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Starring:
Sushmita Sen, Randeep Hooda, Rati Agnihotri, Suresh
Oberoi, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Deepal Shaw, Naomi
Campbell, Vikram Chatwal
Director: Manish Gupta
The film ‘Karma Aur Holi’, directed by Manish Gupta, is
aimed as a film on inter-relationship complexities and
dark personal secrets. Karma aur Holi is entirely shot
in New York, and other parts of the USA.
It deals with relationships of many dimensions, their
conflicts and then the resolutions on the auspicious day
of Holi, which heralds the coming of spring in India.
Holi is an Indian festival of colors that signifies a
new beginning. It is a film about human relationships.
It is a contemporary story which revolves around the
Indian families living in the USA. It is about those
Indians having migrated to America and how they adapt to
the difference in culture and their willingness to give
up their inherent cultural inhibitions.
.
Meera’s
elder sister Vani (Rati Agnihotri) is there with her son
Vikram (Chandan Sethi), a 17-year-old teenager, who is
unlike his peers, thanks to his over-protective mother.
Vani's husband Shekhar (Suresh Oberoi) has almost no
ambitions, and consequently isn’t successful in his
profession nor his family life.
Then there is Sujata (Suchitra Krishnamoorthi), who is
wedded to an American born Indian doctor Nimish )
Shauvik Kundagrami) who believes excessively, in his
gender superiority. Sujata’s younger sister Preeti (Deepal
Shaw) is a complete party animal, a rich spoilt New Age
girl.
Megan (Drena De Niro), a Tarot card reader and a friend
and well wisher of Dev and Meera appears uncomfortable.
It’s a relaxed evening. As time passes by, the guests
get involved in each other's lives and things take a
dramatic turn when an unexpected, unmentionable incident
occurs.
This film is extensively shot in South Africa, some
scenes eye pleasing photography too being good, but the
intentional tint throughout the film snatches the
scenic beauty of the country. The director has given
more importance to the outdoor locales, hi-tech stunts
in this movie which has thin storyline
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Meera and Dev (Sushmita Sen and Randeep Hooda), a
couple, living in New York, realize after a few years of
marriage and togetherness, that they seem to have lost the
magic in their relationship. Its only loneliness and
confusion around them.
Dev and Meera plan a get-together with a few close friends
and relatives at their house on the eve of the Holi
festival.
Among the invitees are Javed (Armin Amero), a cocky,
flamboyant New York based struggling filmmaker and a
friend of Dev and Meera; Javed had come with his girl
friend Jenny (Naomi Campbell), who is an aspiring actor
who has concealed her immense love for Javed.
Thus, what begins as an evening of revelry takes a serious
turn as the guests get drunk and indulge in an impromptu
exercise of making honest confessions before the
celebrations. Each one almost confesses their inner most
secrets that have never been revealed. The results are
catastrophic as this seemingly harmless game gets out of
hand.
As skeletons tumble out of each closet, we realize that
none of the characters is what he or she appears at first
glance.
It is a simple, straightforward script on the matters of
heart and mind. At times the film is too slow in places.
While Sushmita Sen and Randeep Hooda do try earnestly to
perform their parts it’s the seasoned performers like Rati
Agnihotri and Suresh Oberoi who are wasted in this film
with nothing substantial in their roles. Naomi Campbell
‘tries’ to emote, yet is unimpressive.
- Amarjeet |
Cast:
Meera - Sushmita Sen
Dev - Randeep Hooda
Vani - Rati Agnihotri
Shekhar - Suresh Oberoi
Vikram - Chandan Sethi
Sujata - Suchitra Krishnamoorthi
Nimesh - Shauvik Kundagrami
Preeti - Deepal Shaw
Jennifer - Naomi Campbell
Vicky - Vikram Chatwal
Rich Smooth - Sticky Fingas
Megan - Drena De Niro
Christopher
Debbie Mazor
Guler Kassan - Kulraaj Anand
Maya Lilly
Vincent Curatola
Kumar Pallana
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Credits & Crew:
Banner: Saregama, Rapture Productions
Director: Manish Gupta
Producer: Prashant Shah, Drena De Niro, David Roma
Written by: Manish Gupta, Marcus J. Guillory
Music Directors: Vishal Bharadwaj, Shekhar Ravjiani,
Raju Singh
Associate Producer - Shem Blum,
Executive Producer - Nayan Chandan, Blaney Lamont Davis
Cinematographer - Lisa Leone
Film Editor - Chandan Arora
Costumes Design - Lysa Cooper
Production Manager - Ken Greenblatt
Assistant Directors - Alex Orr, Amisha Upadhyaya, Jacob
Weber
Sound Designer - Javed Khan
Script Supervisor - Sabrina Chemloul
Production Assistants - Marc Graiser, Crystal Lentz
Choreographer - Pooja Narang |
