Pankaj Kumar (Actor): general refined intro for accuracy and added references for accuracy

2026-03-02T10:05:13Z

general refined intro for accuracy and added references for accuracy

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article

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{{short description|2014 Indian experimental film directed by Nalan Kumarasamy}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = X: Past is Present
| image = X-The_Film-Poster.jpg
| alt = Poster of the film - "X — The Film.jpg"
| caption = Film poster
| director = Abhinav Shiv Tiwari Anu Menon Hemant Gaba [[Nalan Kumarasamy]] [[Pratim D. Gupta]] [[Qaushiq Mukherjee|Q]] Raja Sen [[Rajshree Ojha]] Sandeep Mohan [[Sudhish Kamath]] [[Suparn Verma]]
| producer = [[Manish Mundra]] [[Sudhish Kamath]] Shiladitya Bora
| writer = [[Anu Menon]] [[Thiagarajan Kumararaja]]
| screenplay = [[Thiagarajan Kumararaja]]
| starring = [[Rajat Kapoor]] [[Anshuman Jha]]
| music = Sudeep Swaroop
| cinematography = Anuj Rakesh Dhawan Aseem Bajaj Dinesh Krishnan Gairik Sarkar Katyayani Mudholkar Maeve O'Connell Q [[Ravi K. Chandran]] Sandeep Mohan [[Siddhartha Nuni]] Siddharth Kay Sidhant Chowdhry Viraaj Sinh Gohil
| editing = [[A. Sreekar Prasad]] Vijay Prabakaran Vijay Venkatraman Biplab Goswami Gairik Sarkar Dhritiman Das Shreyas Beltangdy Ankit Srivastava Ninaad Khanolkar Ritchik Mozumdar
| studio = [[Drishyam Films]]
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2015|11|20|India|ref1=<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT3GlzxnwII X: Past is Present | Trailer | Nov 20 | Rajat Kapoor, Radhika Apte, Swara Bhaskar, Huma Qureshi - YouTube]</ref>}}
| runtime =
| country = India
| language = English Hindi
| budget =
| gross =
}}
'''''X: Past is Present''''' is a 2015 Indian collaborative feature film directed by a team of eleven filmmakers including Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, [[Anu Menon]], [[Nalan Kumarasamy]], Hemant Gaba, [[Pratim D. Gupta]], [[Qaushiq Mukherjee|Q]], Raja Sen, [[Rajshree Ojha]], Sandeep Mohan, [[Sudhish Kamath]] and Suparn Verma.<ref name="indiatimes1">{{cite web|author=IANS 28 Aug 2013, 08.44PM IST |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-28/news-interviews/41537752_1_aditi-manish-mundra-rajat-kapoor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901202311/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-28/news-interviews/41537752_1_aditi-manish-mundra-rajat-kapoor |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-09-01 |title=Aditi roots for indie films |date=2013-08-28 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.glamsham.com/movies/reviews/x-past-is-present-movie-review.asp |title= X Past is Present Movie Review: Overall, this movie is like a biryani prepared by 11 cooks |publisher=Glamsham |access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref> It features actor-director [[Rajat Kapoor]] and [[Anshuman Jha]] in the lead.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ians — Chennai |url=http://newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/X---1-film-11-directors/2013/05/16/article1592062.ece |title='X' - 1 film, 11 directors |publisher=The New Indian Express |date=2013-05-16 |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Ankur Pathak — Mumbai Mirror |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/LSD-actor-Anshuman-Jha-romances-three-women-in-his-next-film/articleshow/30144839.cms|title=LSD actor Anshuman Jha romances three women in his next film |publisher=Mumbai Mirror|date=2014-02-10 | access-date=2014-08-21}}</ref> ''X'' is not an [[anthology]],<ref name="Rediff.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/story-of-x-11-directors-one-film/20130514.htm |title=The story of X: 11 directors, 1 film — Rediff.com Movies |work=Rediff.com |date=2013-05-14 |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> but one whole story with the eleven directors making sections of it.<ref name="indiatimes2">{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-17/news-interviews/39335796_1_film-festival-raja-sen-rajat-kapoor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202224823/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-17/news-interviews/39335796_1_film-festival-raja-sen-rajat-kapoor |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-12-02 |title=Eleven directors join hands for a hundred minute project |date=2013-05-17 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> The film has been produced by [[Manish Mundra]] and has been announced for a nationwide release in India on 20 November 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/xthefilm |title=X |publisher=Drishyam Gilms |date=2015-11-06 |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref>

==Plot summary==
"'''Past is Present'''" (Directed by [[Sudhish Kamath]])
*[[Rajat Kapoor]]
*[[Aditi Chengappa]]
Synopsis: A filmmaker named K (Rajat Kapoor) meets a girl half his age at a film festival party. Through the course of the night she reminds him of all the women in his life, from lovers to wives to actresses.

"'''17 Presents'''" (Directed by Hemant Gaba)
*[[Anshuman Jha]]
*[[Piaa Bajpai]]
Synopsis: When K (Anshuman Jha) was still in school, he had a girlfriend named Shireen, who had showered him with gifts on his birthday but he was uncomfortable in being physically intimate with her.

"'''Oysters'''" (Directed by [[Anu Menon]])
*Gabriella Schmidt
*Dev Sagoo
*Nabeel Qayyum
Synopsis: K (Dev Sagoo) was secretly filming a woman (Gabriella Schmidt) in London who turned out to be the mistress of the producer (Nabeel Qayyum) he was pitching his script to.

"'''Biryani'''" (Directed by [[Rajshree Ojha]])
*[[Rajat Kapoor]]
*[[Radhika Apte]]
Synopsis: K's (Rajat Kapoor) wife Rija (Radhika Apte) tells him over a dinner at home that she knows he has been having an affair with his actress and she has gone ahead and aborted their baby.

"'''8 to 8'''" (Directed by [[Pratim D. Gupta]])
*[[Parno Mittra]]
*[[Usha Uthup]]
*Ronodeep Bose
Synopsis: A young K's (Ronodeep Bose) first job was in Kolkata where he was allowed to stay as a paying guest in landlady Mrs Baker's (Usha Uthup) room only from 8am to 8pm. Shiuli (Parno Mittra) stayed in the same room from 8pm to 8am and the two fall in love through the poems they write to each other.

"'''Ice Maid'''" (Directed by [[Qaushiq Mukherjee|Q]])
*[[Rajat Kapoor]]
*[[Rii Sen]]
Synopsis: K (Rajat Kapoor) has a writer's block and he spikes the drinks of his maid Basanti (Rii Sen) and himself, resulting in a hallucinogenic trip where Chandramukhi and Paro are played by the same woman (Rii).

"'''Fin'''" (Directed by Sandeep Mohan)
*[[Anshuman Jha]]
*[[Richa Shukla]]
Synopsis: K (Anshuman Jha) has a flirtatious rendezvous with a girl named Sanjana (Richa Shukla) in California where he had gone to show one of his films.

"'''Audition'''" (Directed by Abhinav Shiv Tiwari)
*[[Rajat Kapoor]]
*[[Bidita Bag]]
*[[Pooja Ruparel]]
Synopsis: K (Rajat Kapoor) is caught between his mistress, the ageing actress Ayesha (Pooja Ruparel), and the new actress he wants to cast (Bidita Bag).

"'''Yaadein'''" (Directed by Suparn Verma)
*[[Rajat Kapoor]]
*[[Radhika Apte]]
*[[Neha Mahajan]]
Synopsis: K (Rajat Kapoor) has nightmares about a car accident when he was driving with a pregnant woman named Avantika (Neha Mahajan).

"'''Knot'''" (Directed by Raja Sen)
*[[Anshuman Jha]]
*[[Huma Qureshi]]
Synopsis: The young K (Anshuman Jha) has a mock interview done by his lover Veena (Huma Qureshi) who really puts him in a spot.

"'''Summer Holiday'''" (Directed by [[Nalan Kumarasamy]])
*[[Anshuman Jha]]
*[[Swara Bhaskar]]
*[[Yog Japee]]
Synopsis: When K (Anshuman Jha) was really young, he had gone to south India where he was seduced by Aunty (Swara Bhaskar) so that her husband (Yog Japee) can rape him.

==Cast==
* [[Rajat Kapoor]] /[[Anshuman Jha]] / Ronodeep Bose / Dev Sagoo as K
* [[Huma Qureshi]] as Veena
* [[Swara Bhaskar]] as Aunty
* [[Radhika Apte]] as Rija
* [[Piaa Bajpai]] as Shireen
* [[Usha Uthup]] as Mrs Baker
* [[Neha Mahajan]] as Avantika
* [[Rii Sen]] as Basanti
* [[Aditi Chengappa]] as Aastha
* [[Bidita Bag]] as Heena
* Gabriella Schmidt
* [[Parno Mittra]] as Shiuli
* [[Pooja Ruparel]] as Ayesha
* [[Richa Moorjani]] as Sanjana
* Hagupreet Singh
* [[Yog Japee]] as Aunty's husband

==Production==
In May 2013, it was announced that eleven filmmakers from different parts of India had come together to make one single film,<ref>{{cite web|author=Tue, 14 May 2013 Rate Story |url=http://www.filmfare.com/news/11-directors-come-together-3140.html |title=11 directors come together |publisher=Filmfare.com |date=2013-05-14 |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> with the directors stressing that the film was not an [[anthology]],<ref name="Rediff.com"/> but one whole story with the eleven directors making sections of it.<ref name="indiatimes2"/> The film's basic plotline was quoted as "''X- Past is Present'' is a filmmaker’s journey through his past encounters with his 10 ex-girlfriends as he spends one surreal, unforgettable night at a film festival after he meets a mysterious girl who intriguingly seems to have something to do with every woman in his life".<ref>{{cite web|author=Ip Man |url=http://twitchfilm.com/2013/05/indias-craziest-young-talent-joins-forces-for-x-the-film.html |title=India's Craziest Young Talent Joins Forces For X THE FILM | Twitch |publisher=Twitchfilm.com |date=2013-05-14 |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> The idea came from film critic [[Sudhish Kamath]]<ref name="indiatimes2"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/entertainment/bollywood/Collaborations-catching-on/articleshow/20581241.cms |title=Collaboration's catching on |publisher=Mumbai Mirror |date=2013-06-14 |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> when he was at The Goa Project held in March. He wanted to shoot a film during the event itself but as he could not because of lack of funds and time he "decided to take the idea forward and make it bigger in scope". He met Shiladitya Bora at the event, who accepted to be the film's executive producer.<ref name="indianexpress1">{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/eleven-for-one/1120926/0#sthash.aTazFoSt.dpuf |title=Eleven for One |publisher=Indian Express |date=2013-05-27 |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref>

Kamath was also instrumental in getting the directors together.<ref name="indianexpress1"/> The eleven directors who came on board were Abhinav Shiv Tiwari (''Oass''), [[Anu Menon]] (''[[London, Paris, New York]]''), Hemant Gaba (''[[Shuttlecock Boys]]''), [[Pratim D. Gupta]] (''[[Paanch Adhyay]]''), [[Qaushiq Mukherjee]] (''[[Gandu (film)|Gandu]]''), Raja Sen (film critic), [[Rajshree Ojha]] (''[[Aisha (2010 film)|Aisha]]''), Sandeep Mohan (''Love, Wrinkle Free''), Sudhish Kamath (''[[Good Night Good Morning]]''), Suparn Verma (''Aatma'') and [[Thiagarajan Kumararaja]] (''[[Aaranya Kaandam]]'') who had written individual segments and would direct them themselves.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://postnoon.com/2013/05/15/x-the-film-from-indian-cinemas-xi/125360 |title=X: The film from Indian Cinema's XI |publisher=Postnoon |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> The filmmakers met in Mumbai in early May to lock their segments after six-weeks long online interactions and discussions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bollyspice.com/59491/x-one-film-11-directors |title='X'-One film-11 Directors |publisher=BollySpice |date=2013-05-17 |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> Due to Thiyagarajan Kumararaja's unavailability,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/entertainment/bollywood/Gautham-is-the-eleventh-man/articleshow/20967570.cms |title=Gautham is the eleventh man |publisher=Mumbai Mirror |date=2013-07-08 |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> Gautham Menon agreed to direct his script.<ref>{{cite web|author=TNN 9 Jul 2013, 11.44AM IST |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-09/news-interviews/40468904_1_gautham-menon-sandeep-mohan-thiagarajan-kumararaja |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130713103914/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-09/news-interviews/40468904_1_gautham-menon-sandeep-mohan-thiagarajan-kumararaja |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-07-13 |title=Gautham Menon is the eleventh man |date=2013-07-09 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> However, in November 2013 it was reported that Menon was also out of the project, although he had started shooting his part in July in [[Pondicherry|Puducherry]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130712034033/http://www.sify.com/movies/gautham-menon-starts-shooting-in-pudhuchery-news-tamil-nhjkIncfcdf.html Gautham Menon starts shooting in Pudhuchery!]</ref> and Nalan Kumarasamy, director of ''[[Soodhu Kavvum]]'' subsequently replaced him to direct Kumararaja's segment.<ref>[http://behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-13/nalan-kumarasamy-to-direct-a-segment-in-x-the-film-instead-of-gautham-menon.html Nalan Kumarasamy to direct a segment in X the film, instead of Gautham Menon]</ref>

[[Rajat Kapoor]] was signed as the lead actor, with the eleven segments revolving around his character K, while twelve actresses would play the female leads in each segment, with one segment featuring two female characters. [[Aditi Chengappa]] played the lead in the part directed by Sudhish Kamath.<ref name="indiatimes1"/> Suparn Verma started and finished shooting for his track in August with [[Radhika Apte]] and Neha Mahajan being part of his part.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-29/news-interviews/41579855_1_aatma-glasses-suparn-verma |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004220329/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-29/news-interviews/41579855_1_aatma-glasses-suparn-verma |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-10-04 |work=[[The Times of India]] |title=Aatma director wants Q's red glasses |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> [[Piaa Bajpai]] was signed for the part by Hemant Gaba,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2013-08-17/Game-for-experimenting-69541 |title=Game for Experimenting : Piaa Bajpai |publisher=The Hans India |date=2013-02-22 |access-date=2013-09-06}}</ref> while Raja Sen selected [[Huma Qureshi]] for his part of the film.<ref name="Huma Qureshi in X The Film">{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-09-30/news-interviews/42503397_1_anshuman-jha-rajat-kapoor-huma-qureshi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003042002/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-09-30/news-interviews/42503397_1_anshuman-jha-rajat-kapoor-huma-qureshi |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-10-03 |title=Huma Qureshi in X The Film |date=2013-09-30 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2013-09-30}}</ref> [[Swara Bhaskar]] was part of the segment directed by Tamil director Nalan Kumaraswamy, with the actress stating that she shot for four days at Koovathur near Chennai.<ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/constitutionally-speaking/article5758146.ece Constitutionally speaking – Bangalore – The Hindu]</ref> [[Anshuman Jha]] was cast as the younger Rajat Kapoor and is part of Raja Sen, Hemant Gaba and Kumararaja's segments.<ref name="Huma Qureshi in X The Film"/>

==Release==
''X- Past is Present'' premiered as the opening film of the 2014 South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF).<ref>[http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/honoured-that-x-will-open-saiff-sudhish-kamath_1488834.html Honoured that 'X' will open SAIFF: Sudhish Kamath | Zee News]</ref> After doing the rounds of various international film festivals, ''X- Past is Present'' released in India on 20 November 2015.<ref>[http://www.koimoi.com/videos/check-out-x-past-is-present-official-trailer/ Check Out : ‘X: Past Is Present’ Official Trailer]</ref>

==Critical response==
''X- Past is Present'' opened to mixed reviews. Some critics found the structure novel, while some found it too complicated.

