# Jal (film)

Jal (transl. Water) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language drama film set in the Rann of Kutch, India, and follows an overconfident water diviner Bakka who tries to solve the drought problems in his village, but faces unforeseen circumstances when he tries to help a female bird watcher save flamingos. The film is directed by Girish Malik and is his debut film as a director.
The film was premiered and received special mention at the "New Currents" section of the Busan International Film Festival 2013 and in the "Indian Panorama" section of the International Film Festival of India.
The film was released in India on 4 April 2014. One World Films has collaborated with DAR Motion Pictures for the distribution of Jal in India. The film received the National Film Award for Best Special Effects for the year 2013 at the 61st National Film Awards. Jal was also short-listed as an Oscars 2014 contender in the Best Picture Category and the Best Original Score Category. The film advanced in the top 114 films in the Best Original Score Category.
Jaal Part 2 Web Series has been streaming online from the month of February 23-2024. The trending romantic film Jaal Part 2 will be released in these four languages, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, and Tamil. Tripti Berra and Banti lead the male roles in this series. This film trailer was launched on the PrimePlay YouTube channel and Instagram on 13 February.

## Synopsis

The story of Jal centers on Bakka (Purab Kohli), a young man who possesses a unique ability to locate water in the desert. With the backdrop of water scarcity, the film tells a complex story of love, relationships, enmity, deceit, and circumstances that bring about the dark side of human character.

## Cast

* Purab Kohli as Bakka
* Tannishtha Chatterjee as Kajri
* Kirti Kulhari as Kesar
* Yashpal Sharma as Ramkhiladi
* Mukul Dev as Punya
* Saidah Jules as Kim
* Ravi Gossain as Rakla
* Rahul Singh
* Gary Richardson
* Rohit Pathak
* Bharat Hathi

## Music

The music of the film is composed by Sonu Nigam and ace tabla player/percussionist Bickram Ghosh. This is their first composing collaboration for a Bollywood film.
The composer duo recorded the film's title song with Shubha Mudgal. The title song used ragas like Marwa and Puriya combined with rare musical instruments like the Armenian Duduk. The entire song was created in a day.
Jal's background score is by Sonu Nigam and Bickram Ghosh. They used a mix of Indian and International sounds with a lot of percussion. Sonu Nigam and Bickram Ghosh were nominated in Oscars 2014 long list among top 114 in the Best Original Score Category.

## Soundtrack

| Track # | title | Singer(s) | Lyrics | Composer(s) |
| 1 | Jal De (Title Song) | Shubha Mudgal | Sonu Nigam – Sanjeev Tiwari | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 2 | You Fill My Life | Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Suzanne | Sonu Nigam – Bickram Ghosh | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 3 | Zaalima | Sonu Nigam | Sonu Nigam | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 4 | Paani Si Behti Jaye | Ambarish Das | Sanjeev Tiwari | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 5 | Bakka Pani De | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 6 | The Mirage and the Tornado | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 7 | The Sweet Dream of Water | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 8 | Mesmerized By Rann | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 9 | The Tragedy of Rann | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 10 | The Barren Land | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 11 | The Cry of the Soul | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 12 | Dried Up Tears | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 13 | Nature and the Machine | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 14 | Ankhiyan – Anthem | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 15 | The Water Ritual 1 | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 16 | The Water Ritual 2 | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 17 | The Hope of Water | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 18 | The Flow of Water | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 19 | The Sorrow Within | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 20 | Bakka And Kesar Tryst With Water | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 21 | Chase | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |
| 22 | Anger | Instrumental | Instrumental | Sonu Nigam Bickram Ghosh |

## Critical reception

* Times of India gave the film 3.5 stars : 'Jal' captures the bare beauty of the golden cracked earth and its tortuous tapestry in artfully mounted frames (cinematography: Sunita Radia). It's a picture-perfect album with stark sights and parched souls.
* Taran Adarsh from BollywoodHungama has rated 3.5/5 Stars and stated "JAL makes a rock-solid impact. It's poignant and powerful and I suggest, you take time out to watch this truly gripping fare"
* FilmFare gave the film 4/5 stars and appreciated the film "Great visuals and premise desiccated by a pedantic pace".