Firaaq

Nandita Das, an actress known for her off-beat choice of movies and remarkable acting skills, wears the cap of a director and gives us a sensitive & thoughtful movie based on aftermaths of the Gujarat Riots, which unfortunately happened in 2002. Last year we had a brilliant movie "Mumbai Meri Jaan" which talked about different people who were victims or a part of Mumbai Train Blasts. On the similar lines "Firaaq" (means Separation or Judaai) tells stories of few people, their fears and the trauma they face after one month of the miss-happening in the state.

Though it may not be liked by mainstream viewers for its artistic treatment, but for a thinking viewer, "Firaaq" has depth, emotions and power to make you reconsider, what is the difference between two religions which causes so much hatred and bloodshed? Nandita Das succeeds in generating the empathy impact in the viewer as he witnesses the sequences on the screen. The film and its sensitive direction can make you understand the minute distinction in the words 'sympathy' and 'empathy'. You can feel the pain of victims as if it was all happening around you. And the credit goes to the intelligently written, well directed and brilliantly cinematographed scenes throughout the movie.

The first scene itself is the most important and impactful scene of the movie which is capable of generating chills down your spine. It's a graveyard scene where a loaded truck arrives giving more work to the grave diggers who already have enough bodies to bury together. In fact, this is the most powerful scene out of all the movies made on communal riots till date. The last time I felt this way watching anything on screen was when I saw Govind Nihalani's "Tamas" many years back. So hats off to Nandita for this particular scene.

The movie then moves into different stories of people who witnessed the massacre, and are still haunted by the memory of those black days. Deepti Naval, as a middle class housewife is trapped in the pool of guilt of not helping the persons who came to her house for shelter. And now she is punishing herself each new day, thinking about her cowardly act. Paresh Rawal as her husband is a cunning materialistic person who is more interested in taking advantage of the communal tensions in the city. Shahana Goswami and her friend both earn by inscribing mehndi on the hands of ladies in marriages. How a simple "bindi", saves them both from being treated otherwise is worth watching. A group of men manage to get a pistol with only one bullet and that also goes wasted in their own fight. A child gets lost in the big town, roaming around helplessly after all his family members are killed. The story of this child also gets connected with Deepti Naval and she takes him to her home. The conversation scenes between Deepti and the child are the most emotional ones in the movie which prove the immense talent Nandita Sen has got.

However there are two stories which stand out and have a lasting impression on the viewer. One is about a Hindu-Muslim couple (Sanjay Suri & Tisca Chopra) who have decided to leave the city after their store was looted and destroyed. Their confrontation dialogues and two minds situation has been shot realistically which touches your soul.

The other moving story is about a true old classical singer (Naseeruddin Shah), who still believes that everything is at peace out there and nothing has changed. Raghuvir Yadav is a person serving him for years but he has not got guts to tell Naseer about the brutal killings. Jagjit Singh giving playback to the classical singing of Nasser brought back the memories of "Mirza Ghalib" once again. And when Naseer is asked what he can do to stop this, he rightly says with grief, "Saat Suron Mein Itni Taaqat Kahan Ki Yeh Vehshat Rok Saken". Very True! Here I would also like to mention a scene I found both emotional and disturbing to a great extent. As Naseer and Raghuvir pass through a road sitting in an autoricksaw, Nasser suddenly asks the driver to stop and comes out looking for something. Actually he is looking for an ancient and ages old mazaar which is not there where it was from years. Raghuvir calms him down explaining that we are on the wrong road and everything is fine. This is another well conceived scene equivalent to the first seen in the start.

In acting department everyone is there doing their part perfectly and are also well suited for their roles. Out of all, Naseeruddin Shah & Sanjay Suri stand out with their true to life performances and are a treat to watch. Cinematography is of first rate and plays a major part in giving the realistic touch to the movie.

"Firaaq" actually, should be seen more as an artistic and thought provoking docu-drama than as a mainstream Hindi movie. After the impressive & shocking start, your expectations rise sky high, which get fulfilled to some extent. But you also feel a little less satisfied as the movie finishes. That deprives "Firaaq" to be called an ultimate masterpiece, but still it is a movie which should be watched by everyone as a compulsion and you cannot afford to miss it.

That is why it also enters my "Movies To See Before You Die List" too.

So don't miss it as it is an intelligent and well made gift from the charming Nandita Sen. Would love to see her more works very soon.

What worked:

• plots and subplots with the stories of violence and stereotypes in the lives of many individuals in Mumbai
• the movie has some of the fine actors and their performances are worth praising

What did not work:

• some plot holes and uneven story telling; not complaining but could have been better I suppose
• the movie focused mainly from one religious perspective and the scenes seemed repetitive and so cliche, adding few newness to the characters and narration

Final verdict: Recommended.

If I were given a chance to give out an award during this festival, then Firaaq by Nandita Das would be my choice for the best film I've seen during the festival. And it's quite amazing in itself being a first film of the accomplished Indian actress, that it's laced with sensitivity while at the same time tackling some hard issues head on that deals with the deep rooted negative human condition of hate and violence.

Set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots between the Hindu and Muslim communities in Gujarat, India, it's an ensemble film with a myriad of characters in multiple story threads which involves a Muslim family who returns to their home only to find it burnt by rioters, of a mixed marriage couple who has to deal with their fears and decision to leave Gujarat for Delhi, of a woman who gets haunted by the ghosts of the incident, and punishes herself for her inaction, of a group of Muslim men all flustered and planning for revenge, of a young orphan wandering the streets, and the list goes on.

