Provoked (2007)

29% of critics liked it
(34 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(7,315 ratings)

Inspired by the true story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, Jag Mundhra's Provoked tells the tale of a battered wife pushed to the ultimate act of defiance. As a nineteen year old girl living in a small Punjab village with her overbearing sisters and their husbands, Kiranjit Ahluwalia (Aishwarya Rai) aspired… More Inspired by the true story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, Jag Mundhra's Provoked tells the tale of a battered wife pushed to the ultimate act of defiance. As a nineteen year old girl living in a small Punjab village with her overbearing sisters and their husbands, Kiranjit Ahluwalia (Aishwarya Rai) aspired to get a college education and see the world. Despite her ambitious plans, however, Kiranjit put her entire future on hold the moment she met handsome family friend Deepak (Naveen Andrews). Later, after a whirlwind romance, Kiranjit and Deepak married and prepared to move into Deepak's home in a quaint suburb of London. Kiranjit's storybook romance would quickly give way to a terrifying reality however when, over the course of the following decade, the loving bride suffered a relentless torrent of emotional and physical abuse of her tyrannical husband. Eventually pushed to her breaking point and desperately fearing for the safety of her children, Kiranjit killed Deepak and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. Though Kiranjit was at first reluctant to share the details of her harrowing experience, she eventually became convinced that the only way to break the cycle of violence was to share her story with the world. Miranda Richardson, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Robbie Coltrane co-star in a docudrama that encourages viewers to take a closer look at the proliferation of domestic violence. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Jag Mundhra
Written By: Jag Mundhra
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: May 11, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Nov 13, 2007
Studio: Eros Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
The real-life heroes in this story deserve better than a formulaic, poorly shot melodrama.
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
The script is melodramatic, and Rai's lead performance is thin stuff.
Kamal Al-Solaylee, Globe and Mail
[Director] Mundhra can't control the expansiveness of the melodrama or focus on the terseness of realism. Every character in Provoked, from victims to tyrants, Indian to English, loud to quiet, ends up as a grossly exaggerated comic creation.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Provoked rarely ducks below its glossy surface.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
The true-crime drama Provoked has everything to offer except a cinematic point of view and a knack for depicting human beings under duress. Those are major drawbacks.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Unfortunately, Provoked possesses the tinny production values and schmaltzy music of a prime-time special, despite its ensemble of terrific actors.
Craig Phillips, GreenCine
A melodrama dressed up just enough to hold interest, in the retelling of an undeniably important story.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
What should have turned out as a terrific movie about the crime of spousal abuse has instead received the equivalent of a ham-handed molestation by director Mundhra.
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
By offsetting Women in Cages-style throw-downs with Malcolm X-like uplift, it is simultaneously strange and familiar, inspiring and annoying.
Mary F. Pols, Contra Costa Times
In the end, Provoked is not provocative enough.
David Levine, Filmcritic.com
feels largely meaningless and inconsequential
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Account of a legal campaign launched by women to expose the brutality of domestic violence and male chauvinism.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
Holy Burning Bed! If Britain had its own equivalent of the Lifetime channel, "Provoked" would be tailor made for it.
Ted Murphy, Murphy's Movie Reviews
PROVOKED: A TRUE STORY sets out to tell an important story in the history of the British judicial system. Unfortunately, the project was undertaken by filmmakers who seemingly didn't know how to handle the implications of the story they wanted to tell.
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Daily News
Soapy sermon about the landmark case of a battered wife.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
For all the gushy feelings, the plight of women like Kiranjit, bound not only by domineering, often physically abusive husbands but by racism and oppressive cultural traditions as well, is poignantly portrayed.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

familiar s

Average real-life based movie, nothing that makes it "A Must Watch".
Ilyaas H

A well-picked but badly told story, director Jagmohan Mundhra caricatures practically everything on screen - taking away from the realism that could've made Provoked a great movie, and Aishwarya Rai, indifferent from her character, doesn't help the proceedings.
Deb S

The story educates one of the atrocities that can happen to a woman.
Leo L

This is a fantastic movie, and one I most likely won't forget soon. This movie is deeply touching and moving. Miranda Richardson gives a stellar performance, and so does Aishwarya Rai and Naveen Andrews.