Abesh Purkait: Created the entry initial version

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Created the entry initial version

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{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Uski Roti
| image = Uski_Roti_still.jpg
| caption = A still
| director = [[Mani Kaul]]
| producer = Rochak Pandit
| writer = [[Mohan Rakesh]] (original story, dialogue) <br> [[Mani Kaul]] (screenplay)
| narrator =
| starring = Gurdeep Singh, Garima
| music = Ratan Lal (santoor)
| cinematography = [[K. K. Mahajan]]
| editing =
| studio =
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|1969}}
| runtime = 110 minutes
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| budget =
| gross =
}}
'''''Uski Roti''''' (English titles: ''Other's bread'', ''His/her bread'', ''A Day's Bread'') is a 1969 [[Hindi]] film directed by [[Mani Kaul]]. It was Kaul's first feature film, based on a short story of the same name by [[Mohan Rakesh]], who also wrote the dialogue for the film. The film won the 1970 [[Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie]], and is considered a seminal work of the [[Parallel Cinema|Indian New Wave]].

==Synopsis==
The film depicts the life of a bus driver Sucha Singh (Gurdeep Singh) and his wife Balo (Garima). Balo has to get Sucha Singh's food ready every day, walk a long distance through the fields and wait for him on the highway as he drives past the village. He leads an independent life, playing cards with his friends and spending time with his mistress, and comes home only once a week. However, he expects his wife to play the traditional role. The narrative is non-linear, hence we can attest to incidents but not be certain of sequence. One day Balo is delayed as she endeavors to save her sister from the advances of a lecherous villager. Sucha Singh is angry, drives away without his food, declares his freedom to come home when he chooses. The ending is indeterminate.

==Cast==
* Gurdeep Singh − Sucha Singh
* Garima − Balo
* Richa Vyas − Balo's sister
* Savita Bajaj − Sucha Singh's mistress

==Crew==
*''Director'' – [[Mani Kaul]]
*''Story'' – [[Mohan Rakesh]]
*''Screenplay'' – [[Mani Kaul]]
*''Producer'' – [[Rochak Pandit]]
*''Cinematographer'' – [[K. K. Mahajan]]
*''Assistant Director'' – [[John Abraham (director)|John Abraham]]

==Production==
The film was shot on location in a [[Punjab]] village. Still photographer [[Navroze Contractor]] helped Mani Kaul in his search for the right location. During this time, they also had long discussions on black-and-white, lenses, light, etc.<ref>{{cite web|title=Interview with Navroze Contractor - Film Education|url=http://oorvazifilmeducation.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/interview-with-navroze-contractor/|access-date=28 January 2013}}</ref> Later, Contractor was to be Kaul's cinematographer for his third film ''[[Duvidha]]''.

[[John Abraham (director)|John Abraham]], who subsequently became known as a filmmaker, started his career by assisting Kaul on ''Uski Roti''.<ref name="gaekwad">{{cite news |last1=Gaekwad |first1=Manish |title=Will the real John Abraham please stand up? |url=https://scroll.in/reel/606/will-the-real-john-abraham-please-stand-up |access-date=8 June 2018 |work=Scroll.in |date=1 October 2015}}</ref>

==Reception==
''Uski Roti'' marked a major departure from the conventions of narrative cinema, dispensing altogether with plot in the usual sense. Kaul also did not use any established film actors. There is little dialogue in the film. The dialogue is delivered in undramatic monotones, somewhat reminiscent of the films of [[Robert Bresson]], whom Kaul acknowledged as a major influence.<ref name=Malcolm>{{cite news|last=Malcolm|first=Derek|title=Mani Kaul obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jul/14/mani-kaul-obituary|access-date=13 January 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=14 July 2011}}</ref> The camera, wielded by K. K. Mahajan, dwells on faces, hands and exteriors - mud walls, a windswept highway, a guava orchard. The emphasis on hands is particularly Bressonian. In the words of [[Derek Malcolm]], "The film is not an orthodox narrative, dealing instead with silence, mood and imagery."<ref name=Malcolm /> In a 1994 interview, Kaul said, "When I made ''A Day’s Bread'', I wanted to completely destroy any semblance of a realistic development, so that I could construct the film almost in the manner of a painter."<ref name=macdonald>{{cite book|last=MacDonald|first=Scott|title=A Critical Cinema 3: Interviews With Independent Filmmakers|year=1998|publisher=University of California Press}}</ref>

Due to its radical departures from the prevalent cinematic norms, the film did not get commercial theatrical release. However, it did win the debutant director the 1970 Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie,<ref name=Hunt>{{cite news|last=Hunt|first=Ken|title=Mani Kaul: Versatile, genre-hopping film-maker|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/mani-kaul-versatile-genrehopping-filmmaker-2330688.html|access-date=14 January 2013|newspaper=The Independent|date=3 August 2011}}</ref> and also won Mahajan his second [[National Film Award for Best Cinematography]]. Subsequently, it has been recognised as "one of the key films of the New Indian Cinema or the Indian New Wave".<ref name=upst>{{cite web |title=Profile |url=http://www.upperstall.com/people/mani-kaul |publisher=upperstall.com}}</ref> [[Shyam Benegal]] considers it "as much a landmark as ''[[Pather Panchali]]''".<ref>{{cite news|last=Ghosh|first=Avijit|title=Mani Kaul ...|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-07/india/29746507_1_indian-cinema-original-filmmaker-pather-panchali|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906143137/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-07/india/29746507_1_indian-cinema-original-filmmaker-pather-panchali|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 September 2012|access-date=9 January 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=7 July 2011}}</ref> In recent years, it has received renewed appreciation, being screened at retrospectives, aired on television channels such as [[Channel 4]], and also distributed in DVD form. A reviewer for Channel 4 writes: "Mani Kaul takes us on a moving journey into the internal life of his protagonist, and KK Mahajan's cinematography will linger long in the viewer's mind."<ref>{{cite web|title=Uski Roti - Channel 4|url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/uski-roti/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1|access-date=14 January 2013}}</ref> In a 2009 book on Indian cinema by Ashish Rajadhyaksha, an entire chapter is devoted to ''Uski Roti''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rajadhyaksha|first=Ashish|title=Indian Cinema in the Time of Celluloid: From Bollywood to the Emergency|year=2009|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington, Indiana, USA|isbn=978-0-253-22048-6|pages=432|url=http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=84791|archive-date=15 December 2019|access-date=13 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215170626/http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=84791|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Awards==
*K. K. Mahajan received the [[National Film Award for Best Cinematography]]<ref name="18thawardPDF">{{cite web|url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/17th_NFF_1971.pdf|title=18th National Film Awards|publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]]|access-date=26 September 2011|format=PDF}}</ref>
*Mani Kaul received the 1970 Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie.

==References==
{{reflist}}

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==External links==
{{IMDb title|0066514}}

{{Mani Kaul}}

[[Category:Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography National Film Award]]
[[Category:Films based on Indian short stories]]
[[Category:Films shot in Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Films directed by Mani Kaul]]
[[Category:1969 Indian films]]
[[Category:1969 Hindi-language films]]

Uski Roti - Revision history

Abesh Purkait: Created the entry initial version