"Director: Shyam Benegal"

• Junoon | DVD | (01/05/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  1857: the first shot is fired in the Indian mutiny against British colonisation. The bloody events which follow provide the dramatically atmospheric for this star-crossed lovers story in which Muslim rebel Javed Khan (Shashi Kapoor) develops a passionate almost obsessive love for Ruth (Nafisa Ali) a beautiful English girl. As their tragic relationship unfolds and the rebellion surges around them Javed's fiery brother-in-law to impress upon him where his true loyalties should lie...

• Zubeidaa | DVD | (07/05/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.99

  Palaces, princesses and politics--on the face of it Indian art cinema doyen Shyam Benegal's maiden foray into Bollywood, Zubeidaa, appears to have all the ingredients of a mainstream success. However, the film is at best an uneasy blend of art-house sensibilities with the full-on spectacle that is commercial Hindi cinema. This is the latest in a series of semi-autobiographical stories by writer Khalid Mohamed that have been directed by Benegal. Here the director charts the story of Zubeidaa, a young aristocratic Muslim woman, whose promising film career is cut short. She is married off young, has a son, is divorced and finally finds love with the married ruler of a princely state in newly independent India. Told in flashback, the film's structure and some key scenes are very similar to the director's masterpiece Bhumika ("The Role", 1976). Karisma Kapoor, hitherto known for her scantily clad raunchy roles, makes her bid for artistic credentials as the eponymous heroine. But much like the film itself, her performance falls between two stools. Veteran actress Rekha who plays her paramour's first wife easily outclasses her in a graceful yet forceful performance. AR Rahman's music is haunting, dreamy and helps create a mood and ambience that the visuals fail to produce. On the DVD: Zubeidaa is presented in a pleasing anamorphic transfer with 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. While the menus are easy enough to navigate, the extras are disappointing, consisting of a faded theatrical trailer and a few television promos complete with dropouts. The subtitling, though largely accurate, makes quite a few errors. For example "cemetery" appears as "symmetry" while the word "diary" consistently appears as "dairy". --Naman Ramachandran

• Hari-Bhari | DVD | (21/01/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

• Sardari Begum | DVD | (14/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In the old city of Dehli off Chandni Chowk lives a once famous thumri singer Sadari Begum. She has retired and wants the tradition to continue through her daughter Sakina. One evening a schirmish breaks out in the neighbourhood and Sardari is killed in an accidental stone missile. Due to tension of the forthcoming elections her funeral becomes a media event. A reporter Tehzeeb Abbasi is sent by the editor Mark D'Cruz to cover the funeral. Tehzeeb was shocked to see her father Jabb

• Mandi | DVD | (29/08/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  The story of a whore house in a remote town which becomes the bone of contention between political and business interests. Shayam Benegal has been considered as the leading film maker of the country ever since his first feature film 'Ankur'. His films have been seen and acclaimed widely not only in India but at international film festivals for the last twenty five years. The core subjects of his films have been varied in nature but mainly centered around contemporary Indian experien

• Kalyug | DVD | (03/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  One man's tragedy is another's entertainment... Kalyug (literally translated as Bad Times) is the story of young couple unwittingly caught up in the sleaze and corruption of the pornography business. Set in the slick back drop of Zurich nightlife the hero has to extricate himself from the clutches of the sleaze business- Strip shows XXX Clubs S&M Bars drugs: it's one mans war against the world of pornography...