Kisna: The Warrior Poet
Encyclopedia
Kisna: The Warrior Poet is a Hindi
film that was released in 2005, starring Vivek Oberoi
(who plays the title role), Antonia Bernath
, and Isha Sharvani
. The musical film is set in the British India of the tumultuous 1940s when Indian nationalists
fighting for the country's independence
rose up as one, urging the British Raj
to leave. It is a love story about two people who are torn between Karma
(the noble deed) and Dharma
(the duty). The film has two veteran composers, A. R. Rahman
and Ismail Darbar
; the lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar
. This film also marks Amrish Puri
's final performance. The film, however, did not perform well at the box office.
) befriends a British girl named Katherine (Bernath), and then shields her from an enraged mob of nationalists including Kisna's own uncle and brother. Katherine is the young daughter of a ruthless British collector. Kisna takes it upon himself to escort Katherine to the safety of the British High Commission in New Delhi, who will arrange for her to board a ship home. A tender attraction develops between Kisna and Katherine during the journey. Lakshmi (Sharvani), Kisna's Indian fiancée, forms the third point in an emotional triangle involving the Indo-British romantic pair.
round out the crew.
Kisna: The Warrior Poet has two versions. A two-hour English version for the international market while the Hindi version will be a regular three-hour feature film with songs and dances.
combined the musical talent of A. R. Rahman
and Ismail Darbar
to create the soundtrack. Ghai roped in his usuall associate Rahman originally, but had to sign in Ismail Darbar to complete the project as Rahman was busy with the works of The Lord of the Rings. Ghai says: "Rahman was my original choice because it is an international project and I wanted both the festive and soulful element of Indian music. However, he was busy with the Lord of Rings and excused (himself saying) that he won't be able to do the whole album. So he has done the theme song and the English song. Then I asked Ismail to do the rest because apart from Rahman he has the knowledge and ability to fuse Western and Indian classical music. The way he has used Ustad Rashid Khan's voice in "Kahe Ujare Mori Neend" is really captivating. The music has turned out so well that you can't distinguish an Ismail song from a Rahman one".
The soundtrack got excellent reviews and was immensely praised. The lyrics were penned by Javed Akhtar
.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
film that was released in 2005, starring Vivek Oberoi
Vivek Oberoi
Vivek Oberoi is an Indian actor. He is the son of Bollywood actor Suresh Oberoi and Yashodhara Oberoi.- Early life :Vivek attended Mayo college in Ajmer. At an actors' workshop in London he was spotted by the director of New York University who took Vivek off to New York, where he completed his...
(who plays the title role), Antonia Bernath
Antonia Bernath
- Early life and education :Raised in Wiltshire, England, Bernath attended Godolphin School before going on to the University of Cambridge. She later dropped out of university when she gained entrance to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.- Career :...
, and Isha Sharvani
Isha Sharvani
Isha Sharvani is an Indian dancer and actress. She is known for her stylistic and difficult dance performances...
. The musical film is set in the British India of the tumultuous 1940s when Indian nationalists
Indian nationalism
Indian nationalism refers to the many underlying forces that molded the Indian independence movement, and strongly continue to influence the politics of India, as well as being the heart of many contrasting ideologies that have caused ethnic and religious conflict in Indian society...
fighting for the country's independence
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
rose up as one, urging the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
to leave. It is a love story about two people who are torn between Karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
(the noble deed) and Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
(the duty). The film has two veteran composers, A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
and Ismail Darbar
Ismail Darbar
Ismail Darbar is an Indian composer and violinist, a popular name in Bollywood.-Career:Ismail Darbar is from Surat, Gujarat. He worked for several years as a session violinist for leading music directors Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan, Anand-Milind,...
; the lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
. This film also marks Amrish Puri
Amrish Puri
Amrish Singh Puri , ; 22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005 was an iconic theater and film actor from India, who was a key player in the Indian theater movement that picked up steam in the 1960s. He worked with notable playwrights of the time, such as Satyadev Dubey and Girish Karnad...
's final performance. The film, however, did not perform well at the box office.
Synopsis
Kisna (Vivek OberoiVivek Oberoi
Vivek Oberoi is an Indian actor. He is the son of Bollywood actor Suresh Oberoi and Yashodhara Oberoi.- Early life :Vivek attended Mayo college in Ajmer. At an actors' workshop in London he was spotted by the director of New York University who took Vivek off to New York, where he completed his...
