Reviewer's Rating 5 out of 5 Ìý User Rating 4 out of 5
Black (2005)
12aContains emotionally intense scenes

It takes a brave man to make a Bollywood movie without colour and songs, but that's exactly what top Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has done with Black. In his boldest movie to date, Bhansali directs living Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan as Debraj Sahai, an alcoholic teacher who transforms the life of an Anglo-Indian deaf-blind girl played by reigning screen queen Rani Mukerji. Acted predominantly in English with a smattering of Hindi, this is a film with universal appeal.

After rescuing her from an asylum, Debraj spends the next 30 years developing wild child Michelle McNally into an intelligent and gregarious young woman. Determined to see his student graduate from university, he acts as her eyes and ears, guiding her though the tough world around her. But when Alzheimers sets in, both Debraj and his student's life are plunged into darkness once again. Now taking on the role of teacher, Michelle fights to remind her mentor of the meaning of everything he once taught her.

"AN UPLIFTING JOURNEY OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT"

Boasting a carefully crafted script, beautiful cinematography, a haunting score and moving performances by both Ayesha Kapoor and Mukerji as the young and adult Michelle respectively, Black takes you on an uplifting journey of the human spirit. With it Bhansali proves that neither he, nor the never better Bachchan, need a Hollywood film to produce an Oscar-worthy film. Destined to be a Bollywood classic.

In Hindi and English with English subtitles.

Music is by Monty

End Credits

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Writer: Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Prakash Kapadia, Bhavani Iyer

Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Ayesha Kapoor, Shernaz Patel, Dhritiman Chaterjee, Nandana Sen

Genre: Bollywood, Drama

Length: 125 minutes

Cinema: 04 February 2005

Country: India

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