Everybody Says I'm Fine!
Encyclopedia
Everybody Says I'm Fine! is an India
n English language
film, released on 12 September 2001 at the Toronto Film Festival
. It marks the directorial debut of Indian actor Rahul Bose
. For his work on Everybody Says I'm Fine! Bose won the runner-up John Schlesinger
Award for best directorial debut at the 2003 Palm Springs International Film Festival
.
As backdrop to Xen's ability, it is revealed that as a young boy, he witnessed the death of his parents in a freak accident at a recording studio, where nobody could hear his cries for help through the sound-proof booth as he saw the flames rising. Ever since, Xen's life plunged into some sort of forced silence. Xen uses his gift to help most of his clients, notably Tanya (Pooja Bhatt
), whose private life is being indecently probed into by another one of his customers, Misha (Anahita Oberoi). Xen manages to get the dirt on Misha, who is a secret cocaine addict, and more unsavory details surface where it comes to knowledge that Misha has even gotten some children at the orphanage she works at addicted to it. Xen slips the information to Tanya without her knowledge, who then confronts Misha with it when Misha becomes a little too inquisitive in Tanya's personal affairs.
Xen is however, clueless in his own silence, and to add to it, he is unable to probe into the mind of one of his customers, Nikki/Nikita (Koel Purie
) who arrives in his saloon one day and asks him to cut off all her long hair. He begins to develop feelings for her, sensing some form of distress in her being, unable to reach her but somehow wanting to help.
Later, as Xen serves one of his regulars, a respectable businessman, Mr. Mittal (Boman Irani
), it transpires that the married Mr. Mittal is busy planning a liaison with another woman. More facts slowly unfold to reveal Mr Mittal is, in fact, Nikki's father, and Nikki has been subjected to an incestuous relationship. Enraged, on gradually learning the truth straight from the thoughts of his client, Xen strikes a heavy blow to Mr. Mittal's head, killing him, and later disposing of the body.
The death of her father triggers in Nikki a sudden response, and she crumbles to the ground in Xen's arms. He is now engulfed in her disconcerting train of thoughts, disjointed, and echoing her torment of many years. The final scene of the film shows Xen waking the next morning to find the silence in his life is now beyond him, and he can hear, as clearly and wholly as the next human being. Nikki embraces him; the mutual catharsis has made them both more wholesome beings.
player Zakir Hussain
. Released by Universal
, it was the first Indian soundtrack to feature Carlos Santana
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
film, released on 12 September 2001 at the Toronto Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
. It marks the directorial debut of Indian actor Rahul Bose
Rahul Bose
Rahul Bose is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, social activist, and rugby union player.Bose has appeared in Hindi films such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Jhankaar Beats. Time magazine named him "the superstar of Indian arthouse cinema" for his work in parallel cinema films like English,...
. For his work on Everybody Says I'm Fine! Bose won the runner-up John Schlesinger
John Schlesinger
John Richard Schlesinger, CBE was an English film and stage director and actor.-Early life:Schlesinger was born in London into a middle-class Jewish family, the son of Winifred Henrietta and Bernard Edward Schlesinger, a physician...
Award for best directorial debut at the 2003 Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January...
.
Plot
The film revolves around a small group of elite Mumbaikars whose lives converge at a hairdresser's salon. The protagonist Xen (Rehaan Engineer) owns the salon and has a unique gift of connecting with the minds of his clients and reading their thoughts while at work. Most of his customers maintain a facade of normality in order to gain semblance and hide their tumultuous lives to some extent.As backdrop to Xen's ability, it is revealed that as a young boy, he witnessed the death of his parents in a freak accident at a recording studio, where nobody could hear his cries for help through the sound-proof booth as he saw the flames rising. Ever since, Xen's life plunged into some sort of forced silence. Xen uses his gift to help most of his clients, notably Tanya (Pooja Bhatt
Pooja Bhatt
Pooja Bhatt is an Indian film actress and model, currently devoting time to film production and direction. She is the daughter of Indian film director Mahesh Bhatt.-Early life:...
), whose private life is being indecently probed into by another one of his customers, Misha (Anahita Oberoi). Xen manages to get the dirt on Misha, who is a secret cocaine addict, and more unsavory details surface where it comes to knowledge that Misha has even gotten some children at the orphanage she works at addicted to it. Xen slips the information to Tanya without her knowledge, who then confronts Misha with it when Misha becomes a little too inquisitive in Tanya's personal affairs.
Xen is however, clueless in his own silence, and to add to it, he is unable to probe into the mind of one of his customers, Nikki/Nikita (Koel Purie
Koel Purie
Koel Purie Rinchet is an Indian film actress who made her debut with Rahul Bose's directorial venture Everybody Says I'm Fine! in 2001 and later featured in Road to Ladakh starring alongside Irrfan Khan...
) who arrives in his saloon one day and asks him to cut off all her long hair. He begins to develop feelings for her, sensing some form of distress in her being, unable to reach her but somehow wanting to help.
Later, as Xen serves one of his regulars, a respectable businessman, Mr. Mittal (Boman Irani
Boman Irani
Boman Irani is an Indian film and theatre actor and photographer. Irani began his acting career in theatre and moved to film in 2000 at the age of 44 with a role in Josh...
), it transpires that the married Mr. Mittal is busy planning a liaison with another woman. More facts slowly unfold to reveal Mr Mittal is, in fact, Nikki's father, and Nikki has been subjected to an incestuous relationship. Enraged, on gradually learning the truth straight from the thoughts of his client, Xen strikes a heavy blow to Mr. Mittal's head, killing him, and later disposing of the body.
