Ankush is a 1986Hindi movie starring Nana Patekar, which was written, directed, edited and co-produced by N. Chandra. Made on a modest budget of Rs 13 lakhs, the film grossed Rs 95 lakhs to become a surprise hit of 1986, the year when many blockbusters failed. It was remade in Kannada as Ravana Rajya. The song "Itni Shakti Dena Data" became the theme song of many nationalised banks in India, including PNB. The film is still remembered for power packed performances of all actors including Ashalata Wabgaonkar, Nisha Singh, Nana Patekar and Madan Jain.Especially Nana got lime light in this movie.
Synopsis
It is a story of four lower middle class unemployed young men in Mumbai who feel disconnected with society and are wasting their lives away, when new neighbours, a young beautiful girl Anita and her grandmother, change their perspective. They change their attitude and try and blend in with the normal, honest and hard-working society of 1980s India when Anita is raped at the hands of her employers. However, the culprits are let off for the want of evidence and Anita takes the extreme step of suicide. They then take revenge of each and every culprit in a very novel way. It also shows their distrust in the law of the land. The movie has a tragic end with all four getting capital punishment for doing what they thought was correct, especially so when law of land fails to book the criminals for their wrongdoings.
Chandra started his career with Gulzar in 1971, and later also worked as an editor with him. Influenced by Gulzar's Mere Apne and bringing in his experiences growing up in Mumbai, Chandra wrote a story of four frustrated unemployed men who roam the streets of Mumbai. He even based the character Ravindra upon the role played by Vinod Khanna in the original. The role of Ravindra was written with leading actor of Marathi cinema, Ravindra Mahajani in mind, however, later when Chandra couldn't afford him, however Nana Patekar was eager to do the same role and signed on for Rs. 10,000.
Reception
Although a small budget film with then unknown actors, the film was a big hit in Mumbai as it realistically depicted social conditions prevailing then in the aftermath of famous Mumbai cotton textile mills strike which rendered thousands jobless. The film stars a very young Nana Patekar, and has an excellent and memorable Bhajan of Indian Cinema : "Itni Shakti Humen De Na Daata" by Ghanshyam Wasvani. Writer, Editor, Director and co-producer N.Chandra earned both popular and also critical acclaim for this film. N. Chandra scored a hat-trick at the box office with his first three films, Ankush, Pratighaat and Tezaab. Ankush has earned the status of a cult classicover time, and the ending scene which symbolizes their hanging in front of the India Gate has received much attention. The film is one of the very first realistic depictions of inner city adolescents growing up in an atmosphere of social and economic deprivation.
Soundtrack
Remake
The film was remade in Tamil as Kavithai Paada Neramillai and in Kannada as Ravana Rajya.
