Film Synopsis: MOHANDAS

Meghna Sengupta , a correspondent working at a news channel in New Delhi, one day receives a videotape from a remote place in Madhya Pradesh, Anuppur. On the tape, a battered young man claims to be the real Mohandas and alleges that someone else has stolen his identity.

Someone else is living as 'Mohandas'.

Intrigued by what looks like an unusual small-town scam, Meghna makes a trip to Anuppur. There, she unearths a more harrowing and surreal story. Mohandas is a topper in studies from the poor community of basket-weavers and is overjoyed at long last when he is selected for a good white-collar post in Oriental Coal Mines. But he is kept waiting and waiting to actually get the job. Long afterwards, when he has given up and reconciled to it, he learns that someone else has assumed his name and has already taken his job! When he rushes to protest, he is beaten up and thrown out.

Meghna places this story in the media. Harshvardhan, a lawyer from the district, takes this case of stolen identity to court with the intention of hauling up the usurper; with more bizarre results.

Irony and satire run as undercurrents as the film plumbs the absurd levels to which democratic institutions can be manipulated today. It is also an allegory of how a fake identity displaces the real one in contemporary times.

The film is a Kafkaesque tale of identity theft that becomes a searing indictment of bureaucratic corruption and conspiracy.

The music of the film Mohandas, produced by Vertika Films Pvt Ltd, is by Vivek Priyadarshan.

The album has 5 original tracks and 2 remix versions.

1. Apni Khoyi Hui Pahchan - Kailesh Kher
2. Nadi Mein Ye Chanda - Alka Yagnik, Shaan
3. Bol Tu Kaun Hai Be - Kunal Ganjawala
4. Kaho Na Kaho Aise Batiya - Sunidhi Chauhan
5. Bol Tu Kaun Hai Be-Remix - Kunal Ganjawala
6. Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar (Remix) - Sona Mohapatra/Kunal Ganjawala
7. Fareb - Sunidhi Chauhan
8. Whats Up Dance Mix - Sunidhi Chauhan/Raaj/Mansoor Alam(Remix)

Bol Tu Kaun Hai
This is the lead song of the film sung by Kunal Ganjawala. The musical arrangement is such that while it reflects the rooted
feeling, it is yet pacy and contemporary. Nitin Shankar, the accomplished composer who leads Asha Bhonsle's band, has arranged the rhythms section. The lyrics, by Vinod Kumar Sonakia, are very powerful and reflect a young person's thirst to find an identity for himself in society. The language is direct and street-smart. It has the potential to catch on rapidly and will be promoted extensively through all channels—radio and electronic media.

Nadi Main Chanda
This is a soulful and deeply romantic song . The music too has a classic timeless appeal. It has been rendered by Alka Yagnik and Shaan. The lyrics, written by Hindi poet Yash Malviya, have a simplicity that is very appealing.

Apni Khoi Hui Pehchaan
This is the most hauntingly emotional song of the film. Kailash Kher, an accomplished artiste in every sense, has given this song his deeply moving rendition that one cannot escape being captivated by. It will tug at the heart of every listener. Epic in its scope, it has been sensitively used in the film at the climax and visualised against landscapes of matching epic proportions. The song takes the film viewer to another plane by its profound words.

Bol Tu Kaun Hai- Remix
A remix version of the same song earlier in the album, this is designed to appeal to more hip listeners. The lyrics, interpreted in a rap-like manner, remain just as effective.

MOHANDAS is the acclaimed directorial debut of Mazhar Kamran, cinematographer of many successful films such as Satya, Kaun, Jhankaar Beats and Masti.

The film has been critically acclaimed and has been officially selected at many prestigious film festivals across the world, notably the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival USA, the 23rd Fribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland and the 18th Innsbruck International Film Festival, Austria.

But unlike films which are shown at film festivals MOHANDAS does not try to follow European or Hollywood traditions. It has been made as an Indian film for our audiences, with background songs. For the director, the Indian film music tradition is a tradition he respects and wants to continue with. It may perhaps be the first time that an Indian film with songs has also found acceptance as serious cinema at forums like international film festivals.

The story of the film is about stolen identity. A young man called MOHANDAS discovers one day that his name has been 'stolen'—someone else is working as him! This soon unravels into a bizarre tale of trying to prove that he is the real MOHANDAS and that the other one is a fake.

Principal Cast of the film : Sonali Kulkarni, Nakul Vaid, Sushant Singh, Sharbani Mukherji

MOHANDAS releases in cinemas accross India on 14th August 2009.