Black

Black Movie Details:

Based on	The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
Country	India
Languages	Hindi English
Genre	Drama
Release date	February 4, 2005
Running time	2hr 2min
Certificate	13+
Starring	Amitabh Bachchan Rani Mukerji Shernaz Patel Dhritiman Chatterjee
Directed by	Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Screenplay by	Sanjay Leela Bhansali Bhavani Iyer Prakash Kapadia
Story by	Adapted Story: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Original Story: Helen Keller
Narrated by	Rani Mukerji
Produced by	Sanjay Leela Bhansali Anshuman Swami
Cinematography by	Ravi K. Chandran
Edited by	Bela Segal
Music by	Monty Sharma
Production Companies	Applause Entertainment SLB Films
Distributor	Zee Motion Pictures (India) Yash Raj Films (Overseas)

Black Movie Cast & Characters:

• Amitabh Bachchan as Debraj Sahai
• Rani Mukerji as Michelle McNally
• Ayesha Kapur as young Michelle
• Shernaz Patel as Catherine “Kathy” McNally
• Dhritiman Chatterjee as Paul McNally
• Nandana Sen as Sarah McNally
• Sillo Mahava as Mrs. Gomes
• Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal as Mrs. Nair
• Kenny Desai as Dr. Mehta
• Khursheed Khurody as a pianist at Sarah’s wedding
• Shehnaz Anand as a teacher
• Zul Vellani and Kamal Adip as trustees

Storyline:

Unable to see, hear or speak after a childhood illness, a young woman grows up prone to violent outbursts until an eccentric tutor changes her life.

Black Movie Budget & Box Office Collection:

Budget	₹20–22 crore
Opening Day	₹10.3 crore (US$233,560.09)
Domestic Collection	₹33 crore (US$7.48 million)
International Collection	₹33.58 crore (US$7.7 million)
Worldwide Collection	₹66.6 crore (US$15.1 million)

About Black Movie:

Black is a drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji in lead roles, with Ayesha Kapur, Shernaz Patel, and Dhritiman Chatterjee in supporting roles.

In 2003, Sanjay Leela Bhansali announced the production of his new project, Black. The idea first emerged when he met several physically disabled children while shooting Khamoshi: The Musical in the 1990s. The story was inspired by the life of activist Helen Keller and her 1903 autobiography, The Story of My Life.

The movie’s title was initially registered with Kumar Gaurav. Sanjay Leela Bhansali approached him and requested that he relinquish the title, as Bhansali wanted it for his film. Kumar, feeling that the film was bold and path-breaking, agreed and wanted to offer any help he could to the project. Consequently, Sanjay Leela Bhansali expressed his gratitude to Kumar Gaurav in the opening credits.

Amitabh Bachchan did not charge for the film as he felt working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali was a great opportunity.

Alia Bhatt auditioned for the young girl’s role. Sanjay Leela Bhansali rejected her because he felt she was destined for bigger things in life. He knew she would be a big leading actress in films when she grew up.

Principal photography for the film began in mid-January 2004 and concluded in April 2004, with filming taking place in Shimla and Film City.

Ayesha Kapur was trained by Ranbir Kapoor for every scene in the film. As an assistant director on the project, he guided her on what to do and when. Ayesha Kapur would not shoot a scene until she was perfectly trained by Ranbir Kapoor.

Black was released worldwide on February 4, 2005. It received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with praise for its direction, story, screenplay, dialogues, cinematography, production design, costumes, and the performances of the cast, with major praise directed towards Bachchan and Mukherji’s performances, and Bhansali’s direction and screenplay.

The film was a commercial success at the box office, grossing a total of ₹66.6 crore (US$15.1 million), making it the eighth-highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2005. The film earned ₹10.3 million (US$233,560.09) on its opening day. The film earned ₹33 crore (US$7.48 million) in India and ₹33.58 crore ($7.7 million) in overseas markets.

A recipient of numerous accolades, Black won three awards at the 53rd National Film Awards, including Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Actor (Bachchan). At the 51st Filmfare Awards, the film won all 11 nominations. It also became the fifth film to win all 4 major awards at the Filmfare Awards (Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress).

The film was remade in Turkey as Benim Dünyam (2013).