SYNOPSICS
Hey Ram (2000) is a Tamil,Hindi movie. Kamal Haasan has directed this movie. Kamal Haasan,Shah Rukh Khan,Rani Mukerji,Hema Malini are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2000. Hey Ram (2000) is considered one of the best Crime,Drama,History movie in India and around the world.
The film starts with Saketh Ram as a very old man and almost immediately goes into flashback. As a young man he is among his friends, in conviviality. He has taken a Bengali wife, Aparna, and everything is wonderful in his life, However the year is 1946, and the imminent independence of India from British suzerainty is complicated by religious antagonism between the Hindu majority and the large Muslim minority, who demand their own independent state. Saketh and Aparna visit Calcutta; rioting is reported, but Saketh goes out to get some food, and he soon encounters a Hindu woman being chased by Muslim rioters. He rescues her, but the rioters later come to his house, and brutally rape and then kill his wife. Saketh is devastated and takes to the streets, determined personally to kill as many Muslims as he can find. He meets up with Sriram Abhiyankar, who is leading a group of Hindu extremists, and Saketh becomes temporarily taken with the cause himself. At the same time, he is persuaded...
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Hey Ram (2000) Reviews
Quite an eye opener for an American with a Christian background
What an emotional and eye opening journey regarding the dangerous mix of religion and politics. The same dangerous mix we still face today. How can we profess to be products of a creator when we malign and even kill each other for the sake of an interpretation of our creator's being, the love that must have been to create us in the first place. I have just watched the DVD and cannot quite crying for the waste of good lives - the same waste occurring today. Will we ever learn?! Just a note on Shahrukh Khan's role and performance in the film...it was very understated and very moving. Since he his a Muslim, wouldn't it be nice to see him more roles expressing his own beliefs? It's amazing what influence a popular celebrity can have on popular thought. During such a time of religious warfare, it would be nice to see more films such as this that leave one with the conclusion the religious wars are an abomination. That there really is no such thing as a righteous war. Killing in the same of our creator is much the same as killing our siblings in the name of our parents. Can you imagine them condoning such behavior? Not I. This was an excellent film on several levels including artistry, story line, and acting and direction. For what ever reason one would want to view films, except for simple mindless escapism, this is one to view and digest.
Must See
Gandhiji is said to be the father of the India. A Mahathma who lived his principles instead of just preaching. But why on earth someone would want to kill him? It is something that the politicians and religious fellows wanted to hide from the general public. Kamal Hassan takes a brave step in putting things on the screen for everyone to see. True that the film evoked anger at many sects, but none could stop the film as everything is history and hence cannot be denied. The film supports religious harmony and breaks a lot of myths (including the one that Gandhi said 'hey ram' after being shot). Every Indian should see the film (where he is a Hindu or a Muslim doesn't matter at all). For that India would live in peace.
A slice of history as never told before!
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is an idolized figure in India. He is one who is almost raised to the status of GOD by many. Films such as Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi" have glorified this figure repeatedly and rightfully so. However, this is only one side of the story. What Kamal Haasan shows through "Hey! Ram" is that Gandhi is a part of history and history cannot be changed and needs to be told as it was. Gandhi was not the "glory" that he is believed to be for everyone! There were numerous people who opposed him and his policies. Contrary to much of the controversy behind this film, "Hey! Ram" does not trivialize Gandhi, nor does it blame him. In fact, the main character, Saket Ram (Kamal Haasan in a powerhouse performance)learns to appreciate Gandhi by the end of the journey. The point of the film is not that he does learn to appreciate Gandhi despite being chosen as his potential assassin, but rather the way he makes his journey to that point. This journey is so masterfully and artistically directed by Kamal Haasan that one cannot help but sit back and be stunned at what this genius is capable of. What Haasan has created with "Hey! Ram" is not only an epic film but perhaps the biggest casting coup of the decade with actors like Nasseeruddin Shah (who makes a better Gandhi than Ben Kingsley), Om Puri, Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherji, Girish Karnad and many other prominent names of the Indian Film Industry. The cinematography is simply brilliant and Renu Saluja's editing is a work of art. Ilayaraja's music is a highly emotive score that effectively blends western orchestral arrangements with traditional carnatic sounds. "Hey! Ram" is one of the greatest Indian films ever made. It takes a lot of intelligence and passion to make and appreciate a film like "Hey! Ram."
Bold, shocking, thought-provoking...
Hey Ram is the story of Saket Ram (Kamal Haasan), an archaeologist. He is on a dig in pre-partition Harappa with his buddy Amjad (Shah Rukh Khan) when communal violence erupts in the region and the dig is closed down. Saket Ram goes off to Calcutta to visit his new wife Aparna (Rani Mukherjee). Calcutta is in chaos with religious strife and Ram's wife is brutally assaulted and killed by some Muslim men a few days after his return. He becomes unstable and seeks out the perpetrators of the crime and deals with them. While wandering the streets Ram meets with Abhyankar (Atul Kulkarni) who tells him that his family has suffered a similar fate and that the one man responsible for all this is MK Gandhi. Ram goes off to Tamil Nadu and after seeing Maithili (Vasundhara Das) agrees to marry her. All the time he is still traumatized by Aparna's death and planning revenge. When Abhyankar is paralyzed in a polo accident Ram vows to take his place as the killer of the Mahatma. He moves to Delhi and there he re-encounters his friend Amjad. Now hatred for Muslims and his prior closeness to Amjad are at war and Ram must choose his path - will it be the road to revenge or redemption? The story is excellent and the movie manages to retain its grip on the viewer for over three hours. The direction is for the most part very good. There are a few strange moments that seemed unnecessary to me - why is there the surreal stuff when Ram is shown with Maithili? The Marathi dance seemed unnecessary. Why were the bullets in a cartridge in a pre-partition handgun? Can one talk after one's throat is sliced open? But these are indeed minor quibbles in an overall excellent film. The background score is a bit intrusive, the songs not memorable. Maybe this is not the best of the Maestro Illayaraja. The beginning song/dance in the club is sort of silly, certainly not needed. Surely bonding between friends can be shown in other ways. Acting is very good throughout. For me the outstanding performance was given by Rani Mukherjee. She breathed life into Aparna and was at her most attractive and charming as a Bengali Bodhu! Kamal was very good. He showed love, passion, anger, rage, madness very well. And what looks at nearly age 50! The man is awesome. Shah Rukh gave a great performance as Amjad - a very restrained and balanced performance that in the end showed us which path Ram would choose and why. Atul Kulkarni was awesome as the fanatical Abhyanker. Vasundhara Das was luminous and did an excellent job playing Maithili. Naseer Shah as Gandhi, Hema Malini as the mother were all very good. In fact there was no bad performance in the film. This is a fine piece of movie making and deserves all the accolades it got. If you have not yet seen this film then you are in for a rare treat.
WOW.. a very powerful film
I had heard that Kamal Hassan was a good actor, so I decided to check out Hey Ram. I knew nothing of the plot (best way to see a movie; no expectations...) and I must admit I was emotionally overwhelmed by the end of it. Kamal Hassan is an amazing actor who is not only passionate about his work but also about his country. And what a pleasure to see Shah Rukh in a minor part. Hey Ram is a film that every American actor, writer, and director should study. Few American films have had such an effect on me. I highly recommend it.