Muskit Gergous at 15:38, 4 August 2023

2023-08-04T15:38:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:08, 4 August 2023
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	\| director = [[Dev Benegal]]		\| director = [[Dev Benegal]]
	\| producer = [[Anuradha Parikh]]		\| producer = [[Anuradha Parikh]]
	\| screenplay = Dev Benegal		\| screenplay = [[Dev Benegal]]
	\| based_on = {{based on\|''[[English, August]]''\|[[Upamanyu Chatterjee]]}}		\| based_on = {{based on\|''[[English, August]]''\|[[Upamanyu Chatterjee]]}}
	\| starring = [[Rahul Bose]]<br/>[[Tanvi Azmi]]<br/>[[Mita Vashisht]]<br/>[[Shivaji Satham]]		\| starring = [[Rahul Bose]]<br/>[[Tanvi Azmi]]<br/>[[Mita Vashisht]]<br/>[[Shivaji Satham]]
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	}}		}}

	'''''English, August''''' is a 1994 Indian English-language film and director [[Dev Benegal]]'s first feature film. A humorous and irreverent study of bureaucracy and the Indian [[Generation X]], ''English, August'' won several awards at international film festivals.		'''''English, August''''' is a 1994 [[Indian]] English-language film and director [[Dev Benegal]]'s first feature film. A humorous and irreverent study of bureaucracy and the Indian [[Generation X]], ''English, August'' won several awards at international film festivals.

	''English, August'' became the first Indian independent film to break the stranglehold of mainstream Indian [[Bollywood]] cinema when it was acquired by [[20th Century Fox]] and became a theatrical success in the country. This has led the way for other low budget, independent movies such as ''[[Bombay Boys]]'' and ''[[Split Wide Open]]'', which are part of the next generation of "middle cinema".<ref>{{cite book \|title= Contemporary Asian Cinema: popular culture in a global frame \|last= Ciecko \|first= Anne Tereska \|author2= Alexander, Vera \|year= 2006 \|publisher= Berg Publishers \|isbn= 1-84520-237-6 \|page= [https://archive.org/details/contemporaryasia0000unse/page/138 138] \|url= https://archive.org/details/contemporaryasia0000unse/page/138 }}</ref>		''English, August'' became the first Indian independent film to break the stranglehold of mainstream Indian [[Bollywood]] cinema when it was acquired by [[20th Century Fox]] and became a theatrical success in the country. This has led the way for other low budget, independent movies such as ''[[Bombay Boys]]'' and ''[[Split Wide Open]]'', which are part of the next generation of "middle cinema".<ref>{{cite book \|title= Contemporary Asian Cinema: popular culture in a global frame \|last= Ciecko \|first= Anne Tereska \|author2= Alexander, Vera \|year= 2006 \|publisher= Berg Publishers \|isbn= 1-84520-237-6 \|page= [https://archive.org/details/contemporaryasia0000unse/page/138 138] \|url= https://archive.org/details/contemporaryasia0000unse/page/138 }}</ref>

>Kailash29792 at 08:17, 7 July 2021

2021-07-07T08:17:49Z

New page

{{short description|1994 film by Dev Benegal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = English, August
| image =
| caption =
| director = [[Dev Benegal]]
| producer = [[Anuradha Parikh]]
| screenplay = Dev Benegal
| based_on = {{based on|''[[English, August]]''|[[Upamanyu Chatterjee]]}}
| starring = [[Rahul Bose]] [[Tanvi Azmi]] [[Mita Vashisht]] [[Shivaji Satham]]
| music = [[D. Wood]]
| cinematography = [[Anoop Jotwani]] [[K U Mohanan]]
| editing = [[Dev Benegal]] [[Allyson C. Johnson]]
| distributor = [[20th Century Fox]]
| released = {{Film date|1994}}
| runtime = 118 minutes
| country = India
| language = English
| budget =
}}

'''''English, August''''' is a 1994 Indian English-language film and director [[Dev Benegal]]'s first feature film. A humorous and irreverent study of bureaucracy and the Indian [[Generation X]], ''English, August'' won several awards at international film festivals.

