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Firaaq Directed by: Nandita Das Written by: Suchi Kothari and Nandita Das Percept Picture Company Sept 5th, 7th and 11th at TIFF 08 By: Seema Shastri Among the Hollywood programming of the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival is the Contemporary World Cinema program. This program provides the festival’s annual snapshot of trends in global cinema. It is here that Indian actress Nandita Das makes her directorial debut with the feature film Firaaq. The movie is based on the 2002 Godhra incident in Gujarat where over three thousand Muslims died in communal violence. Das is a well known actress in India having starred in Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s Fire and Earth. She is mostly credited for taking non mainstream (i.e. non Bollywood) roles and humanizing very real characters. So it was with great anticipation that I ventured into her directorial debut. Along with screen writer Suchi Kothari, Das paints a heavily nuanced picture of modern day India, and more specifically a modern day Gujarat. In Godhra 2002, communal violence in the state of Gujarat erupted in violence that saw over three thousand Muslim men, women and children slaughtered. What is more disturbing is that in many ways, this was state sanctioned rioting that saw policemen encouraging and perpetrating the violence. In an instant, fear and paranoia had become the norm for a Muslim community with long ties to their mother country. Firaaq, which means separation, unfolds in a series of vignettes amongst an array of cast. In addition, each story has virtually its own language including Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and English thus reflecting India’s diverse population. We are first introduced to a horrific scene as two Muslim gravediggers create a mass grave of women, children and men in the immediate aftermath of the violence. Then we are transported a month into the future where the remnants of violence have taken their toll on countless lives. First are a poor Muslim couple, Hanif and Muneera coming home after hiding out for a month to find their small home destroyed. Hanif is angry yet powerless to find anyone accountable, and attempts to take justice into his own hands. Muneera becomes paranoid that Hindu friends and neighbors may have perpetrated this crime and spends most of the film accusing her Hindu friend, Jyoti of the violent act. Next we come to a Hindu Gujarati family’s house where the hatred of Muslims is the norm and an isolated housewife, Arati, played beautifully by actress Deepti Naval, feels trapped by the guilt of seeing a Muslim women beg for help but doing nothing. From there we meet an aging musician played by Naseeruddin Shah who has kept a blind eye towards the conflict so that he may retain hope that art and music can bring people together. Lastly we meet Anu and Sameer a Hindu woman married to a Muslim man. They represent the new modern India and interchangeably speak Hindi and English with ease. Sameer is a Muslim with a Hindu sounding name and Anu is his loyal wife. After the violence has cost them their friends and their livelihood, they decide it is time to leave Gujarat for Delhi where they can live with more openness and safety. However, running away and tolerating prejudicial remarks about Muslims have taken a toll on the quiet peaceful Sameer. The story is woven together through a homeless child, Mohsin’s point of view. Mohsin is first brought in by Arati, the housewife as a surrogate for those she did not help during the riot. His whole family was slaughtered during the riots and he has been forced to live in a refugee camp of sorts. The idea that Indian citizens can be refugees in their own country is an example of the displacement many Muslims are feeling in India. Mohsin could have stayed in the family’s comfortable home but after witnessing the hypocrisy and violent antics of Arati’s husband and brother in law, Mohsin runs away. He then encounters, Hanif and his friends who aim to exact revenge on the people who looted and destroyed their homes. Here he witnesses a gruesome act when Hanif is callously murdered in front of his eyes. Finally he arrives back at the camp where destitute and shell shocked Muslims are trying to find solace and safety. The film comes full circle as he sits next to one of the gravediggers from the first scene and stares blankly into the camera. One can denote a sense of hope or hopelessness depending on how one interprets’ Das’s statement. Firaaq departs from mainstream Indian cinema in its story subject matter and a realistic portrayal of character. However where it is painfully similar is the director’s reliance on heavy dialogue and plot. Mostly framed in medium shot, there is little visual information aside from the actors that carry the film along. As her directorial debut Das has promoted her interest as a leader in social justice however Firaaq lacks any unique and artistic flair. Not a film to be missed due to its honest portrayal of events, one hopes that Das will venture into a more cinematic realm for her next feature project. |