Paanch to see light of Day

Anurag Kashyap's Paanch which has been mired in controversies with the Censor Board for its violent moments, is finally going to reach audiences as the closing film of Cinefan 2003.

FIVE
Original Title:Paanch
India, 2003
Director: Anurag Kashyap

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This is the story of five members of a band called 'Parasites'. They are tough young men, all rebels, living on the margins of society. Their home is a grubby godown in a Mumbai slum.

This is where they spend much of their time, sleeping, smoking hash, joking, fighting and surviving failure. Only occasionally do they get an opportunity to play. One day, a man claiming to represent a music company gives them dreams of making it big. But for the dream to come true they need money.

They decide to 'kidnap' one among them whose father is wealthy. What begins as an innocent scheme to make money suddenly goes out of hand and the story thereafter spirals downwards into betrayal, violence and death.

Screenplay:
Anurag Kashyap

Editing:
Aarti Bajaj

Cinematography:
N. Nataraja Subramanium

Music:
Vishal Bhardwaj

Principal cast:
Kay Kay, Aditya Shrivastava, Joy Fernandes, Vijay Maurya, Tejaswani Kolhapure

Production: Padmini Tele-Media Ltd / 35mm / colour / 120 mins.

Director's bio-note:
Anurag Kashyap joined the theatre group Janam in 1992, went on to work with Prithvi Theatre, and began his career with a play, Mai. He has written Satya, Shool, Kaun, Jayate, the dialogues for Deepa Mehta’s (almost shelved) Water as well as a television episode called for Last Train to Mahakali for Star TV.

Satya received the Best Screenplay award from Screen Videocon and Shool won the National Award for the Best Hindi Film in 2000. With Paanch Kashyap makes his debut as director.