Manjhi: The Mountain Man
A grieving Dalit laborer turns personal tragedy into a decades-long mission to cut a road through a mountain for his isolated village.
Overview
A man's love drives him to carve a path through a mountain for his village's future.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- touching
- solemn
- determined
- inspirational viewing
- reflective evening
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized an inspiring and touching true-life story, while finding the execution uneven and occasionally conventional.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Dashrath's low-caste status and exclusion from village power structures shape his determination to create access for his community.
After Phaguniya's death, Dashrath spends 22 years hammering a passage through the mountain to prevent similar suffering.
The recurring contrast between Dashrath's small figure and the rocky mountain makes his solitary labor visually monumental.
The path through the mountain is both a practical route and a challenge to the isolation imposed on the village's poorest residents.
Films like Manjhi: The Mountain Man, and why
The Pursuit of Happyness
shared biographical drama form, working-class protagonist, grief-driven perseverance, and inspirational tone
Erin Brockovich
shared true-story drama, determined ordinary protagonist, social inequality, and uplifting humanism
Paan Singh Tomar
shared Indian biographical drama, marginalized hero, institutional hardship, and resilient emotional register
127 Hours
shared historical biography, solitary endurance, physical labor, and emotionally cathartic perseverance
Movie Details
- Director
- Ketan Mehta
- Release Date
- 2015-08-21
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (83)
Cast
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui
- Radhika Apte
- Tigmanshu Dhulia
- Pankaj Tripathi
- Urmila Mahanta
- Ashraf Ul Haq
- Jagat Rawat
- Deepa Sahi
- Prashant Narayanan
- Rashaana Shah
Common questions
- What is Manjhi: The Mountain Man about?
- A grieving Dalit laborer turns personal tragedy into a decades-long mission to cut a road through a mountain for his isolated village.
- What is Manjhi: The Mountain Man like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Manjhi: The Mountain Man as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Manjhi: The Mountain Man violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Manjhi: The Mountain Man as mild.
- What did critics think of Manjhi: The Mountain Man?
- Critics broadly recognized an inspiring and touching true-life story, while finding the execution uneven and occasionally conventional.
- Which films are like Manjhi: The Mountain Man?
- Films with a similar feel include The Pursuit of Happyness, Erin Brockovich, Paan Singh Tomar, and 127 Hours.
- How long is Manjhi: The Mountain Man?
- Manjhi: The Mountain Man runs 124 minutes.