''English, August'' became the first Indian independent film to break the stranglehold of mainstream Indian [[Bollywood]] cinema when it was acquired by [[20th Century Fox]] and became a theatrical success in the country. This has led the way for other low budget, independent movies such as ''[[Bombay Boys]]'' and ''[[Split Wide Open]]'', which are part of the next generation of "middle cinema".<ref>{{cite book |title= Contemporary Asian Cinema: popular culture in a global frame |last= Ciecko |first= Anne Tereska |author2= Alexander, Vera |year= 2006 |publisher= Berg Publishers |isbn= 1-84520-237-6 |page= [https://archive.org/details/contemporaryasia0000unse/page/138 138] |url= https://archive.org/details/contemporaryasia0000unse/page/138 }}</ref>

The film is based on the novel [[English, August|of the same name]] by [[Upamanyu Chatterjee]].<ref>{{cite book |title= Peripheral centres, central peripheries: India and its diaspora(s)|last= Ghosh-Schellhorn |first= Martina |year= 2006 |publisher= LIT Verlag Berlin-Hamburg-Münste |isbn= 3-8258-9210-7 |page= 104 }}</ref>

The negatives of the film were spoiled due to flooding at a storage facility of [[Prasad Studios]]. There was an attempt at [[Film preservation|restoration]], but it wasn't successful.<ref>{{cite web|title=English, August|url=http://devbenegal.com/category/english-august/|website=Dev Benegal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2018-05-22|title=English, August turns 30: A look at Upamanyu Chatterjee's book and the movie adaptation that wasn't|url=https://www.firstpost.com/living/english-august-turns-30-a-look-at-upamanyu-chatterjees-book-and-the-movie-adaptation-that-wasnt-4445269.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-10|website=Firstpost}}</ref> The film was declared a [[lost film]].

In February 2020, a copy of the film was found in the National Film Archives of India. Since the film reel is a 35 mm print, the restoration process has begun.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1227539657686224898 |user=benegal |title=A clean (no subtitles) 35mm Print of “English, August” is discovered at the National Film Archives. And it’s in a good condition. @shividungarpur and the NFAI team inspect the print. Let the Restoration Begin! #EnglishAugust |author=Dev Benegal |author-link=Dev Benegal}}</ref> However, restoration was brought to a halt in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

==Plot summary==
Agastya Sen ([[Rahul Bose]]), nicknamed "English, August", speaks and thinks in English. A lover of poetry, he listens to [[Bob Dylan]], [[Miles Davis]], [[rock music|rock]] and [[jazz]] and reads [[Marcus Aurelius]]. He is also an [[Indian Administrative Service]] Officer, a member of the most influential and powerful cadre of civil servants in India. He is sent off for a year's training to Madna, the hottest town in the country. Culture shock and a language barrier in his own country follows (August's mother tongue is [[Bengali language|Bengali]]). He feels like a foreigner, but must survive.

Moreover, August is surrounded by wild characters: Srivastava, the pompous head bureaucrat and his wife Malti, the fashion and cultural leader of the town; Sathe, a local pothead and cartoonist; Kumar, the Police Superintendent and connoisseur of porn films; and Vasant, the world's worst cook. August negotiates this provincial creek with the only paddle he can find; Fantasy, daydreams and "self-abuse" become his means of revolt and escape as he escapes from the heat into the mystery and quiet of his secret world of erotic fantasy and contemplation.

==Cast and characters==
* [[Rahul Bose]] as Agastya "August" Sen
* Salim Shah as Ravi Srivastava
* [[Tanvi Azmi]] as Malti Srivastava
* [[Shivaji Satham]] as Govind Sathe
* [[Virendra Saxena]] as Laxman Shankar
* [[Mita Vashisht]] as Sita Avery

==Awards and recognition==
* Won the Silver Montgolfiere and the Gilberto Martinez Solares prize for the Best First Film at the 1994 [[Three Continents Festival|Festival des 3 continents]]
* Won the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English|Best Feature Film in English]] at the 1995 [[National Film Awards]], India
* Won a Special Jury Prize at the 1994 [[Torino International Festival of Young Cinema]]

==Soundtrack==
The original soundtrack for the film is composed by [[D. Wood]] and consists of the following [[instrumental]] tracks.<ref>http://www.tropicfilm.com/ English, August audio-video goodies page</ref>

* "August Blues"
* "By the Sea"
* "Title Theme"
* "Welcome to Madna"
* "End Titles"

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://devbenegal.com Dev Benegal Weblog]
*{{IMDb title|0109732|English, August}}
*{{Amg movie|134033|English, August}}
*[https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/05/movies/alien-and-alone-in-his-own-country.html ''New York Times'' review]

{{National Film Award Best Feature Film English}}

[[Category:1994 films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:English-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Indian comedy films]]
[[Category:Indian satirical films]]
[[Category:Films based on Indian novels]]
[[Category:Lost Indian films]]
[[Category:Best English Feature Film National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:1994 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1994 comedy films]]
[[Category:1990s satirical films]]
[[Category:Rediscovered Indian films]]

English, August (film) - Revision history

Muskit Gergous at 15:38, 4 August 2023

>Kailash29792 at 08:17, 7 July 2021