Thrill Gala

Chakravyuh

A Bollywood film about two best friends, one a cop and another who becomes an antihero Naxalite revolutionary, as tables turn friends become sworn enemies.

Even if a screening is sold out, tickets are often available 30 minutes before the start of the film at the box office at each venue.


Image gallery

To celebrate the LFF’s first-ever Bollywood Premiere, we’re delighted to offer a limited number of two-for-one tickets to our red carpet gala screening of Chakravyuh at EMPIRE Leicester Square on Thursday 11 October. Tickets are available by phone (020 7928 3232) or in person at BFI Southbank and Leicester Square Box Offices (Odeon West End and Vue). This offer is not available online.

  • Director-Producer Prakash Jha
  • Screenwriter Prakash Jha, Sagar Pandya, Anjum Rajabali
  • With Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee
  • India 2012
  • 152 mins
  • UK distribution Eros International Ltd

Prakash Jha’s Bollywood action epic tells of two best friends who end up on opposite sides of the law. Idealistic Adil Khan (Arjun Rampal), heads up a rural police force; he is supported by his much-loved mate Kabir (Abhay Deol). Naxalites – extreme left-wing revolutionaries – are taking control of the local area, and after they ruthlessly gun down a police squadron, Kabir offers to help Adil by becoming an undercover spy. The planned infiltration works and Kabir is soon face-to-face with the Naxalite leader (Manoj Bajpayee) and his beautiful, ultra-violent right-hand woman Juhi (Anjali Patil), who Kabir soon falls for. He sends back essential information, which leads to the police ambushing the rebels, but as the Naxalites are pushed back, it soon becomes horribly clear to Kabir that the latter are, in fact, defending the poor local villagers from corrupt land-grabbers. The tables turn and Kabir switches sides, leading to the ultimate bullet-riddled conflict where friends become deadly enemies. Jha’s characteristically balanced handling of controversial topics, the strong characters, and the robust script and sharply executed action sequences make for a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Cary Sawhney

Director statement

The world looks at India as a shining nation on the rise. Stories of economic growth, and a newly affluent middle class dot our consciousness. But in the underbelly of the world’s largest democracy, far away from the glitz of the big cities, a war is brewing. India has been free and independent for over six decades. But go into the heart of India’s forests and villages: ‘What freedom?’ asks a tribal. ‘We have lost everything after India became independent.’ The state needs control over the land and the natural resources. But the tribals and villagers who have seen neither development nor compensation for this displacement have decided to protest. They will not give up their forests, their rivers and their homes. Young, educated citizens from cities are leading the way, helping the tribals protest. But this protest knows only one language – the language of violence. And the State too knows only one language – the language of violence. I found, as I travelled through beautiful green forests, and lush untouched landscapes that there was fear lurking in every corner. There were gunshots and there was a haunting silence. But there was no development. I have tried to chronicle this conflict by telling the story of two friends, who eventually find themselves on opposing sides of this conflict. I have made this film to bring this conflict into public focus. ‘Chakravyuh’, the word, implies a war formation from which there is no escape. My film is about this sense of being cornered from all sides. The dilemma of finding yourself in a war from which there is no escape.
Prakash Jha

Director biography

Born and raised on his family’s farm in Bihar in 1952, he studied physics at Delhi University until deciding to work on the family farm in 1970. He moved to Bombay in 1972 to study at the Film & Television Institute of India, and has been making films independently since 1974. A committed social activist, he has always sought to document and explore the changing socio-economic and political realities that affect the common man, finding voice for his engagement through cinema. He is thus acclaimed for films that successfully use popular idioms to discuss relevant social issues. In this way, Raajneeti (2010) truly captured the popular imagination and became one the most commercially successful films of recent times. He won his first National Award for Best Documentary in 1982 for Faces After the Storm and then went on to win the Golden Lotus for Best Feature Film in 1985 for Damul. Further awards have included the Golden Lotus for the Best Documentary in 2003 for Sonal and the esteemed National award for the Best Feature Film and Other Social Issues in 2004 for Gangaajal. He also won a National Award for the Best Screenplay for his film Apaharan.

Filmography (selected)

1976 Rhythms of a Land and Its People [doc]
1977 Darpok Ki Dosti [s]
1978 Friends Together [doc]
1979 Ode to a Child [doc s]
1981 Pas de deux [doc]
1982 Faces After the Storm [doc]; Darpok Ki Dosti [s]
1983 Shri Vatsa [s]; May I Think, Sir? [doc]
1984 Hip Hip Hurray; Damul (Bonded Until Death)
1986 Kudiattam [doc]; Anaadi Anat; Parampara
1987 Looking Back [doc]; Ek Aur Itihas [doc]; Parinati (The Inevitable)
1988 An Expression [s]; Abhishapt
1989 Katha Madhopur Ki [s]
1990 Tribal Festival [doc]
1994 Didi [doc]
1996 Bandish (Bondage)
1997 Mryityudand (The Death Sentence)
1999 Dil Kya Kare
2002 Sonal [doc]; Rahul
2003 Gangaajal
2004 Loknayak [doc]
2005 Apaharan
2010 Raajneeti (Politics)
2011 Aarakshan (India vs India)
2012 Chakravyuh