Samar(1999)

Storyline

In a small village, two communities clash over a water pump. When a man named Nathu protests an unfair decision, a powerful landowner tries to starve his community out. After Nathu's house is burned, he seeks refuge in a temple, only to be beaten for breaking a rule that bans his people from entering. Meanwhile, a film crew from Bombay misrepresents the village conflict in a movie, causing tensions that lead to violence.

“When water divides, one man's fight becomes everyone's war.”

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Cast & Crew

#1

Seema BiswasActor

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Ravi JhankalActor

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Rajeshwari SachdevActor

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Shyam BenegalDirector

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Trivia

• The film's title 'Samar' means 'conflict' or 'struggle' in Hindi, reflecting its central theme of a village dispute.
• It was shot on location in Madhya Pradesh to authentically capture the rural setting and tensions.
• Shyam Benegal cast lesser-known theatre actors like Kishore Kadam in lead roles instead of big Bollywood stars.
• The story critiques how mainstream cinema often misrepresents real social issues for dramatic effect.
• It was part of Benegal's trilogy on contemporary Indian society, following 'Mammo' and 'Sardari Begum'.
• The film did not perform well commercially but was noted for its realistic portrayal of caste and water conflicts.
• Benegal used a meta-narrative by including a film-within-a-film to comment on Bollywood's storytelling methods.

Notable Collaborations

Frequent partnerships reunited in Samar

Rajeshwari Sachdev&Shyam Benegal

Director-Actor4 films →

Shyam Benegal&

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Ravi Jhankal

Director-Actor2 films →

2 collaborations found