Anaarkali of Aarah

Anaarkali of Aarah ("Anārakalī ŏph Ārā") is a 2017 Indian film written and directed by debutant Avinash Das. The movie has Swara Bhaskar playing the lead role of a small-town erotic folk dancer in Arrah in Bihar. The movie revolves around her confrontation with a vice chancellor played by Sanjay Mishra. The film released on 24 March 2017. Bhaskar was nominated for Best Actress (Critics) for her performance, at 63rd Filmfare Awards.
Plot.
"Anaarkali of Aarah" is the story of Anaarkali (Swara Bhaskar), who makes a living by performing to double meaning/erotic songs in public functions. During one of her stage shows, Anaarkali comes across Dharmender Chauhan (Sanjay Mishra), the vice chancellor of a local university who tries to molest her. This leads to a conflict between the two where Dharmender holding a position of power has an upper hand but Anaarkali refuses to give in to the challenges thrown in her life and instead decides to fight back.
Production.
Development.
According to Avinash Das, the director of "Anaarkali of Aarah", the idea to make this film originated after he watched a music video of Bhojpuri folk artist Tarabano Faizabadi in which she was singing an erotic song "Hare Hare Nebuaa". He says, "It intrigued me that visuals of Tarabano singing expressionless in a studio were mixed with a sequence in which a woman is trying to seduce a man. In 2011, a Bhojpuri folk singer, Devi, stood up against the Vice Chancellor of Jai Prakash Narayan University for molesting her at an event. These two incidents helped Avinash in the creation of "Anaarkali", the central character of his film. Avinash says, "These two threads began to form into a script about a street singer who sings erotically-charged songs but has the integrity to challenge the powers when she is mistreated."
Casting.
Initially, the central role of "Anaarkali" was supposed to be played by Richa Chadda but she opted out of the project, the reason for it being, as stated by Director Avinash, that she was unsure of the film getting a release considering it was smaller budget film as compared to the projects that she was doing at that time.
Soundtrack.
The soundtrack of "Anaarkali of Aaarah" comprises 10 songs, all of them composed by Rohit Sharma while the lyrics have been written by Ramkumar Singh, Dr. Sagar, Ravinder Randhawa, Prashant Ingole and Avinash Das.
Critical reception.
Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and said that ""Anaarkali of Aarah" is an unexpected winner that stuns you with its authenticity." The critic praised the director Avinash Das by saying that, "Avinash Das’ execution lends gravitas to the proceedings, making you feel for the lead character" and also the lead actress Swara Bhaskar by saying that, "this film finally gives Swara Bhaskar an opportunity to put her exemplary acting chops on display. She is a revelation as a pan-chewing, courageous woman, who won’t buckle under pressure." Rohit Vats of Hindustan Times gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 and said that, "Anaarkali of Aarah brings forth a world that’s out of focus and needs our attention. Marginalised sections are fighting their own battles in this part of the globe and Anaarkali Of Aarah wants us to be sympathetic to them." Savera R Someshwar of Rediff gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 saying that, "Anaarkali Of Aarah is a tale well told".
Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and said that, "With Anar, Swara Bhaskar gets a role worthy of her. The film uses lines and situations involving crudity but never turns vulgar. Nowhere does Anaarkali of Aarah makes you cringe, and that’s a real achievement." Namrata Joshi of The Hindu praised the performances of Swara Bhaskar, Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra and Ishtiyaq Khan and said that the film is, "A unique, well observed, raunchy musical that reiterates that no means no." Shomini Sen of News18 gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 and said that, "the film works for its tight script- which never dwindles- and for its powerful story. That a marginalized section also has the right to speak up against any kind of atrocity is something that the film highlights well. Rachit Gupta of Filmfare gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and said that, "Keeping in line with Hindi cinema's new found passion for strong women protagonists and their resilient stories, Anarkali Of Aarah is the pitch perfect lesson in relevant feminism. This one's a must watch, whether you live in a metro or in rural India."
Mayank Shekhar of Mid-Day gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and applauded Swara Bhaskar's performance by saying that, "It's hard to come across a performance so gut-wrenchingly real. It's hard to tell Swara from Anaarkali of Arrah, who's thankfully not another 'abla nari' either." Nandini Ramnath of "Scroll.in" said that, "Swara Bhaskar is superb as a singer out to prove that ‘no means no’. Avinash Das's debut feature overcomes its indulgences and flaws by focusing on the big picture on sexual assault and consent." Stutee Ghosh of The Quint gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 saying that "The idea is fantastic, which makes it an important film that has its heart in the right place, but the execution leaves it wobbly in parts." Tanul Thakur of The Wire said, "The film seethes with anger about gender disparity, but it makes its points without sacrificing the film’s plot or resorting to preachy overlong platitudes." He also applauded Swara Bhaskar saying that, "Bhaskar plays Anaarkali with so much verve, joy, and anger that it’s impossible to not feel intrigued by her and, ultimately, the film."
Box office.
Abysmal. Total collections, from all revenue streams combined, from Indian and foreign markets combines, amounted to a grand total of less than 1.1 crore (Rs. 11 million / $ 140,000/-). The woke, JNU-type "message" of the film, the absence of any saleable stars, and the presence of the widely disliked Swara Bhaskar were the reasons for the film's rejection by audiences, despite significant publicity efforts, which alone cost more than the film's entire collections.
Controversy.
The film courted controversy when its trailer depicted an item number performed as part of the silver jubilee functions of the Veer Kunwar Singh University in Arrah.