***Contains some SPOILERS***
Junoon is Shyam Benegal's adaptation of author Ruskin Bond's novel, Flight of the Pigeons, about the interaction between an English mother and daughter and an Indian nawab during the Indian revolt of 1857. Shashi Kapoor is the local feudal nawab married to Shabana Azmi, and his brother-in-law,played by Naseeruddin Shah, hates the British.
The movie captures the segregation of the English and Indian people, which was partially responsible for the mutiny and subsequent revolt against the English. The movie is a muted love story between the nawab and the English girl, played by Nafisa Ali. The nawab and his retainers kill members of the English cantonment but the girl and her mother survive at the nawab's mercy. He falls for the girl but her mother prevails upon him to wait for a clearer resolution of the ongoing war.
Superb acting, photography and costumes/sets mark this 1977 film. My favorite scenes are the charge by Indian cavalry against the British and the one where Naseeruddin Shah reveals that the rebels have lost Delhi. His "Ham Dilli haar gaye (we have lost Delhi)!!" is a heartfelt lament that underscores the significance of the event and his own acting prowess.
A must see for anyone who is interested in India.
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