Praying with Anger

CinematographyMadhu AmbatEdited byFrank ReynoldsMusic byEdmund ChoiDistributed byCinevistaas (United States)
(Toronto Film Festival)107 minutesCountriesIndia
United StatesLanguageEnglish

Praying with Anger is a 1992 independent drama film directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who made his directorial debut. Shyamalan also wrote, produced, and starred in the film.^[1]

It is about a young Indian American's return to India and explores the clash of Western values with those of the Indian subcontinent.

Plot

Indian American Dev Raman returns to his native country to spend a year as part of a college exchange program. He is initially reluctant, but his mother insists, and he respects her wishes. While there, he discovers that his cold and distant father, now deceased, carried a quiet and profound affection towards him.

While he is in India, he receives guidance from his friend Sanjay. As the visit progresses, Dev ignores Sanjay's suggestions, and the interaction between Indian and Western cultures quickly precipitates into misunderstanding and violence.^[2]

Dev realizes that one may pray to the deities of the Hindu pantheon in almost any emotional state except indifference. As he explores his past and sees the miscommunication between the two cultures, Dev is overwhelmed and finds himself only able to pray with anger.

Release

The film never received a wide release for mainstream distribution and has been shown primarily at film festivals. Praying with Anger screened at the 1993 AFI Fest, where it won the "First Film Competition" for American independent filmmakers.^[3]

Cast

• M. Night Shyamalan as Dev Raman^[4]
• Mike Muthu as Sanjay^[4]
• Richa Ahuja as Rupal Mohan^[4]
• Sushma Ahuja as Mrs. Mohan
• Arun Balachandran as Raj Kahn^[4]
• Christabal Howie as Sabitha^[4]

References

External links

• Praying with Anger at IMDb