Beyond the Clouds is a 2017 Indian drama film written and directed by Majid Majidi, under the production banner Zee Studios. It stars debutante Ishaan Khatter as Amir, a street hustler and drug dealer in the city of Mumbai. Malavika Mohanan as Tara, is the sister of Amir. She works for a dour merchant Akshi (Gautam Ghose). The film story is centred around bonding between the siblings, a take on human relationships in general. The sibling's bond is put to test when Tara lands in jail for a crime committed by Amir which forms the crux of the film. The film is a grown-up version of Majidi's previously directed Children of Heaven (1997). The original language of Beyond the Clouds is Hindi.
| Beyond The Clouds | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Majid Majidi |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Majid Majidi |
| Starring |
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| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Cinematography | Anil Mehta |
| Edited by | Hassan Hassandoost |
Production company |
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| Distributed by | Zee Studios |
Release date |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
The casting for the project began in August 2016, with principal photography commencing from January 2017 in Mumbai, continued in Sambhar near Jaipur and concluded in Mumbai on May 6, 2017. Prior to theatrical release, the film premiered at International Film Festivals between October 2017 to February 2018. It was screened at International Film Festival of India on November 20, 2017. Beyond the Clouds is the second collaboration between Majid Majidi and film score composer A. R. Rahman, after Muhammad: The Messenger of God (2015).
The film released in India on April 20, 2018 to generally positive reviews. The film was praised for the performances of the lead characters and cinematography, but criticised for the direction, film score and a predictable story-line.
Contents
Plot
The film begins with Aamir (Ishaan Khatter), a young man who lives under a road bridge where numerous impoverished families live, grabbing a bike and carrying out a series of drug deliveries all over the city.
A police bust interrupts Aamir, who is chased into the laundry workplace of Aamir’s sister Taara (Malavika Mohanan). With the help of an older male colleague Akshi (Goutam Ghose), Taara conceals her brother and his stash of drugs. But in Akshi’s mind, his help means that Taara is now somehow beholden to him. He assaults her, but Taara defends herself by hitting his head with a rock.
Taara finds herself facing life in prison, unless Akshi recovers and can be persuaded to admit his role in the incident. But although he regains consciousness, Akshi is unable to talk. Both Taara and Aamir find hope in their desperate situation through connections with other children. Taara befriends Chotu, the child of an ailing prisoner, while Aamir initially considers selling Akshi's eldest daughter to a local brothel. But Aamir grudgingly warms to Akshi’s mother and two daughters.
Cast
- Ishaan Khatter as Amir
- Malavika Mohanan as Tara
- G. V. Sharada as Jhumpa
- Gautam Ghose as Akshi
- Tannishtha Chatterjee as Chotu's mom
- Dhwani Rajesh as Tanisha
- Amruta Santosh Thakur as Asha
- Shivam Pujari as Chotu
- Heeba Shah as Head nurse
Production
Development
In August 2016, director Majid Majidi landed in Mumbai for a reconnaissance. He met the casting director Honey Trehan, who stated that the film will be an Indian story to be shot in Mumbai, Delhi, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kashmir. Trehan was told to scout at least eight to ten of the principal characters drawn from across the country. A. R. Rahman's inclusion in the project was confirmed. In an interview with The Hindu, Majidi stated, "It is the story of a brother and sister, just like that of Children of Heaven (1997), with the difference being that the siblings are grown-ups and tackle greater conflicts, with the bustling city of Mumbai serving as the backdrop."
In November 2016, photographs of actress Deepika Padukone were published through Deccan Chronicle where the she was seen participating in a day long shoot for Majid Majidi's next untitled project that reported by the media by the titles Floating Gardens and Kashmir Afloat. The screen test was conducted to gauge whether the actor's look suited a prime character. Further, it was reported that Ishaan Khatter would be debuting as a lead through the film.
