AnonyMo at 23:45, 18 February 2026

2026-02-18T23:45:29Z

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{{Short description|2005 Indian drama film}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = 15, Park Avenue
| image = 15parkavenue.jpg
| director = [[Aparna Sen]]
| producer = [[Bipin Vohra]]
| writer = Aparna Sen
| starring = [[Shabana Azmi]] [[Konkona Sen Sharma]] [[Soumitra Chatterjee]] [[Waheeda Rehman]] [[Dhritiman Chaterji|Dhritiman Chatterjee]] [[Rahul Bose]] [[Kanwaljeet Singh]]
| distributor =
| cinematography = [[Hemant Chaturvedi]]
| editing = Rabiranjan Maitra
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2005|10|27|London|ref1=<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/this-weeks-screenings-ldk9rj9wnwx|title=This week's screenings|publisher=[[The Times]]|access-date=6 July 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808170445/https://www.thetimes.com/article/this-weeks-screenings-ldk9rj9wnwx|archive-date=8 August 2024}}</ref>|2006|1|6|India|ref2=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=1614|title=15 Park Avenue|website=[[Boxofficeindia.com]]|access-date=21 August 2024|archive-date=7 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207221203/https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=1614|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| runtime = 124 minutes<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/15-park-avenue-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0znjq5ote|title=15 Park Avenue|website=www.bbfc.co.uk|access-date=21 August 2024|archive-date=29 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829171028/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/15-park-avenue-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0znjq5ote|url-status=live}}</ref>
| language = English
| budget =
}}

'''''15 Park Avenue''''' is a 2005 English-language Indian film directed by [[Aparna Sen]]. It stars [[Shabana Azmi]], [[Konkona Sen Sharma]], [[Soumitra Chatterjee]], [[Waheeda Rehman]], [[Dhritiman Chaterji|Dhritiman Chatterjee]], [[Rahul Bose]] and [[Kanwaljeet Singh]]. It won the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English]].<ref name="53rdaward">{{cite web|url=http://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/49_53Nfacatalogue-%20.pdf|title=53rd National Film Awards|publisher=Directorate of Film Festivals|page=84|access-date=2 September 2020|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725205618/http://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/49_53Nfacatalogue-%20.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Plot==
30-something Mitali aka Meethi has [[schizophrenia]] and is taken care of by her older, divorced sister Anjali aka Anu, who is a professor, and their ageing mother. Although she was never married in real life, Meethi has created her own alternate reality in her mind in which she married her ex-fiancé Joydeep and has five children. While Anu has dedicated her life to taking care of Meethi and her mother, even putting her own relationship with a fellow professor on hold, in Meethi's imaginary world both the older women are holding her in the house and away from her husband and children against her will. She imagines her family to be living at the non-existent 15 Park Avenue in [[Kolkata]].

After Meethi has a severe seizure, her case is taken up by a new doctor Kunal Barua. While discussing her sister's case with the new doctor, Anu reveals that though Meethi had dormant schizophrenic traits since childhood, she led a very normal life until her early 20s, before a traumatic experience in the course of her job as a journalist made her withdraw from the outer world. Her fiancé, unable to deal with the emotional upheaval caused by the incidence, broke off the engagement. On the doctor's advice, Anu takes both women on a vacation to Bhutan, where they are spotted by Joydeep, now married with two children. In her present state, Meethi does not recognize Joydeep as the same man she is married to in her imagination, and befriends him. When Joydeep learns of Meethi's worsened condition and her imaginary world, he offers to help her locate the elusive family home - 15 Park Avenue.

Back in Kolkata, Joydeep drives her down to the part of the city where she believes her house and her family are. In a surrealistic climax, Meethi finally locates the house and finds her husband Jojo (as she fondly calls him) and her five children waiting for her return. She walks into the house, reunited with her 'real' family and is never seen again.

==Cast==
*[[Shabana Azmi]] as Anjali
*[[Konkona Sen Sharma]] as Meethi
*[[Soumitra Chatterjee]] as Meethi's father
*[[Waheeda Rehman]] as Meethi's and Anjali's mother
*[[Rahul Bose]] as Joydeep Roy
*[[Dhritiman Chaterji]] as Dr. Kunal Barua
*[[Kanwaljit Singh (actor)|Kanwaljit Singh]] as Anjali's colleague and boyfriend
*[[Shefali Shah]] as Lakshmi, Joydeep's wife
*Suranjana Dasgupta as Madwoman on the street
*Dipavali Mehta as Child Meethi
*Sunil Mukherjee as Witchdoctor

==Reception==
Sonia chopra of [[Rediff.com]] called it "hauntingly beautiful." She further wrote, "There's dry, black humour all over the film, if you care to look for it. There's comedy in the darkest of scenes, if you dare to laugh. As Joydeep himself broods, 'It would have been funny, if it wasn't so sad.' Watch the film, and forgive the small irregularities and pace. You'll step into another world. Just like our Mithi."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/jan/06park.htm |title=15 Park Avenue is hauntingly beautiful |last=Chopra |first=Sonia |date=6 January 2006 |website=[[Rediff.com]] |access-date=21 August 2024 |archive-date=19 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019141758/https://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/jan/06park.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Conversely, [[Namrata Joshi]] of [[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] gave the film 2 out of 4, writing, "In effect, the film seems to have everything going for it. Not quite. Instead of exploring these intriguing associations to their logical emotional depth, Sen leaves them sketchy and open-ended."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Joshi |first=Namrata |author-link=Namrata Joshi |date=23 January 2006 |title=15 Park Avenue |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/15-park-avenue/229900 |magazine=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] |location=New Delhi |publisher=Outlook Publishing (India) |access-date=21 August 2024 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811105907/https://magazine.outlookindia.com/story/15-park-avenue/229900 |archive-date=11 August 2021}}</ref> [[Taran Adarsh]] of [[IndiaFM]] gave it 1 out of 5 praising the performances but criticised the writing, pace and climax of the film.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/15-park-avenue/critic-review/15-park-avenue-movie-review/ |title=15 Park Avenue Movie Review |last=Adarsh |first=Taran |author-link=Taran Adarsh |date=6 January 2006 |website=[[Bollywood Hungama]] |access-date=21 August 2024 |archive-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821132136/https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/15-park-avenue/critic-review/15-park-avenue-movie-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=0449159|title=15 Park Avenue}}

{{National Film Award Best Feature Film English}}
{{Aparna Sen}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:15 Park Avenue}}
[[Category:2005 films]]
[[Category:2005 drama films]]
[[Category:Indian drama films]]
[[Category:English-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Fiction about schizophrenia]]
[[Category:Films set in Kolkata]]
[[Category:Best English Feature Film National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Films directed by Aparna Sen]]
[[Category:2005 English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about schizophrenia]]
[[Category:English-language drama films]]

15 Park Avenue - Revision history

AnonyMo at 23:45, 18 February 2026