) befriends a British girl named Katherine (Bernath), and then shields her from an enraged mob of nationalists including Kisna's own uncle and brother. Katherine is the young daughter of a ruthless British collector. Kisna takes it upon himself to escort Katherine to the safety of the British High Commission in New Delhi, who will arrange for her to board a ship home. A tender attraction develops between Kisna and Katherine during the journey. Lakshmi (Sharvani), Kisna's Indian fiancée, forms the third point in an emotional triangle involving the Indo-British romantic pair.
Cast
- Vivek OberoiVivek OberoiVivek Oberoi is an Indian actor. He is the son of Bollywood actor Suresh Oberoi and Yashodhara Oberoi.- Early life :Vivek attended Mayo college in Ajmer. At an actors' workshop in London he was spotted by the director of New York University who took Vivek off to New York, where he completed his...
... Kisna - Isha SharvaniIsha SharvaniIsha Sharvani is an Indian dancer and actress. She is known for her stylistic and difficult dance performances...
... Lakshmi - Antonia BernathAntonia Bernath- Early life and education :Raised in Wiltshire, England, Bernath attended Godolphin School before going on to the University of Cambridge. She later dropped out of university when she gained entrance to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.- Career :...
... Katherine - Polly AdamsPolly AdamsPolly Adams is an English actress best known for her work on the stage both in England and in the United States, and for her portrayal of Mrs. Brown on the television series Just William. She made her Broadway debut in the critically acclaimed 1975 revival of London Assurance as Grace Harkaway...
... Lady Katherine - Amrish PuriAmrish PuriAmrish Singh Puri , ; 22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005 was an iconic theater and film actor from India, who was a key player in the Indian theater movement that picked up steam in the 1960s. He worked with notable playwrights of the time, such as Satyadev Dubey and Girish Karnad...
... Bhairo Singh - Om PuriOm PuriOm Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
... Juman Masum Kishti - Yashpal SharmaYashpal Sharma (actor)Yashpal Sharma is an Indian actor. He is best known for his role as Randhir Singh in Sudhir Mishra's 2003 Hindi movie Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, apart from Lagaan , Gangaajal , Ab Tak Chhappan , Apaharan and Singh is Kinng and his role as Kuwar Singh in Zee's Mera Naam Karegi Roshan.-Early life...
... Shankar Singh - Sushmita SenSushmita SenSushmita Sen is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood films. A former model, Sen was crowned Miss Universe in 1994. She was the first Indian woman to win the contest.-Personal life:Sen was born on 19 November 1975....
... Naima Begum (Item Number) - Rajat KapoorRajat KapoorRajat Kapoor is an Indian actor, writer and director born in 1961.Kapoor was born in Delhi, India. As a teenager he would watch films with his family and decided to become a filmmaker at the age of 14. He mainly focused on acting at first...
... Prince Raghuraj
Production notes
The film was shot on sync sound under the direction of Dilip Subramaniam at Ranikhet on a budget of Rs.250 million ($5.48 million). Award-winning cinematographer Ashok Mehta, action director Tinu Verma, choreographer Saroj Khan, and production designer/art director Samir ChandaSamir Chanda
Samir Chanda was an Indian art director and production designer across Indian cinema, including Hindi, Bengali and Tamil, most known for his work in films like Dil Se , Guru , Omkara , Rang De Basanti , and Raavan .He also directed a Bengali film, Ek Nadir Galpo starring Mithun...
round out the crew.
Kisna: The Warrior Poet has two versions. A two-hour English version for the international market while the Hindi version will be a regular three-hour feature film with songs and dances.
Soundtrack
Subhash GhaiSubhash Ghai
Subhash Ghai is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. His most notable films include Kalicharan ,Karz , Hero , Meri Jung , Karma ,Ram Lakhan ,Saudagar , Khalnayak , Pardes and Taal...
combined the musical talent of A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
and Ismail Darbar
Ismail Darbar
Ismail Darbar is an Indian composer and violinist, a popular name in Bollywood.-Career:Ismail Darbar is from Surat, Gujarat. He worked for several years as a session violinist for leading music directors Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan, Anand-Milind,...
to create the soundtrack. Ghai roped in his usuall associate Rahman originally, but had to sign in Ismail Darbar to complete the project as Rahman was busy with the works of The Lord of the Rings. Ghai says: "Rahman was my original choice because it is an international project and I wanted both the festive and soulful element of Indian music. However, he was busy with the Lord of Rings and excused (himself saying) that he won't be able to do the whole album. So he has done the theme song and the English song. Then I asked Ismail to do the rest because apart from Rahman he has the knowledge and ability to fuse Western and Indian classical music. The way he has used Ustad Rashid Khan's voice in "Kahe Ujare Mori Neend" is really captivating. The music has turned out so well that you can't distinguish an Ismail song from a Rahman one".
