Amina Sapphire Jubilee: 31 Years On, Bollywood Celebrates Sapphire Jubilee with ‘Amina’

By Sharad Rai

Film Amina Sapphire Jubilee: The film Amina was released last year during Eid. Based on a real-life incident and the national award-winning book Yahan Amina Bikti Hai, Amina is now in its 45th week of screening in Mumbai. For a low-budget film made without a huge star cast to achieve such a long run is a record in itself. The film’s producer and director, Kumar Raj, shares, “Amina has now completed 45 weeks. We are preparing to celebrate its 52-week milestone when the film completes a year.”

Amina Nears 1-Year Run, Challenges Salman’s Sikandar

“In the last 31 years, no Bollywood film has managed to run for an entire year in a single theater,” says Kumar Raj. The film is now celebrating its Sapphire Week (Neelam Jayanti) at Movie Time Theater in Goregaon, Mumbai, and by this Eid, Amina will complete one full year of screenings. Interestingly, it will likely be in direct competition with Salman Khan’s Sikandar. (Amina Sapphire Jubilee)

The film features performances by Rekha Rana, Anant Mahadevan, Utkarsh Kohli, Lata Haya, and Kumar Raj himself, who also plays the role of a police commissioner. Amina, based on the controversial story Yahan Ameena.

Amina Bikti Hai by national award-winning author Aftab Hasnain, sparked significant discussion when it was first announced. The narrative has two main themes: one depicts a young girl, a victim of brutal lust, who later portrays her own trauma on stage. Rekha Rana brought this character to life through her powerful performance. (Amina Sapphire Jubilee)

Kumar Raj, who not only produced and directed Amina but also collaborated with writer Hasnain and Dr. Kishan Pawar to adapt the story for the stage, reflects on the film’s journey with pride. “Amina was released by Reliance, and despite being a commercial film with realistic elements, the team never expected it to go this far,” he recalls. Co-producer Dharm Jayaswal credits Kumar’s dedication as the driving force behind the film’s success.

Rekha Rana, who plays the lead, has made a name for herself internationally, now working in Hollywood. She was also the lead in the previous film Tara: The Passion of Love, which had a successful run at various global film festivals. Amina too, has been traveling the festival circuit and winning accolades. The film has been released not only in India but also in the USA, UK, and Ireland. Locations like Los Angeles, Paris, Gambia, and Dakar served as key shooting spots for the film. (Amina Sapphire Jubilee)

The background score for Amina was composed by Ismail Darbar, while Raza Murad provided the voice-over, and the title track was sung by Javed Ali. As Amina celebrates its Sapphire Jubilee, Anant Mahadevan, and other cast members have sent Kumar Raj congratulatory messages, expressing their awe at the film’s poster. This marks a significant milestone and is a moment of pride for Bollywood, especially in an era when the industry’s sentiments seem to be at a crossroads. (Amina Sapphire Jubilee)