Holi (1984 film)

Holi is a 1984 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age drama film directed by Ketan Mehta, whose socially conscious work has been compared to American director Spike Lee.^[1] It is based on eponymous play by Marathi writer, Mahesh Elkunchwar.^[2] The film starred Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowariker, Om Puri, Shreeram Lagoo, Deepti Naval, Meena Phatak and Naseeruddin Shah.

Holi
Poster
Directed by	Ketan Mehta
Written by	Ketan Mehta
Screenplay by	Mahesh Elkunchwar
Story by	Mahesh Elkunchwar (play)
Produced by	Pradeep Uppoor
Starring	Aamir Khan Om Puri Naseeruddin Shah Ashutosh Gowariker Raj Zutshi
Cinematography	Jehangir Choudhary
Edited by	Subhash Sehgal
Music by	Rajat Dholakia
Release date	15 August 1984 (1984-08-15)
Running time	120 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Plot

In a typical college in a typical Indian city, the hostel boys Madan Sharma and his friends including Ranjeet Prakash are a rowdy and troublesome lot. But on one day, when Madan and his friends find out there will not be a holiday for them on the day of Holi, the festival of colors, the boys decide not to attend classes.

The hostel superintendent Professor Singh, the only lecturer with some links with the students, watches with apprehension their growing restlessness. A notice announcing a further postponement of examinations adds to the bitterness. A fight erupts out of nowhere between principal Phande's nephew and another student; the principal's nephew is hurt and the other boy is promptly rusticated. This is seen as a drastic punishment, and the news spreads like wildfire to all the students of the college. Resistance is organized in the library, in the laboratory, in the classrooms and the college grounds as the students rebel against the principal. The principal calls professor Singh to give the name of the troublemakers but he refuses, the names are later given by one of the classmates and soon the boys are sent a suspension notice.

On their last day, the classmate is bullied and humiliated by the boys. The next day they find out that their classmate has committed suicide and the film ends with the boys being taken in a police van while people dance to Holi outside.

Production

Holi was shot mainly on the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune and Fergusson College, Pune. The iconic Fergusson College banyan tree had just fallen and Ketan Mehta, who had studied at Fergusson College, improvised and picturized a song with the main characters on the tree singing about the falling of a symbolic 'system'. This film was a part of the student project.

Cast

As per the film's opening credits

• Naseeruddin Shah as Professor Singh (guest appearance)
• Om Puri as Principal Phande (guest appearance)
• Shreeram Lagoo (guest appearance)
• Deepti Naval as Professor Sehgal (guest appearance)
• Ashutosh Gowariker as Ranjeet Prakash
• Amole Gupte
• Aamir Khan as Madan Sharma (credited as Aamir Hussain)
• Naseeruddin Shah as Professor Singh
• Neeraj Vora
• Rajendranath Zutshi
• Kitu Gidwani

Reception

In 1985, Vincent Canby of The New York Times gave the film a generally favorable review, writing that the "film, which the production notes report was largely improvised, is very decently and exuberantly performed by the non-professional actors."^[2]

Awards

• 1985: National Film Award for Best Cinematography: Jehangir Choudhary^{[citation needed]}