One of Aamir Khan’s earlier films, Raakh (1989), is being screened at the Bandra Film Festival (BFF). The movie can be seen for free on the festival’s YouTube channel till 16 July.
Directed by Aditya Bhattacharya, son of Basu Battacharya and grandson of Bimal Roy, Raakh won a lot of critical acclaim and awards.
Raakh tells the story of a young man Amir Hussein (Khan) who helplessly watches his girlfriend being raped by a group of criminals. He decides to take revenge on them one by one but faces the danger of getting consumed by vengeance. The film also stars Pankaj Kapur.
Sharing his reaction to the film being screened at the BFF, Bhattacharya said in a statement, “More than three decades later, I am quite overwhelmed by the continuing affection and respect for my first-born, Raakh. It is something that I couldn't have imagined whilst shooting this as a 24-year-old.”
Raakh was shot by veteran cinematographer Santosh Sivan. “Raakh is my first and favourite film,” he said.
It was filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar’s idea to screen Raakh at BFF. He has also worked closely with Bhattacharya over the years. “Raakh is a masterclass in filmmaking. It inspired a whole generation of filmmakers including me. The performances, the technical wizardry, the assured storytelling has stood the test of time and feels fresh with every viewing even now. Raakh was and will always be an important chapter for avid movie buffs,” he said.
Khan, Kapur and A Sreekar Prasad won the National awards for Best Supporting Actor, Special Mention and Best Editing respectively for Raakh.