Barah Aana is a 2009 Indian comedy-drama film written and directed by Raja Menon. The title refers to 12 Barah in Hindustani aanas

Indian anna

An Anna was a currency unit formerly used in India, equal to 1/16 rupee. It was subdivided into 4 Paise or 12 Pies . The term belonged to the Muslim monetary system...

 (or annas), which was a unit of Indian currency before decimalisation

Decimalisation

Decimal currency is the term used to describe any currency that is based on one basic unit of currency and a sub-unit which is a power of 10, most commonly 100....

. Barah Aana stars Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...

, Tannishtha Chatterjee

Tannishtha Chatterjee

Tannishtha Chatterjee is an Indian actress.She is best known in the west for her performance in the British film Brick Lane , the film adaptation of Monica Ali's best selling novel of the same name. She was nominated for the British Independent Film Awards as the best actress for Brick Lane...

, Vijay Raaz

Vijay Raaz

Vijay Raaz is an Indian film actor. His breakthrough came when he played the role of Dubeyji in the movie Monsoon Wedding. Since then, Raaz has been cast in small, often comedic roles, in many Hindi movies, often depicting the character of a common man.-Early life and career:Raaz was born and...

 and Arjun Mathur

Arjun Mathur

Arjun Mathur is a British Indian actor who has appeared in such Bollywood films as Luck by Chance and My Name Is Khan.-Early life and education:...

. The film depicts the lives of working class Indians in a globalized milieu , and how events spiral out of control when the characters try their hand at crime.

Plot

Set in today’s Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

, Barah Aana revolves around three friends: Shukla, a driver, Yadav, a watchman, and Aman, a waiter. Shukla is an older man, stoic and steady. Yadav, in his 30s, is meek and something of a pushover at work, but exhibits an underlying mischievous nature. Aman, on the other hand, is young, dynamic, and ambitious. In typical Mumbai fashion, the three are roommates, and the clash of their personalities regularly results in humorous, tongue-in-cheek banter.

Things take a turn when the watchman becomes prey to misfortune; a series of chance events results in him stumbling on to a crime. The discovery changes his perspective, boosting his self-confidence enough to make him think that he had a found a new, low-risk way to make money. He then tries to sell the idea to his roommates, to get them to join him in executing a series of such crimes.

As they get more and more mired in the spiral of events that follow, the three characters go through several changes as they are pushed more and more against the wall.

Cast

Actor	Role
Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...	Shukla
Vijay Raaz Vijay Raaz Vijay Raaz is an Indian film actor. His breakthrough came when he played the role of Dubeyji in the movie Monsoon Wedding. Since then, Raaz has been cast in small, often comedic roles, in many Hindi movies, often depicting the character of a common man.-Early life and career:Raaz was born and...	Yadav
Arjun Mathur Arjun Mathur Arjun Mathur is a British Indian actor who has appeared in such Bollywood films as Luck by Chance and My Name Is Khan.-Early life and education:...	Aman
Tannishtha Chatterjee Tannishtha Chatterjee Tannishtha Chatterjee is an Indian actress.She is best known in the west for her performance in the British film Brick Lane , the film adaptation of Monica Ali's best selling novel of the same name. She was nominated for the British Independent Film Awards as the best actress for Brick Lane...	Rani
Violante Placido Violante Placido Violante Placido is an Italian actress and singer. She is the daughter of actor-director Michele Placido and actress Simonetta Stefanelli.-Film:...	Kate
Benjamin Gilani Benjamin Gilani Benjamin Gilani is an Indian actor of film, television and theatre. He portrayed Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1993 film Sardar. He also acted in the movie "Hum Dum"....	Mr. Mehta
Jayati Bhatia
Barry John Barry John (theatre director) Barry John is a British born, Indian theatre director and teacher, who was the Founder-Director of 'Theatre Action Group' , one of the early theatre group based in Delhi. In 1997, he launched Imago Media Company, along with Sanjay Sujitabh, and also started Imago Acting School in Delhi, both of...	Yuri
Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal	Cutlet Aunty