Jagmohan on Provoked stars
Was
Aishwarya
at
any
point
of
time
a
little
wary
to
do
the
film
considering
your
sleazy
filmmaker
image
created
by
the
media?
Fortunately
for
me,
Aishwarya
had
seen
Bawandar
on
TV
and
liked
it.
I
am
sure
many
of
her
so
called
well
wishers
must
have
warned
her
of
my
"unsavoury" reputation,
but
she
stood
by
her
conviction
and
never
questioned
my
authority
as
director.
She
had
also
met
me
in
person
before
saying
yes
and
hopefully
that
dispelled
some
of
her
doubts
as
it
did
when
I
met
Nandita
for
Bawandar
who
gave
me
quite
a
run
around
before
saying
yes
because
of
my
so
called
'sleazy'
image
created
by
the
media.
I
thought
Nandita
winning
the
Best
Actress
Award
in
Santa
Monica
and
Bawandar
getting
Best
Picture
Award
in
15
film
festivals
worldwide
would
put
an
end
to
that
perception;
but
alas,
some
members
of
the
media
still
want
to
harp
on
the
same
thing.
Deepti's
award
winning
performance
in
Kamla;
Nandita's
award
winning
performance
in
Bawandar
and
now
(from
the
reaction
at
all
festival
screenings)
Aishwarya's
award
worthy
performance
in
Provoked
will
hopefully
finally
convince
the
skeptics
once
for
all
that
these
are
no
flukes
directed
by
a
'sleazy'
filmmaker.
Give
us
a
gist
of
the
story
of
Provoked
It
is
a
multi-layered
story.
First
part
is
a
story
of
love
and
betrayal
when
a
young
girl,
Kiranjit,
from
a
village
in
Punjab
comes
to
London
after
an
arranged
marriage
looking
forward
to
being
cherished,
loved
and
respected
by
her
husband
only
to
find
brutality
and
abuse
-
physical,
verbal
and
emotional.
Ten
years
of
this
betrayal
eventually
snaps
her
mentally
and
she
sets
him
on
fire
while
he
is
asleep.
Second
part
is
a
story
of
female
bonding
when
serving
a
life
sentence
for
murder
in
a
women's
prison
in
London,
she
finds
a
mentor
in
her
English
cell
mate
who
nurtures
her,
heals
her,
guides
her
and
makes
her
blossom
as
a
human
being.
The
third
part
is
a
story
of
triumph
when
a
small
motley
group
of
under-funded
idealist
social
workers
called
Southall
Black
Sisters
appeal
the
case
of
Kiranjit
in
Royal
Court
and
succeed
in
changing
the
British
law
with
the
help
of
a
senior
British
Queen's
Counsel.
These
three
parts
are
intertwined
in
a
multi-layered
drama
which
unfolds
on
the
screen
like
a
thriller.
Don't
you
think
Naveen
Andrews
is
an
underrated
actor
with
immense
talent?
I
agree.
Naveen's
restrained
yet
menacing
performance
as
a
brutally
abusive
spouse
sends
chills
down
your
spine.
Even
though
of
Indian
descent,
he
has
grown
up
in
England
and
learned
his
craft
of
acting
in
the
western
schools
and
is
now
finally
getting
his
due
with
the
immense
popularity
of
his
character
in
the
popular
American
TV
series,
LOST.
What
role
does
Nandita
Das
play
in
the
film?
She
plays
a
character
called
Radha
Dalal,
leader
of
the
Southall
Black
Sisters;
who
is
a
firebrand
outspoken
feminist;
an
idealist
who
wears
her
heart
on
her
sleeves.
In
Bawandar,
she
was
the
victim;
in
Provoked,
she
is
the
saviour.
Tell
us
about
the
foreign
actors
in
the
cast
and
their
characterization.
Miranda
Richardson
plays
Ronnie,
Aishwarya's
cell
mate
in
prison
who
after
some
initial
apprehension
takes
her
under
her
wings
and
mentors
her
education
and
growth.
Their
bonding
and
love
is
what
gives
the
story
a
whole
different
dimension.
Rebecca
Pidgeon
plays
the
solicitor
who
argues
her
case
in
crown
court
and
loses.
Robbie
Coltrane
plays
Miranda's
step-brother
and
a
well
known
Queen's
counsel
who
argues
Aishwarya's
case
in
appeals
court
and
succeeds
in
getting
her
conviction
changed
from
Murder
to
Manslaughter,
in
the
process
changing
the
definition
of
Provocation
in
British
law.
Steve
Mcfadden
plays
a
racist
detective
who
interrogates
Aishwarya
bullying
her
to
confession;
Nicholas
Irons
plays
a
sympathetic
constable
and
Deborah
Moore
plays
a
prison
mate.
To
what
extent
has
Provoked
stuck
to
the
real
life
story?
The
film
is
factually
accurate.
All
the
dates,
the
incidents,
the
legal
points
are
taken
from
court
documents
and
Kiranjit's
own
recollections
as
described
in
her
book.
Where
the
film
takes
cinematic
liberty
is
in
compositing
characters,
inventing
dialogue
and
in
physical
resemblance
of
actors
with
real
people.
Since
the
film
is
not
a
documentary
but
a
feature
and
since
what
is
important
is
to
capture
the
spirit
of
Kiranjit
and
not
replicate
her
looks
and
mannerisms;
those
liberties
are
taken
to
tell
the
story
in
a
forceful
and
dramatic
manner.
In
the
ultimate
analysis,
the
film
has
to
represent
all
Kiranjits
who
have
suffered
silently
in
the
name
of
family
honour
and
who
have
been
subjected
to
domestic
violence
at
the
hands
of
their
spouses.
What
scope
does
a
film
like
this
have
for
music,
esp.
when
A.R.Rahman
is
composing?
Music
plays
a
very
significant
role
in
a
film
like
this
because
it
becomes
the
unspoken
language
of
emotion.
The
mental
state
of
the
protagonist
who
is
not
in
a
position
to
verbalize
it,
gets
an
expression
through
subtle
appropriate
underscore.
Its
presence
or
lack
of
it,
manipulates
the
emotions
of
the
audience
at
a
sub-conscious
level
and
is
a
very
important
tool
for
a
film
maker
to
effectively
tell
his
or
her
story.
In
our
cinema
in
Bollywood,
we
equate
music
with
songs
which
are
items
which
punctuate
a
story
and
are
primarily
used
as
promotional
tools
for
TV
spots.
A
catchy
tune
with
foot
tapping
rhythm,
along
with
saucy
lyrics
and
a
well
choreographed
dance
number
is
what
we
consider
the
scope
for
music.
In
a
film
like
Provoked,
such
a
treatment
will
disrupt
and
dilute
the
drama.
I
have
used
an
English
song
composed
by
Rahman,
written
and
sung
by
Karen
David
on
the
end
credit
scroll,
as
it
sums
up
the
feelings
of
a
victim
of
abuse
searching
for
hope.
I
have
shot
a
music
video
of
it
to
wrap
it
around
some
dramatic
clips
from
the
film
for
TV
promotion.
AR
Rahman's
background
has
greatly
enhanced
the
impact
of
my
film
as
he
has
organically
created
it
from
the
underlying
themes
of
the
story.
Prev Next