The soundtrack got excellent reviews and was immensely praised. The lyrics were penned by Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
.
| # | Song | Artist(s) | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Kisna Theme I" | Instrumental | A. R. Rahman A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and... |
| 2 | "Hum Hain Iss Pal Yahan" | Udit Narayan Udit Narayan -Career:King of melody, Udit Narayan Jha was born on 1 December, 1955 in a village called Bhardaha in the Saptari district , Nepal. His father was Hare Krishna Jha and his mother was Bhuwaneshwari Devi.Narayan studied at P.B... , Madhushree Madhushree Madhushree is an Indian singer, who sings in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. A familiar voice in A. R. Rahman's compositions, Madhushree hails from a musically inclined family, having previously been trained in classical music... |
A. R. Rahman |
| 3 | "Woh Kisna Hai" | Sukhwinder Singh Sukhwinder Singh Sukhwinder Singh, Born as Sukhi Singh Lubana is an Indian singer best known for working as Bollywood playback artist. Singh is famous for singing "Chaiyya Chaiyya" for which he won the Best Male Playback Award at the 1999 Filmfare Awards. The song, from Mani Ratnam's 1998 film Dil Se, was composed... , S.Shailja, Ismail Darbar Ismail Darbar Ismail Darbar is an Indian composer and violinist, a popular name in Bollywood.-Career:Ismail Darbar is from Surat, Gujarat. He worked for several years as a session violinist for leading music directors Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan, Anand-Milind,... , Ayesha Darbar |
Ismail Darbar Ismail Darbar Ismail Darbar is an Indian composer and violinist, a popular name in Bollywood.-Career:Ismail Darbar is from Surat, Gujarat. He worked for several years as a session violinist for leading music directors Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan, Anand-Milind,... |
| 4 | "Tu Itni Pagli Kyun Hai" | Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards... , Udit Narayan Udit Narayan -Career:King of melody, Udit Narayan Jha was born on 1 December, 1955 in a village called Bhardaha in the Saptari district , Nepal. His father was Hare Krishna Jha and his mother was Bhuwaneshwari Devi.Narayan studied at P.B... , Ismail Darbar Ismail Darbar Ismail Darbar is an Indian composer and violinist, a popular name in Bollywood.-Career:Ismail Darbar is from Surat, Gujarat. He worked for several years as a session violinist for leading music directors Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan, Anand-Milind,... |
Ismail Darbar |
| 5 | "Chilman Uthegi Nahin" | Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards... , Hariharan Hariharan (singer) Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity... |
Ismail Darbar |
| 6 | "Wohi Din Aa Gaya" | Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards... , Hariharan Hariharan (singer) Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity... |
Ismail Darbar |
| 7 | "Aham Brahmasmi" | Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards... , Hariharan Hariharan (singer) Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity... |
Ismail Darbar |
| 8 | "Kahe Ujadi Mori Neend" | Ustad Rashid Khan | Ismail Darbar |
| 9 | "Ga Tu Aisi Dhun Mein Ga" | Ismail Darbar Ismail Darbar Ismail Darbar is an Indian composer and violinist, a popular name in Bollywood.-Career:Ismail Darbar is from Surat, Gujarat. He worked for several years as a session violinist for leading music directors Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan, Anand-Milind,... , Ayesha Darbar, Kailash Kher |
Ismail Darbar |
| 10 | "Kisna Theme II" | Instrumental | A. R. Rahman |
| 11 | "My Wish Comes True" | Sunitha Sarathy | A. R. Rahman |
| 12 | "Kisna Theme (Chorus)" | Instrumental | A. R. Rahman |
Trivia
- The film was Amrish PuriAmrish PuriAmrish Singh Puri , ; 22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005 was an iconic theater and film actor from India, who was a key player in the Indian theater movement that picked up steam in the 1960s. He worked with notable playwrights of the time, such as Satyadev Dubey and Girish Karnad...
's last released film before his death on 12 January 2005. - Sushmita SenSushmita SenSushmita Sen is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood films. A former model, Sen was crowned Miss Universe in 1994. She was the first Indian woman to win the contest.-Personal life:Sen was born on 19 November 1975....
made a special appearance as Naima Begum in the song Chilman Uthegi Nahin.