sunny shri I just saw this film in a preview for the SF Film Society, and was deeply moved by it. It was masterful storytelling combining a deeply personal search for identity with a historical retelling of a national disgrace. As others have commented, I too was in North India till 1985 (Delhi & Kanpur) and even being so close, I was unaware of the extent of the atrocities and the deep complicity of the government till I saw this movie. This really is an unexplored chapter in Indian history in the media, compared to the many films about Hindu-Muslim riots such as Bombay, Mr & Ms Iyer, Hey Ram etc and kudos to Shonali Bose for exploring this issue. But it was also the small but exquisite touches that touched a chord in me. Others have complained that Khanna seems too wooden, but he reminds me of people I have known at college in Delhi (including perhaps myself), and a couple of scenes between him and Sen Sharma portray a deep intimacy without the unrealistic physical displays too often seen in other Indian movies. And the relationships between the family members seemed very real to me - the affection between mother and daughter and between mother and grandmother was touching and palpable. And yes, the pace seems slow at first, but the build up is terrific (although the music during the opening scenes could do with a little less of the dramatic bass undertones) and the scenes at the dhaba and in the jhuggis are first rate, as is the portrayal of Gobind by Yashpal Sharma. Overall, this film is a must-see for anyone interested in Indian cinema and in Indian history.

Rajika First of all it's a delight to watch such unselfconscious acting and to hear English (and Hindi, Bengali) spoken so naturally. First time director Shobnali Bose elicits wonderful performances from most of her cast - many of whom are 'non-actors'. The script, too, is deliciously funny in parts, which off-sets well with the powerful and serious message underlying the film. The locations chosen capture the actual places represented so that the whole has the verisimilitude of a documentary film, even while the spectator is drawn into the lives of the characters whose stories are being told. All in all a very satisfying film, and a great debut.

Jamester I have to say, I was initially not looking forward to this movie based on the lose plot line I had seen, but having seen in, I'm glad I did. While there were a few rough spots, there were a lot of redeeming qualities for this which makes this movie worth seeing.For example, the historical look at an assassination in is done very indirectly by examining the life of one family. There is suspense, some interesting flashbacks, as well as some plot development which moves on reasonably nicely, with fairly good acting.I think there were definitely points in the acting or possibly editing that would smooth out the transitions and increase the believability of the movie, but it is fairly easy to look beyond this after the plot line pulls you in.The courage in telling this story is what is the most important part of this movie. This was good general knowledge information for me on a slice of Indian history as well as an entertaining tale on surrounding an important historical event.

ajaysaxena1960 i have never written a review but felt obligated to after watching this film. i had heard very nice things about this movie but was surprised how disappointed i felt leaving the cinema. one question, why cast Indian girl for nri Indian? she had the accent down, but still - aren't there talented actors from America? also, who is the horrible guy playing kabir. he is awful! he spoils so many scenes of the film.the mother brinda karat is good as is yashpal sharma from lagaan. the film seems to catering to outside Indians and somehow loses the effect of being powerful for the Indian audience and the outside Indian audience.i must admit i thought the flashback scenes were powerful. director bose is promising but she should never write again. the dialogue is pretentious and the impact is minimal. still, she extracts competent performances with those restrictions.the music is okay and the production value is decent. the riots had so much history and i was waiting for a film other than trash like hawayein to offer justice and honesty to what transpired back then. amu offers a glimpse and that's it. i wish the entire film was the flashbacks - it had the chance to make intelligent powerful cinema without the forced formula.in the end, amu may be made with heart but the result is heartless for the audience.