Amu (pharaoh)

Amu was the nineteenth and last pharaoh of the Hyksos Sixteenth dynasty of Egypt.

Amu (film)

Amu is a critically acclaimed 2005 film directed by Shonali Bose, based on her own novel by the same name. It stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Brinda Karat, and Ankur Khanna. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival in 2005.

Plot

Amu is the journey of Kajori Roy (Konkona Sen Sharma), a 21-year-old Indian American woman who has lived in the US since the age of 3. After graduating from UCLA Kaju goes to India to visit her relatives. There she meets Kabir (Ankur Khanna), a college student from an upper-class family who is disdainful of Kaju’s wide-eyed wonder at discovering the "real India". Undeterred, Kaju visits the slums, crowded markets and roadside cafes of Delhi. In one slum she is struck by an odd feeling of déjà vu. Soon after she starts having nightmares. Kabir gets drawn into the mystery of why this is happening, particularly when he discovers that she is adopted.

Meanwhile, Kaju’s adoptive mother – Keya Roy, a single parent and civil rights activist in LA, arrives unannounced in Delhi. She is shocked to discover that Kaju has been visiting the slums. Although Kaju mistakes her mother’s response to a typical Indian over-protectiveness, Keya’s fears are more deeply rooted.