City of Joy
| City of Joy | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Roland Joffé |
| Written by | Mark Medoff |
| Starring | Om Puri Shabana Azmi Patrick Swayze Art Malik |
| Distributed by | - USA - TriStar Pictures - non-USA - Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | 1992 |
| Running time | 132 minutes |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
City of Joy is a novel written by Dominique Lapierre (1985) and a 1992 film directed by Roland Joffé.
Contents |
The book
The story concerns a French priest living in West Bengal, India, Paul Lambert, who is trying to help and understand life in a Howrah slum (across the Hooghly river from Kolkata) called Anandnagar (City of Joy). Among its various protagonists is the rickshaw driver, Hasari Pal (Om Puri) who becomes a central figure in the novel. Despite the abject poverty and injustice, the inhabitants of Anandnagar display an inscrutable acceptance and celebration of life - an attitude that humbles fate and dignifies life.
The Paul Lambert character is inspired by a Swiss missionary, Gaston Grandjean, who became Gaston Dayanand when he took the Indian nationality in 1992, who devoted his life to the poorest.
Despite popular misconception, the book does not deal with Mother Teresa, although it deals with many of the issues that Mother Teresa sought to focus on.
Half of the royalty from the sale of the book goes towards the City of Joy Foundation that looks after slum children in Kolkata.
The film
City of Joy (1992) is a film directed by Roland Joffé, with a screenplay by Mark Medoff. It is based upon the novel of the same name by Dominique Lapierre.
Plot synopsis
An American doctor, Max Lowe, (Patrick Swayze), loses his passport while staying in Kolkata, India. While waiting for a new passport, he befriends a rickshaw driver, Hasari Pal, (Om Puri), his wife (Shabana Azmi) and children. He also becomes involved with a local clinic in need of doctors.
External links
Categories
Articles to be split | 1985 novels | French novels | Kolkata | 1992 films | TriStar films | Warner Bros. films