Makdee
Encyclopedia
Makdee promoted as The Web Of The Witch in English, is a children's film in Hindi
directed by Vishal Bhardwaj
, starring Shabana Azmi
, Makrand Deshpande
, Shweta Prasad
, and Alaap Mazgaonkar. The film tells the story of a young girl in north India and a alleged witch in a mansion. It also explains the believe in witches and witchcraft across modern day India
.
In the village, there is a mansion that is said to be haunted and legend goes that a witch called Makdee (Shabana Azmi) resides there. The legend has it that whosoever wonders into the mansion, comes out as an animal! No one in the village dares enter the mansion.
Things are going fine for Chunni until the day one of her pranks gets quite out of hand. As a result of this, Munni, her docile sister, enters the mansion, where the witch turns the little girl into a hen! Chunni is hysterical when she discovers this. She runs from pillar to post to get help, but her credibility is at an all-time low and the entire village refuses to believe her, so Chunni finally enters the haunted mansion alone to search for her sister.
In the mansion she comes face to face with the witch, she pleads with the witch to let her poor little sister go, as it was no fault of hers. But the witch asks her to strike a deal. She will turn Munni back into a human only if Chunni can acquire for her hundred hens in exchange.
All of a sudden, Chunni is confronted with the biggest challenge of her life. How she over comes this task becoming the hero of the village in an unexpected climax is worth a watch.
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...
directed by Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian film director, writer, screenwriter, music composer and playback singer.-Early life:Bhardwaj was born in Bijnor but raised in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh to Satya Bhardwaj, a homemaker, and Ram Bhardwaj, a popular poet and lyricist. His father was a government employee and...
, starring Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
, Makrand Deshpande
Makrand Deshpande
Makarand Deshpande is an Indian actor, writer, and director in Hindi and Marathi films and theatre. He is often seen in supporting and pivotal roles in various films like Jungle, Sarfarosh, Swades, Makdee, and Darna Zaroori Hai where he often plays drunkard, wayfarer roles. He has directed over 5...
, Shweta Prasad
Shweta Prasad
Shwetha Basu Prasad is an Indian film actress. She started her career as a child actress in Hindi films and television series and went on to play lead roles in Telugu cinema. For her performance in the 2002 film Makdee, she won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist.-Early life:Prasad was...
, and Alaap Mazgaonkar. The film tells the story of a young girl in north India and a alleged witch in a mansion. It also explains the believe in witches and witchcraft across modern day India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Plot
Life in Chunni's village is all peace and quiet, and great fun. She fools the villagers including her parent with her impersonation of her twin sister, Munni.In the village, there is a mansion that is said to be haunted and legend goes that a witch called Makdee (Shabana Azmi) resides there. The legend has it that whosoever wonders into the mansion, comes out as an animal! No one in the village dares enter the mansion.
Things are going fine for Chunni until the day one of her pranks gets quite out of hand. As a result of this, Munni, her docile sister, enters the mansion, where the witch turns the little girl into a hen! Chunni is hysterical when she discovers this. She runs from pillar to post to get help, but her credibility is at an all-time low and the entire village refuses to believe her, so Chunni finally enters the haunted mansion alone to search for her sister.
In the mansion she comes face to face with the witch, she pleads with the witch to let her poor little sister go, as it was no fault of hers. But the witch asks her to strike a deal. She will turn Munni back into a human only if Chunni can acquire for her hundred hens in exchange.
All of a sudden, Chunni is confronted with the biggest challenge of her life. How she over comes this task becoming the hero of the village in an unexpected climax is worth a watch.
Cast
- Shweta PrasadShweta PrasadShwetha Basu Prasad is an Indian film actress. She started her career as a child actress in Hindi films and television series and went on to play lead roles in Telugu cinema. For her performance in the 2002 film Makdee, she won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist.-Early life:Prasad was...
as Chunni/Munni - Shabana AzmiShabana AzmiShabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
as Makdee, the witch - Makrand DeshpandeMakrand DeshpandeMakarand Deshpande is an Indian actor, writer, and director in Hindi and Marathi films and theatre. He is often seen in supporting and pivotal roles in various films like Jungle, Sarfarosh, Swades, Makdee, and Darna Zaroori Hai where he often plays drunkard, wayfarer roles. He has directed over 5...
as Kallu, the village butcher - Daya Shanker Pandey
- Aalap Mazgaonkar as Mughal-e-Azam
- Vineet KumarVineet KumarVineet Kumar is a veteran actor, well known for playing negative roles. He has done a number of Hindi films and television serials. He is sometimes credited as Vinit Kumar or Binit Kumar.-Early life:...
- Mohini Mathur
- Chittaranjan GiriChittaranjan GiriChittaranjan Giri is an Indian film actor, who is most known for his award winning and internationally acclaimed film The Man Beyond the Bridge which is one of the very few Indian films to have made to and won in the competition category at Toronto International Film Festival.-Filmography:* Bhai Ho...
- Vijay Raj as Chunnl/Munni's father
- Shammi NarangShammi NarangShammi Narang is a voice-over artist and emcee based in Delhi, best known for raising the standards of news-casting in India. Graduating with an engineering degree, Narang first got into the voice-over profession by working in the Hindi division of Voice of America...
as himself (guest appearance)
Awards
- The film won the second prize at the Chicago International Children's Film FestivalChicago International Children's Film FestivalFounded in 1975, Facets Multi-Media, located at 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, 60614 Facets Multi-Media is the largest conservator dedicated to the exhibition, distribution & education of foreign, independent & classic cinema...
. - Shweta Prasad won the IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n National Film Award for Best Child ArtistNational Film Award for Best Child ArtistThe National Film Award for Best Child Artist winners:-References:*...
for 2003 for her role in the film.