A.R.Rahman: Roja (1992)

Movie: Roja (1992)

Cast: Arvind Swamy, Madhoo, Pankaj Kapoor, Nasser, Janagarej
Director: Mani Ratnam
Producer: Mani Ratnam & K. Balanchandar
Music: A.R. Rahman
Running time 137 mins

Roja (1992) is a Tamil film directed by Mani Ratnam. The movie was subsequently dubbed in other Indian languages, catapulting Mani Ratnam to national acclaim. This film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman, who debuted in this movie. This soundtrack is among the All Time Top 10 soundtracks listed by TIME magazine, issued in 2005.

Roja was dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, and Telugu. The film was recently re-released for international audiences in light of the growing fear of terrorist attacks the world over. It is considered as the one of the best films from Indian film industry stable from the 90s.

Movie Info:

Roja revolves around one Man's love for his motherland and a wife's unfailing love for her husband. Roja (Madhoo) is a village girl, born and brought up in Sundarapandianpuram in Tirunelveli district in Southern Tamil Nadu. She prays that the handsome suitor and top cryptologist Rishi (Arvind Swamy), arriving in the village soon, accepts a proposal to get married to her sister. It soon emerges that Roja's sister is in love with another, and to everyone's surprise Rishi requests Roja's hand in marriage. Roja gets married to Rishi, and the couple move out of the village to live in the city. They both fall in love here, and settle down. Working for the Indian Government, Rishi is assigned a posting at an army communications center in Kashmir. Roja's world is shattered when Rishi is abducted by militant Kashmiri separatists who demand the release of their terrorist leader Wasim Khan from prison, held by Indian military forces. Roja pleads with politicians and the military for help, but she has little success. The film is set against the backdrop of the longstanding struggle between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, an issue that is still in the melting pot.