''Banaras'' is a 2009 Indian

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

-language

masala film Masala films of Indian cinema are those that blend multiple genres into one work. Masala films emerged in the 1970s and are still being created as of the 2020s. Typically these films freely blend action, comedy, romance, and drama, or melod ...

directed by Nemom Pushparaj, starring

Vineeth Vineeth Radhakrishnan (born 23 August 1969) is an Indian actor, Bharatanatyam dancer, voice artist and choreographer who primarily works in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu language films. He has also appeared in a few Hindi and Kannada films. He h ...

and

Kavya Madhavan Kavya Madhavan (born 19 September 1984) is an Indian former actress, who acted predominantly in Malayalam films, and a few Tamil films. She made her debut in 1991 as a child artist in '' Pookkalam Varavayi''. Her debut role as one of the lea ...

in lead roles with

Navya Nair Navya Nair (born Dhanya Veena; 14 October 1985) is an Indian actress who has appeared predominantly in Malayalam cinema along with a few Kannada and Tamil language films. Early and personal life Navya Nair was born Dhanya Veena on 14 October ...

playing supporting role. Set against the city of

Banaras Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

, it tells the story of a young man named Hari, who travels from Kerala to do research on folk arts at

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

and meets Amrita, a student at the university.

Plot

Hari, a village boy and a student, is in love with his cousin, Devu. He leaves for

to do his higher studies in

. There, he meets another fellow student, Amritha. Her uncle wants to marry her off to a street goon named Kishan Chand, and she asks Hari to take her to a distant place on the bike. During the trip, they take shelter in a tent organized by an old man. The old man gives them

bhang Bhang (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Bhāṅg'') is an Cannabis edible, edible preparation made from the leaves of the Cannabis (drug), cannabis plant originating from the Indian subcontinent. ''Cannabis sativa'' ...

and both of them drink it without knowing the consequences. They both get intoxicated and unknowingly ends up having

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

with each other. The next day they both are spotted by Kishan Chand and his men who injure Hari badly and take Amritha with them. After a few months, Hari recovers and returns to his hometown. He sells off his property and confesses to Devu that he cannot accept her. He explains to her what happened, and in desperation, Devu commits suicide. Hari goes back to Banaras and lives a sober life as he feels responsible for Devu's death. After a long time, Amritha, who is under the impression that Hari is dead, finds out about him and comes back to see him. She had given birth to Hari's son who is a big boy now. In the end, the couple unites.

Cast

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack features seven songs composed by M. Jayachandran and lyrics penned by

Gireesh Puthenchery Girish Puthenchery was a noted Malayalam lyricist, poet, scriptwriter and screenwriter, esteemed for his pivotal role as a lyricist in Malayalam cinema. He was often hailed as the aristocratic lyricist of Malayalam and was admired for his uniqu ...

, except where noted. The soundtrack was noted especially for the vocals of

Shreya Ghoshal Shreya Ghoshal (; born 12 March 1984) is an Indian singer. Noted for her wide vocal range and versatility, she is one of the most prolific and influential singers of India. Often referred to as the "Queen of Dynamics'' for her remarkable voc ...

in two songs. She won the

Kerala State Film Award for Best Singer The Kerala State Film Award for Best Singer is an honour, established in 1969, and presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India for best female and male playback singer in Malayalam cinema. The first recipients of the award were P. ...

for the track "Chanthu Thottille", the first ever by a North Indian singer. ; Track listing

Reception

Unni R Nair from

Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language India, Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the Indian Express Limited, ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnat ...

wrote "Despite all these, there are things that go against the film - it doesn't offer anything spectacular and hence may not attract you to the theatres. And since it is released along with the bigger movies, it may not fare too well at the box-office." Paresh C Palicha from

Rediff.com Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...

wrote" Banaras could have been a worthwhile experience if it was treated with the seriousness it deserved." Sify.com wrote" The film is at best, is a wasted opportunity. The careless approach and lack of passion ruin its chances, though there are some nice aspects like the music, costumes and a talented cast." The film ultimately became a

box-office bomb A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...

Awards

* Kerala State Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer -

for ''Chanthu Thottille'' *

Asianet Film Awards The Asianet Film Awards is an award ceremony for films presented annually by Asianet, a Malayalam-language television network from the south-Indian state of Kerala. Asianet says an awards ceremony has been instituted to honour artistic and ...

- Best Actress for

* Mathrubhumi- Amrita TV film awards - Best Actress for

Mirchi Music Awards ''Mirchi Music Awards'' are presented annually by ''Radio Mirchi'' to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film music industry of India. The awards, given in seventeen different categories, were i ...

for Female Vocalist Of The Year - Shreya Ghoshal for "Chaandhu Thottille" *

for Best Music Director - M. Jayachandran * Surya TV Film Awards for Best Music Director - M. Jayachandran * Surya TV Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer - Shreya Ghoshal

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 1638265 2009 films 2000s Malayalam-language films 2009 romantic drama films Indian romantic drama films 2000s masala films Films set in Uttar Pradesh Films shot in Varanasi