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Ishanou

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Also known as The Chosen One

Ishanou (English: The Chosen One) is a 1990 Indian Manipuri film written by M. K. Binodini Devi and directed by Aribam Syam Sharma. The movie stars Anoubam Kiranmala and Kangabam Tomba in the lead roles. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. In 2023, it was recognised as a "World Classic" by the Cannes Film Festival 2023 and it was the only film selected from India for the event for that year. The movie was first aired in Doordarshan and later released in Usha Cinema, Paona Bazar on 6 July 1990.

Film · TMDB

7.1

This Manipuri drama opens as a happy young couple are preparing for an ear-piercing ceremony for their first child, a daughter. This is an important custom in their region of India, signifying the beginning of a responsible stage in life. Things go awry when the wife begins talking to flowers, singing odd songs, and having fits. In fact, the fits get so violent that she has to be physically restrained and tied down to prevent her from hurting herself. It eventually emerges that she has been chosen by a spirit which is special to a particular religious cult, the Meibis. Things proceed swiftly with her new, unsought, allegiance as she makes contact with the cult and its leader and prepares to leave her heartsick husband and child behind.

Released: 1990-12-0791 minDir: Aribam Syam SharmaDrama

Cast

  • Anoubam Kiranmala as Tampha
  • Kangabam Tomba as Dhanabir
  • Baby Molly
  • Manbi
  • Dhiren
  • Tara

Themes

  • family

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Ratings

IMDb

7.7/10

86 votes

Year
1990
Runtime
94 min

via IMDb

Wikidata facts

Instance of
film
Country of origin
India
Original language
Meitei
FilmAffinity ID
981446
Show 3 more facts
publication date
1990-01-01
title
Ishanou
Commons category
Ishanou
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~7 min read

Encyclopedic overview

7 sections
Contents
  • Plot
  • Cast
  • Reception
  • Accolades
  • Film restoration
  • References
  • External links

Ishanou (English: The Chosen One) is a 1990 Indian Manipuri film written by M. K. Binodini Devi and directed by Aribam Syam Sharma. The movie stars Anoubam Kiranmala and Kangabam Tomba in the lead roles. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. In 2023, it was recognised as a "World Classic" by the Cannes Film Festival 2023 and it was the only film selected from India for the event for that year. The movie was first aired in Doordarshan and later released in Usha Cinema, Paona Bazar on 6 July 1990.

Ishanou was screened at many film festivals, including Singapore International Film Festival, London Film Festival, Des 3 Continents, Festival of Festivals Toronto, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Fribourg International Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival and International Film Festival of India. Ishanou was restored by Film Heritage Foundation and the restored film was selected for a red-carpet world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2023.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ishanou” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (6)

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