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Raveena Tandon, Jackie Shroff, Nagarjuna, Prabhu Devaa, Milind Soman, Sonali Kulkarni, Mohan Agashe, Amitabh Bachchan....
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| Director:Arjun Sajnani |
| Producer:I-Dreams Productions |
| Music: Sandesh Shandilya |
Click here for 'Agnivarsha' songs |
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'Agnivarsha' is based on Girish Karnad's play 'The Fire and The Rain'. Agni Varsha, deals with universal themes like revenge, retribution, death and salvation, and ultimately tackles the very questions regarding the cycle of human existence. The film tells the story of a land in the grip of a 7-year drought, with the residents of a village willing to appease the rain gods in any manner possible. Shot in the exotic locales of Hampi in Karnataka, 'Agnivarsha' boasts of some of the best special effects in Indian cinema. The film, was the opening film at the Commonwealth Film Festival in Manchester.
Paravisu (Jackie Shroff), the Chief Priest, He renounces all worldly possessions, including his wife Vishakha (Raveena Tandon), to conduct a seven-year long fire sacrifice to appease Lord Indra and pray him for rains for the drought-hit land, devoting his time solely to religion.
Vishakha is (Raveena Tandon) Paravisu's frustrated wife, who has a love story in the past with her husband's cousin, Yavakri (Nagarjuna).
Yavakri, who has always despised Parvasu for taking Vishakha from him, returns after ten years of exile during which he was blessed with a boon from Lord Indra. Envious of Parvasu’s authority and respect as the head priest, Yavakri sets out to malign him. He seduces Vishakha and now aims to become the head priest himself.
Paravisu's has a younger brother, Aravisu (Milind Soman) who is in love with Nittalai (Sonali Kulkarni). They are worried about how they should go about convincing their parents to let them get married, as they belong to different castes. In the end, Aravasu is forced to choose between Nittalai and doing his karma.
Meanwhile, Parvasu’s father, Raibhya (Mohan Agashe), finds out about the Vishakha and Yavakri’s illicit relationship. Enraged, he unleashes a demon Brahmarakshasa (Prabhudeva) to kill Yavakri. This leads to the deadly stand off between Parvasu and Yavakri. Parvasu suddenly kills his father, has his brother Aravasu beaten to pulp, and finally repents by entering the pyre.
The climax of the film has the appearance of Lord Indra (Amitabh Bachchan) who applauds the virtues of Arvasu.
The performance of Jackie Shroff, Nagarjuna and Raveena Tandon is excellent. Big B only appears for 30 seconds. Milind Soman's dialogue delivery and facial expressions are not convincing.
The film boasts of a mellifluous background score by Taufiq Kureshi and equally melodious songs composed by Sandesh Shandilya. Javed Akhtar's lyrics are in sync with the history of the period. Anil Mehta's cinematography deserves a mention and Leena Singh and Rukmini Krishnan have done wonders with the costume design.
In a nut shell 'Agni Varsha' is unlikely to be a hit among the masses. But will appeal to those who are interested in art movies.
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