Junoon (1978)

 ●  Hindi ● 2 hrs 20 mins

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Shashi Kapoor’s debut as producer is set at the time of the 1857 ‘Mutiny’ and weaves a passionate love story into the historical fresco. Javed Khan (Shashi Kapoor) is a Pathan whose wife (Azmi) has not yet borne a child. Javed falls madly in love with a half-caste Anglo- Indian girl, Ruth Labadoor (Nafisa Ali), who lives with her mother (Jennifer Kendall). After Javed’s brother-in-law (Shah) and a band of mutineers attack and massacre the English garrison, Javed takes the women under his protection. Marriage with Ruth is impossible because Javed’s family objects to the ‘English’ woman becoming Javed’s second wife. The irony is that the Labadoor family represents the Raj to the Indians even though they are equally suspect in the British milieu. In the end, Javed is killed and Ruth returns to Britain where she dies an old maid. The film touches on the complex relationships between people from three different religions (Muslim, Hindu and Christian) and from different classes as well as ethnic groups. The story opens strongly with an entranced fakir overwhelming his audience with his vision of love and war, but this is quickly overcome with acting styles that are either ‘passionate’ and loud (Shah, Kapoor) or standing still with backlit profiles (Ali, but also the older women). Although the film claimed to offer the first authentic depiction of the ‘Mutiny’ (e.g. every formal, well-drilled attack ends in bloody chaos), it sidesteps any engagement with the issues underpinning what is often described as the first Indian war of independence and opts for a colonial-sexual fantasy instead.

Cast: Jalal Agha, Nafisa Ali

Crew: Shyam Benegal (Director), Govind Nihalani (Director of Photography), JP Kaushik (Music Director), Vanraj Bhatia (Music Director)

Rating: U (India)

Genres: Drama

Release Dates: 14 Dec 1978 (India)

Hindi Name: जूनून

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Did you know? Shashi Kapoor made films like Junoon because he believed in making good cinema. His films were widely appreciated and won awards, even in other countries. However, they were financial failures and placed him in considerable debt. He eventually made the commercial film Ajooba (1991) and recovered his losses. Read More
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as Kader Khan
as Ruth Labadoor
as Rashid Khan
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actor
as Sarfaraz Khan
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actress
as Firdaus
as Javed Khan
as Javed's chachi
as Priest

Direction

Director

Production

Producer

Writers

Story Writer
Screenplay Writer
Dialogue Writer

Camera and Electrical

Director of Photography

Music

Music Director
Music Label

Sound

Location Sound Recordist

Editorial

Film Type:
Feature
Language:
Hindi
Colour Info:
Color
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.39:1 (Scope)
Stereoscopy:
No
Trivia:
The film marked Nasifa Ali's screen debut.

Shashi Kapoor made films like Junoon because he believed in making good cinema. His films were widely appreciated and won awards, even in other countries. However, they were financial failures and placed him in considerable debt. He eventually made the commercial film Ajooba (1991) and recovered his losses.

At one point, Shashi Kapoor threw Jalal Agha out of the set because he found his manner of speaking to be offensive.