Ship of Theseus (film)

Ship of Theseus
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAnand Gandhi
Screenplay byAnand Gandhi
Story byAnand Gandhi
Pankaj Kumar
Produced bySohum Shah
StarringAida El-Kashef
Neeraj Kabi
Sohum Shah
CinematographyPankaj Kumar
Edited byAdesh Prasad
Music byBenedict Taylor
Production
company
Recyclewala Films
Distributed byFortissimo Films
UTV Motion Pictures
Release dates
  • 6 September 2012 (2012-09-06) (TIFF)
  • 19 July 2013 (2013-07-19) (India)
Running time
143 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguagesEnglish
Hindi
Arabic
Swedish

Ship of Theseus is a 2012 Indian drama film written and directed by Anand Gandhi, and produced by actor Sohum Shah. The film explores "questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death through the stories of an experimental photographer, an ailing monk and an enterprising stockbroker", played by Aida El-Kashef, Neeraj Kabi and Sohum Shah, respectively.

After three years in development, the film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim and was touted as "the hidden gem of the year". It has received positive reviews from both Indian and international press and has been hailed as "the most significant film to come out of India in a very long time". Film critic Derek Malcolm has called it a "life-changing film" and Variety commended its "unexpected grandeur".

The title of the film alludes to Theseus' paradox, most notably recorded in "Life of Theseus", wherein the Greek historian and philosopher Plutarch inquires whether a ship that has been restored by replacing all its parts remains the same ship.

The film was released in India on 19 July 2013. It won the award for Best Feature Film of the Year at the 61st National Film Awards.