A conference held in Mumbai on 23 January 2017, the film was officially titled "Beyond the Clouds". Majidi stated the film will be in Hindi language. Ishaan Khatter was confirmed to play the male lead. On departure of Padukone from the project, Majidi reasoned that Padukone wasn't fitting for this film and his team decided not to opt for a mixture of experienced and new faces but either of the two (experienced or new faces), thus, settling for an all new star cast. Kangana Ranaut rejected the offered role citing it as submissive. Majidi stated: "Beyond the Clouds could have been set anywhere in the world, but it also needed to be located in India. India gave me the proper feeling I had envisaged for the story.” Malavika Mohanan was roped in to play the role of the female lead in March 2017. Khatter and Mohanan share were reported to play the roles of siblings in the film. Mohanan plays the character Tara, a poor girl from a dhobi ghat.
Filming
Principal photography commenced without a lead female on 23 January 2017. Filming continued in Mumbai in February 2017. In March 2017, the film began with its Jaipur schedule. A film set resembling slums of Mumbai was reconstructed at Sambhar, Rajasthan. It was in this scheduled when Malavika Mohanan joined to play the lead female role. In April, scenes were filmed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. The last shot of the film was canned at a street sequence at Filmistan Studio in Mumbai. Ninety percent of the film was shot on outdoor locations. The filming was completed on 6 May 2017.
Talking about the filming, Majidi said: "Filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, whose work I adore, have represented India's culture, rich heritage and the lives of common people to a global audience. These visions and images have stayed in my mind for years and cajoled me to make a film in India. Finally, I'm in Mumbai with a lovely team to narrate a story woven around the lives of common people".
Soundtrack
| Beyond the Clouds | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman | ||||
| Released |
2 April 2018 (CD) 30 May 2018 (Vinyl) | |||
| Studio |
2017-18 Panchathan Record Inn and AM Studios, Chennai A. R. Studios, Mumbai | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 36:59 | |||
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| Producer | A. R. Rahman | |||
| A. R. Rahman chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Beyond the Clouds | ||||
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The film score and soundtrack album is written and composed by A. R. Rahman. The track "Ey Chhote Motor Chala" was the first single. The song portrays into the life of character Amir (played by Ishaan Khatter).
Glenn Kenny of The New York Times stated: "But persistent sentimentality — manifested most in the music score by A.R. Rahman — undercuts “Beyond the Clouds” at almost every turn." While reviewing the score for Variety, the critic Guy Lodge noted that the score deserves its own directorial credit but it passes to push Rahman's Slumdog Millionaire vibes especially the sequence where the male protagonist is introduced in the process of a drug deal, lithely weaving, hitching and jay-running his way across a traffic-clogged Mumbai as he makes multiple drops and pickups. Second scene, where an ebullient interlude of car-top dancing (referring to 1993 track Muqabla) is disrupted by a police bust and ensuing chase, before he finally finds shelter in the laundry where his estranged older sister Tara (played Malavika Mohanan) works.
Devarsi Ghosh of Scroll Magazine stated: "The AR Rahman-Majid Majidi combo fails to lift the spirits, to the extent that not a single tune from AR Rahman’s score for Majid Majidi’s Beyond The Clouds is likely to stay with the listener beyond five minutes, forget a day. " Debarati Sen of The Times of India stated: "Rahman’s score for this film is replete with a tad bit overused orchestral compositions, that are invariably reminiscent of his earlier creations."Komal Nahta stated: "A.R. Rahman’s music score is good but his background score is superb. M.C. Heam’s rap lyrics are fine."Filmfare based critic Devesh Sharma stated: "AR Rahman's background score isn't intrusive but subtly adds to the proceedings." Umesh Punwani of Koimoi noted: "A.R. Rahman juices up the situations to create a blend of music going with the narration. One special mention that highlights the greatness of this maestro is, in a chase sequence he decides to go with a fast-paced Tabla and Sitar; the combo takes the scene to another level."[30] Critic Anupama Chopra mentioned: "A. R. Rahman’s soundtrack further underlines every note. Subtlety is not this film’s strong point."[31] Critic Rajeev Masand pointed that the score by A. R. Rahman is a very familiar one.[32]
Track listing
Credits adapted from A. R. Rahman's official website.[33]
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