The death of her father triggers in Nikki a sudden response, and she crumbles to the ground in Xen's arms. He is now engulfed in her disconcerting train of thoughts, disjointed, and echoing her torment of many years. The final scene of the film shows Xen waking the next morning to find the silence in his life is now beyond him, and he can hear, as clearly and wholly as the next human being. Nikki embraces him; the mutual catharsis has made them both more wholesome beings.
Cast
| Actor/actress | Role |
|---|---|
| Rehaan Engineer | Xen |
| Koel Purie Koel Purie Koel Purie Rinchet is an Indian film actress who made her debut with Rahul Bose's directorial venture Everybody Says I'm Fine! in 2001 and later featured in Road to Ladakh starring alongside Irrfan Khan... |
Nikki/Nikita |
| Rahul Bose Rahul Bose Rahul Bose is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, social activist, and rugby union player.Bose has appeared in Hindi films such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Jhankaar Beats. Time magazine named him "the superstar of Indian arthouse cinema" for his work in parallel cinema films like English,... |
Rage |
| Pooja Bhatt Pooja Bhatt Pooja Bhatt is an Indian film actress and model, currently devoting time to film production and direction. She is the daughter of Indian film director Mahesh Bhatt.-Early life:... |
Tanya |
| Anahita Oberoi | Misha (as Anahita Uberoi) |
| Boman Irani Boman Irani Boman Irani is an Indian film and theatre actor and photographer. Irani began his acting career in theatre and moved to film in 2000 at the age of 44 with a role in Josh... |
Mr. Mittal |
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was composed by tablaTabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
player Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain (musician)
Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St...
. Released by Universal
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, it was the first Indian soundtrack to feature Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
.
| Track # | Song | Singer(s) |
| 1 | "Everybody Says I'm Fine" | Carlos Santana Carlos Santana Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion... , Sanjay Swamy, Piyush Kanojia, Salim Merchant Salim-Sulaiman Salim Merchant And Sulaiman Merchant are a musical duo of brothers, born and brought up in Bhuj, Kutch, India. They belong to Ismaili Muslim family and are inspired by their father Sadruddin Merchant, who used to lead Ismaili Scouts Orchestra in India..Steeped in a family tradition of music as the... and Taufiq Qureshi Taufiq Qureshi Taufiq Qureshi is an Indian classical musician. He is a percussionist and an composer.-Early life:Born in Mumbai, to legendary tabla player, Ustad Alla Rakha. His eldest brother is tabla player, Ustad Zakir Hussain. He received guidance from Ghatam Vidhwan, Pandit Vikku Vinayakram.-Career:Taufiq... |
| 2 | "Zindagi" | Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain (musician) Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St... , Ram Shankar, Ravi Khote, Dominique Manuel, Piyush Kanojia, Salim Merchant and Taufiq Qureshi |
| 3 | "Secret Key" | Samantha Edwards and George Brooks |
| 4 | "Somewhere" | Rahul Bose, George Brooks, Piyush Kanojia, Salim Merchant and Taufiq Qureshi |
| 5 | "Tanya's Theme" | Ganesh and Kumaresh Ganesh and Kumaresh Ganesh and Kumaresh are a well known duo of violin players who are a part of the South India music fraternity . They are best known as modern contemporary artists who have done lot of service to "Sastriya Sangitam"... |
| 6 | "The Search" | Talat Aziz Talat Aziz Talat Aziz is a popular ghazal singer from Hyderabad, India.-Early life:Born in Hyderabad, India to Abdul Azeem Khan and Sajida Abid, a famous Urdu writer and poet... , Piyush Kanojia, Sali Merchant and Taufiq Qureshi |
| 7 | "Everybody Says I'm Fine (Club Edit)" | Carlos Santana Carlos Santana Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion... , Sanjay Swamy, Piyush Kanojia, Salim Merchant Salim-Sulaiman Salim Merchant And Sulaiman Merchant are a musical duo of brothers, born and brought up in Bhuj, Kutch, India. They belong to Ismaili Muslim family and are inspired by their father Sadruddin Merchant, who used to lead Ismaili Scouts Orchestra in India..Steeped in a family tradition of music as the... and Taufiq Qureshi Taufiq Qureshi Taufiq Qureshi is an Indian classical musician. He is a percussionist and an composer.-Early life:Born in Mumbai, to legendary tabla player, Ustad Alla Rakha. His eldest brother is tabla player, Ustad Zakir Hussain. He received guidance from Ghatam Vidhwan, Pandit Vikku Vinayakram.-Career:Taufiq... |
| 8 | "Zindagi (Classic)" | Ram Shankar |
| 9 | "Listen to Your Heart" | Black Church Gospels |
| 10 | "Secret Key (The Kiss)" | Ustad Sultan Khan Ustad Sultan Khan Ustad Sultan Khan was an Indian sarangi player and singer who performed Hindustani classical music. He was one of the members of the Indian fusion group Tabla Beat Science, with Zakir Hussain and Bill Laswell... and George Brooks |
| 11 | "Somewhere (Sweetness)" | Zakir Hussain and Ronu Mazumdar |
| 12 | "Discovery" | Zakir Hussain, Piyush Kanojia, Saleem Merchant and Taufiq Qureshi |
| 13 | "I'm Free" | Salim Merchant |
| 14 | "Everybody Says I'm Fine (C's Magic)" | Carlos Santana Carlos Santana Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion... and Sanjay Swamy |
| 15 | "Zindagi (Club Edit)" | Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain (musician) Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St... , Ram Shankar, Ravi Khote, Dominique Manuel, Piyush Kanojia, Salim Merchant and Taufiq Qureshi |