Utsav

Utsav (Hindi: उत्सव; English: Festival) is a 1984 Hindi erotic drama film, produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad. The film is based on play Mrichakatika (The Little Clay Cart) by Śūdraka. It was filmed in Hindi and English simultaneously, the post-production work of latter version was done in London.

The film stars Shankar Nag, Shashi Kapoor, Rekha, Amjad Khan, Anuradha Patel, Shekhar Suman, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Annu Kapoor, Sanjana Kapoor and Kunal Kapoor.

The role of Samsthanak is played by Shashi Kapoor, who is also the producer of the movie. It was originally supposed to be played by Amitabh Bachchan. However, in July 1982, Bachchan met with a major accident in Bangalore. So the producer himself decided to step in. The film's music is by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and is noted for its songs like, 'Man Kyun Behka Re Behka Aadhi Raat Ko', a famous duet song by sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Anuradha Paudwal's 'Mere Man Baja Mridang' for which she won the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award in 1985. Suresh Wadkar also has a song, 'Sanjh Dhale Gagan Tale'. The Central Board of Film Certification of India gave the film an "A" certificate on 23 August 1984.

Overview

The film is an adaptation of ' (The Little Clay Cart), a ten-act Sanskrit drama attributed to Śūdraka, an ancient playwright generally thought to have lived sometime between the second century BC and the fifth century AD. The prologue identifies him as a Kshatriya king and a devotee of Siva who lived for a 100 years. The play is set in the ancient city of Ujjayini during the reign of the King Pālaka, near the end of the Pradyota dynasty that made up the first quarter of the fifth century BC.