique.