October is a big month for Indian film. First we have
Enthiran opening on the 1st officially,
Ramayana: The Epic on the 15th,
Hisss and new film to my eyes,
Allah Ke Bandey on the 22nd. Here is the official word:
Allah Ke Banday tells the tale of two 12 year old boys (Vijay and Yakub) who grow up in the slums of India. Wanting to make a name for themselves in the mafia world, they star delivering drugs and loot people with the help of their transvestite friend.
Things go wrong when they are sent to a juvenile reformatory after being wrongly convicted for a murder. They learn life is much tougher in the reformatory than the world they came from. They are tortured by the warden and senior inmates. But instead of reforming they develop a more sinister plan in their quest for ultimate power.
At 23, they are released and they start a gang with teenage boys from the slums where they were born. Unexpected events force the two men to decide between redemption and their quest for power. Will they find redemption, if so, at what price?
Crime films are nothing new in Indian film, but the interesting thing for me is the inclusion of the children's story, In fact, the subtitle of the film is
Children at War, is this an attempt to capitalize on the Slumdog effect? Who knows, I do know that the film has one big champion, its 28 year old writer/director/star, Faruk Kabir. I can't find much on this guy, knowing Indian film, he could be someone's son or nephew, but I can't find that info. If he has made this film sans nepotism, it would be a miracle for a kid that young.
The cast is nothing to sneeze at, either. Veteran big name Hindi actor, Sharman Joshi is in the main role of Vijay, while Kabir acts opposite him as Faruk. Also on board is legendary international actor Naseeruddin Shah of
Monsoon Wedding,
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and dozens of Indian productions. Pretty solid for a debut film from such a young filmmaker in India. The trailer is solid, and the first music promo isn't bad either. Check out the
Sin City inspired promo for "Maula".