''Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda'' () is a 1992

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n Hindi film directed by Shyam Benegal and based on the novel

The Sun's Seventh Horse ''The Sun's Seventh Horse'' ( hi, सूरज का सातवाँ घोड़ा; ''Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda'') is a 1952 Hindi meta fiction novel by Dharamvir Bharati, one of the pioneers of modern Hindi literature. The novel presents thr ...

Dharmavir Bharati Dharamvir Bharati (25 December 1926 – 4 September 1997) was a renowned Hindi poet, author, playwright and a social thinker of India. He was the chief editor of the popular Hindi weekly magazine '' Dharmayug'', from 1960 till 1987.The Illustr ...

. It won the 1993 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. The self-reflexive film is also known for its subversive take on the "

Devdas ''Devdas'' ( bn, দেবদাস, transliterated as ''Debdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidd ...

" syndrome. The film was produced by the

National Film Development Corporation of India The National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) based in Mumbai is the central agency established in 1975, to encourage high quality Indian cinema. It functions in areas of film financing, production and distribution and under Ministr ...

(NFDC). It stars

Rajit Kapur Rajit Kapur is an Indian film and theatre actor and director. He is known for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1996 film, '' The Making of the Mahatma'' for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. Other notable roles are as ...

, Rajeshwari Sachdev,

Pallavi Joshi Pallavi Joshi (born 4 April 1969) is an Indian actress, writer, and film producer who works primarily in Hindi films and television. In a career spanning across films and television, Joshi is the recipient of such accolades as two National Film ...

Neena Gupta Neena Gupta (born 4 June 1959) is an Indian actress and television director who works in Hindi films and television. Known for her work in both art-house and commercial films, she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for pl ...

and

Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Indian cinema and Theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himself as one of the most popular actor ...

, among others.

Overview

The storyteller Manek Mulla (played by Rajit Kapur) tells his friends three stories of three women he had known at different points of time in his life: Rajeshwari Sachdev (a metaphor for the middle class), Pallavi Joshi (the intellectual and affluent), and Neena Gupta (the poor). The three stories are revealed to be three different strands of a single tale as seen from the points of view of the different lead characters in the film. The lowest, slowest or the weakest in a group or society determines the speed or progress of the whole. The title of the film, a metaphor for the film itself, draws an analogy between society and the mythological iconography of the Sun's chariot drawn by seven horses. The narrative style adds to the abstractness; the film is presented as a flashback of a contemporary artist, Shyam (played by

Raghuvir Yadav Raghubir Yadav is an Indian actor, music composer, singer and set designer who works in Hindi films. He made his film debut with '' Massey Sahib'' (1985), in which he played the title role. He has won two International Awards as Best Actor for ...

). He remembers the many stories narrated by Mulla, a born raconteur during their gossip sessions with two of their mutual friends.

Cast

as Manek Mulla; Story-teller *

K.K. Raina K. K. Raina is an Indian film, television and theatre character actor and award-winning script writer, who is best known for his roles as ''Juror #8'' in the 1986 film ''Ek Ruka Hua Faisla'', a remake of 12 Angry Men, and Byomkesh Bakshi's ass ...

as Manek Mulla's brother *

as Narrator; Shyam, Manek Mulla's friend *

as Mahesar Dalal * Rajeshwari Sachdev as Jamuna * Riju Bajaj as Tanna * Anang Desai as Jamuna's father *

Mohini Sharma Mohini (Sanskrit: मोहिनी, ') is the Hindu goddess of enchantment. She is the only female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is portrayed as a '' femme fatale'', an enchantress, who maddens lovers and demons, sometimes leading them ...

as Jamuna's mother * Suresh Bhagwat as Jamuna's husband; ''zamindar'' *

as Lalita; also known as Lily *

Ila Arun Ila Arun is an Indian actress, TV personality and Rajasthani folk and folk-pop singer. She has appeared in many prominent Bollywood movies such as ''Lamhe'', ''Jodhaa Akbar'', ''Shaadi Ke Side Effects'' and ''Begum Jaan''. Personal life Arun ...

as Lily's mother *

as Satti *

Lalit Mohan Tiwari Lalit Tiwari is an Indian film and television actor. His best-known television roles are that of Sanjaya in the series ''Mahabharat'' (1988–1990), and the one in the historical television series ''Bharat Ek Khoj - The Discovery of India'' (1 ...

as Chaman Thakur; Satti's adoptive uncle *

Virendra Saxena Virendra Saxena (born 23 November 1951) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi theatre, film, and television. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Saxena is known for his character roles as well as his unique voice. He has acted in ...

as Shopkeeper * Himani Shivpuri as Roma Bibi, a distant relative of Jamuna *

Ravi Jhankal Ravi Jhankal is an Indian television, stage and film actor, most known for working in Shyam Benegal's films, including '' Welcome to Sajjanpur'' (2008) and ''Well Done Abba'' (2010) and for the role of P. V. Narasimha Rao in '' Pradhanmantri (TV ...

as Ramdhan

Music

#"Yeh Shamen Sabki Shamen" -

Udit Narayan Udit is an Indian masculine given name that may refer to: * Udit Narayan, Bollywood playback singer * Udit Narayan (politician) (born 1960), Fijian politician of Indian descent * Udit Narayan Singh (1770–1835), Indian monarch * Udit Patel (born ...

, Kavita Krishnamurthy #"Yeh Shamen Sabki Shamen v2" -

, Kavita Krishnamurthy

References

External links

* {{Shyam Benegal 1992 films 1990s Hindi-language films Films with screenplays by Shama Zaidi Films directed by Shyam Benegal Films based on Indian novels Self-reflexive films Films about women in India Films scored by Vanraj Bhatia Best Hindi Feature Film National Film Award winners National Film Development Corporation of India films