Josh Hurtado of [[Twitch Film]] rated X "among the most poignant love stories... in recent years."<ref>{{cite web|title=Twitch Film|url=http://twitchfilm.com/2014/11/saiff-2014-review-x---the-past-is-present-is-an-experimental-romance-omnibus-worth-exploring.html#ixzz3tlc6S5O3|publisher=Twitch Film|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref>

Navamy Sudhish of [[The New Indian Express]] who reviewed the film during the India premiere at the [[International Film Festival of Kerala]] wrote: "A rear-view narrative that brings together 11 confidently executed episodes, the film weaves on screen a fresh cinematic syntax"<ref>{{cite web|title=The New Indian Express|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/A-Brilliant-Tapestry/2014/12/17/article2574683.ece|publisher=The New Indian Express|access-date=17 December 2014}}</ref>

[[Subhash K. Jha]] gave the film 4/5 stars stating, "an audacious experimental film".

[[Namrata Joshi]] of [[The Hindu]] gave the film 3/5 and wrote: "There is a big idea here, which gets communicated to the viewer at times and eludes at others."<ref>{{cite web|title=The Hindu|website=[[The Hindu]] |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-reviews/x-past-is-present-the-film-belongs-to-its-women/article7897581.ece|access-date=21 November 2015}}</ref>

Sweta Kaushal of [[Hindustan Times]] gave the film 3/5 and called it "a heady, abstract mix of the different ways sex and love can be seen. The film is a philosophical take on human life, how we are mostly the sum total of the people in our lives." She particularly raved the segments by [[Pratim D. Gupta]] and Nalan Kumaraswamy mentioning "While the Kolkata love story is the quintessential unrequited romance where the duo doesn’t even meet and connects just through poetry, the south Indian love story defines when and where K began running from people — his mistrust and his fear of opening up to people all find root in this one story."<ref>{{cite web|title=Hindustan Times|date=20 November 2015 |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/x-past-is-present-review-an-intriguing-narrative/story-rDdNeIFkglR6HcEGyXec3O.html|publisher=Hindustan Times|access-date=21 November 2015}}</ref>

Shubha Shetty of [[Mid-day]] gave the film 3/5 and called it "a fascinating amalgamation of a lot many flavours of varied personalities."<ref>{{cite web|title=Mid-day|date=20 November 2015 |url=http://www.mid-day.com/articles/x-past-is-present---movie-review/16700150#sthash.vEZeK7ah.dpuf|publisher=Mid-day|access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref>

Saibal Chatterjee of [[NDTV]] gave the film 3/5 and wrote "a cinematic pastiche that represents as audacious a leap into the unknown" that "lands firmly on its feet and keeps its balance."<ref>{{cite web|title=NDTV Movies|url=http://movies.ndtv.com/movie-reviews/x-past-is-present-movie-review-1206|publisher=NDTV|access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref>

Nonika Singh of [[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] gave the film 2.5/5 and wrote that "all 11 individually directed segments blend seamlessly" and "reveal many layers of complex web of human relationship"<ref>{{cite web|title=The Tribune|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/movie-reviews/many-shades-of-love-lust-and-grey/160690.html|access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref>

Mohar Basu of [[The Times of India]] gave the film 2/5 calling it "a bizarre, underwhelming hotch-potch". She singled out the segment by [[Pratim D. Gupta]] as the one that stands out saying, "None of the other plots quite condense the idea of love so deeply. Though all stories are about unrequited love, this one feels the most complete one of the lot."<ref>{{cite web|title=The Times of India|website=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/X-Past-Is-Present/movie-review/49856265.cms|access-date=21 November 2015}}</ref>

Shubhra Gupta of [[Indian Express]] slammed the film writing that it is "a disjointed stutter, rather than a seamless progression, its backing-and-forthing more choppy and confusing than anything else."

Film critics Raja Sen and [[Sudhish Kamath]] who are among the 11 directors did a reading of the bad reviews of the film to celebrate the spirit of criticism.<ref>{{cite web|title=YouTube| website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYoiKqOeQgc}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|5207116}}

[[Category:2015 films]]
[[Category:English-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Chennai]]
[[Category:Indian anthology films]]
[[Category:2010s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Qaushiq Mukherjee]]

X: Past Is Present - Revision history

Pankaj Kumar (Actor): general refined intro for accuracy and added references for accuracy

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article