FIRAAQ
A sensitive exploration of the abject horror with a tender human touch that hurts & heals, giving a message with an echo.
by Vishal Verma

A Percept picture Company presentation in association with Mirah Entertainment. Producers: Harindra M. Singh & Shailendra Singh. Director: Nandita Das (debut). Story & screenplay: Nandita Das & Shuchi Kothari. Genre: Social. Target Audience: General.

Starring
Naseruddin Shah...... Khan Sahab
Paresh Rawal...... Sanjay
Raghuveer Yadav
Deepti Naval...... Aarti
Sanjay Suri...... Sameer Sheikh
Shahana Goswami...... Munira
Tisca Chopra...... Anuradha Desai
Dilip Joshi
Suchita Trivedi
Sumeet Raghavan
Vicky Ahuja
Amruta Subhash
Arun Kumar
Mohammad Samad...... Mohsin
Nasser...... special appearance
Nowaz...... Hanif

Technical Analysis
Can you convey the sweet little message of coexistence without shouting from the roof tops? Can you blend the abject horror of the post Godhra holocaust with a sensitive & tender touch of humanism to create probing cinema? Can you strike a chord among audiences by giving a piece of art that touches, hurts, and heals simultaneously? And all these at one go? Nandita in her debut attempt does what even seasoned filmmakers wouldn’t have dared.

After proving herself as a sound actor, Nandita’s shout of light camera & action is not loud but certainly clear.

In 2005, the national award winner for best direction (Rahul Dholakia) & acting (Sarika) ‘Parzania’ made a strong statement. Nandita’s debut venture, though not as captivating in the emotional quotient, is at par on the meter for being earnest & pious.

Working with a structured script (to a lot of extent) and her co-writer Shuchi Kothari, Nandita narrates the story with noble intentions and does a commendable job in holding the viewers interest for 100 minutes. Unlike the escapist helmers, she reveals more of the nuts and bolts of the madness that occurred in the name of religion. With rich cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran that registers each emotion through close ups and different angels and sharp editing by Sreekar Prasad, she is able to milk maximum intensity out of the existential terror and pathos of the people after the genocide.

On top of that, the first timer is complemented by subtle performance by Naseruddin Shah – he is magnificent throughout as a liberal Muslim. Nowaz contributes significantly as the revenge seeking angry rickshaw driver & Mohannad Sammad as the estranged kid. Deepti Naval, Sanjay Suri & Shahana Goswami also chip in with valuable support.

The movie starts off  with a disturbing, shocking & thought provoking scene in which  two men are digging graves for a pile of dead bodies & when one of them suddenly comes across a body that doesn’t belong to their community, Nasser (excellent), in a fit of rage, wants to kill that body which is already dead! Then, the movie follows a journey of serious resonance resulting in a sensitive portrayal of fear, fate, coincidence—and sheer luck.

The movie gets 3& ½ out of five. One for the welcome addition of Nandita to the sensible helmers’ club; one for the technical finesse; one for the performance & half for the thought and desire to make such a film.

The movie loses points for simplifying the fundamentalist Hindu characters & and also due to the feeble end given to the Paresh Rawal episode.

The Story
Firaaq is an Urdu word which means both separation and quest. The film is a work of fiction, based on a thousand true stories.

The story is set over a 24-hour period, one month after the Gujarat riots of 2002. It traces the emotional journey of ordinary people— some who were victims, some perpetrators and some who chose to watch silently. As an ensemble film, it follows multiple narratives that are at some times interconnected and at times discreet, yet all are united by their spatial and emotional context.

A middle class housewife closes the door on a woman desperately seeking refuge, and then struggles to overcome her guilt. Even the loyalty between two best friends (Munira & her Hindu friend) is challenged in times rife with fear and suspicion. A group of victimized young men seek revenge as a way out of their helplessness and anger. A modern day Hindu-Muslim couple struggle when caught between the survival instinct to hide their true identities and the desire to assert them. A boy, having lost most of his family in the riots, wanders through the streets searching for his missing father. A saintly musician clings on to his idealism until the evidence of civil strife shakes his faith.

Through these characters, we trace how violence impacts both inner and outer lives. Violence spares nobody. Yet in the midst of this madness, some do find the heart to sing hopeful songs for better times.

Promotion
The movie has already done rounds of festivals across the globe and won such accolades as the Foreign Correspondents Association Award at Swarovski for best film & for best screenplay. Thessaloniki Film Festival - Won Everyday Life: Transcendence or Reconciliation Award, Dubai International Film Festival -  Won Muhr Award Best Editor (Sreekar Prasad). Also nominated for the Golden Alexander.

The best thing for a sensitive movie with a message is to create a buzz for its audience before its theatrical release. All these should attract some thinking audience to the theatres.

Business Analysis
This earnest, touchy & bold debut by Nandita doesn’t hold much for those who enter the theatre expecting moments of fun, joy & entertainment. It will attract those legs that do the rounds of festivals & those who care for sensible cinema along with students of cinema.

Dvd and small screen release are expected to give maximum returns.

Other credits (As available)
Music Director: Rajat Dholakia & Piyush Kanojia. Cinematography: Ravi K. Chandran. Art: Gautam Sen. Editor: Sreekar Prasad. Screenplay: Nandita Das & Shuchi Kothari. Sound: Manas Chaudhary. Media Awareness: Rahi Communications. Running time: 100 minutes (approx). Reviewed at Fun Republic, Mumbai on March 16, 2009.