In each of the threads, which for the most parts are independent of one another, Nandita Das weaves very moving stories and crafts very interesting characters to function within each story, either serving as a mouthpiece for keen observations, or highlighting very deep rooted fears. The film doesn't flinch from making harsh criticisms or statements through dialogues and interactions between characters, and Das manages to paint characters on both sides of the equation, some exhibiting bad behaviour even when confronting their prejudices or when confronted by their fears. If I could draw a parallel to an established film that Firaaq gets close to, then it will be Paul Haggis' Oscar winner Crash.

One can imagine the human rights violations committed during the tense period, and it's quite natural to see how the outcome of such violations through the mob mentality, affect the common man even after the tumultuous period had passed over, because deep inside, we all know that some prejudice are hard to eradicate. I thought the story of Sameer and Anu was one of the most striking of the lot, and most enduring as well, though with each protection dished out by the wife, the husband feels more insecure about his manhood. Some of the most direct and pointed conversations happen when they are on screen, especially how one's inherent self-preservation mechanism kicks in and would go through anything as extreme as a name change to avoid another extreme such as being stripped to verify identities.

The final act was actually quite chilling, and I felt it could cut either way, depending on your outlook. One, that it is of hope, that with the next generation lies opportunity to bury the past and forge a new future ahead filled with better understanding, and the appreciation that such violence should never occur again. On the other hand, it reminds of how impressionable a young mind is, and through the wandering within a camp, taking in the sights of the aftermath of atrocities committed, that the seeds of revenge could have been innately planted, and being ready for improper indoctrination for further atrocities to be committed, some time in the future. It's extremely difficult, but not impossible, to break the stranglehold that violence begets more violence.

For a rookie director, I feel that Nandita Das has demonstrated that she has what it takes to join the illustrious ranks of female Indian directors in telling very mature stories through assured technique. Firaaq is a shining example, and I hope to see more of her directorial work again soon. Definitely a highly recommended movie in these troubled times of ours, to hold a mirror up against oneself, for some serious self-examination within.

From its very opening scene of a truck dumping dozens of corpses at a graveyard site for mass burial, Nandita Das makes it clear that her directorial debut, Firaaq is not going to be an easy watch. A fictionalised account of true stories set one month after the horrific communal riots of Gujarat in 2002, Firaaq focuses on a handful of ordinary characters whose lives are changed irreparably by the riots. There's an affluent mixed-religion couple (played by Tisca Chopra and Sanjay Suri) who prepares to shift to Delhi because the Muslim husband is afraid of what might happen next. An auto-rickshaw driver whose house is burned down, and his wife (played by Shahana Goswami) who suspects her Hindu friend's husband did it. An optimistic elderly Muslim musician (played by Naseeruddin Shah) who ultimately resigns himself to the fact that no music can hope to calm this rage. A passive, abused wife of a bigoted Hindu (played by Deepti Naval) who is haunted by guilt for not opening her door to save a woman running from the mob. And a little Muslim boy in search of his father, unaware that he's been orphaned in the carnage. These stories interconnect occasionally in a manner that makes it clear that victims, perpetrators and silent observes are all connected somehow. Director Nandita Das steers away from political overtones, choosing instead to tell a dramatic story about everyday people and the repercussions of violence. Interestingly, you don't actually see any incidents of violence in Firaaq, but its aftermath can be felt throughout the film, in the fear, anguish, loss and anger felt by those left in its wake. Firaaq is an important film because Das never shies away from showing the ugly side of her characters. I'm reminded of a disturbing scene in the film in which Paresh Rawal's character gleefully asks his younger brother if he enjoyed a gangrape he'd participated in. Barely moments later, his brother turns to watch a TV news report in which a Muslim woman is seen complaining that they were robbed of their dignity during the riots, to which he spitefully comments that they had little dignity to begin with. It's scenes like these that deliver the full impact of this powerful film, and Das assembles an ensemble of some of the finest actors who bring her characters to life. If there's a problem with Firaaq, it's the fact that despite her best intentions, Das fails to bridge the gap between the audience and her characters. It's unquestionably sad what happens to these people, you know their lives have changed forever, yet there's a certain unexplained distance that never lets you "feel" the pain yourself. Remember, the most compelling films are the ones that transport you to the centre of the drama, and make you a participant in the action. Firaaq is a noble film, an admirable debut, but you don't feel the pain. There is also the issue of the affected English dialogues in the Sanjay Suri-Tisca Chopra track, and the somewhat meandering nature of the Naseeruddin Shah track. Overlook these faults, however, and make it a point to watch Firaaq. It's an unsettling film, one that throws up difficult questions and demands urgent responses.Firaaq is not perfect, but it's much better than anything else you're likely to have watched recently.

With 'Firaaq' Nandita Das assumes a part behind the camera. She has chosen a very sensitive subject for her directorial debut. The film is a 'fictional' portrayal of the aftermaths of the riots in Gujrat that have lead to tragic consequences. 'Firaaq' very much reminded me of Haggis's crash in terms of telling multiple stories, the themes of prejudice and the connections between the stories but it is by no means a rip off. It is very much its own film that deals with subjects relevant in today's world. The stories are told like a collage. However, some could have benefited a little more with further development. I liked that not every single stories were linked directly and the connection does not feel forced. Das also uses plenty of subtle elements that give depth to the characters and add effect to the situations but at the same time some scenes appear a little preachy. 'Firaaq' is blessed with a host of talented actors. Deepti Naval tops the cast with a downplayed transcendent performance. Shahana Goswami and Raghuvir Yadav are first rate. Naseeruddin Shah is dependable. Sanjay Suri and Tisca Chopra are adequate. Paresh Rawal is quite hateful which is a welcome change from his usual overdone comedic roles. Nandita Das shows promise as a director and I believe that with more experience she will only become better. 'Firaaq' has been an interesting watch.