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Firaaq |
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| Movie: | Firaaq |
| Start Cast: |
Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Dipti Naval, Raghubir Yadav, Sanjay Suri, Tisca Chopra, Shahana Goswami and Nowaz |
| Directer: | Nandita Das |
| Music Directer: | Rajat Dholakia, Piyush Kanojia |
| Story Writer: | Shuchi Kothari, Nandita Das |
| Our Rating: | 4 out of 5 |
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Movie Review
(Posted on: March 21, 2009)
This movie is certainly not for the weak-hearted and the escapists, it is for the ones who can accept brutal reality, live with fear and yet dare to survive the hardest of times. Nandita Das’ Firaaq is, to be precise, a valuable envision of complexities of human minds and the dire consequences that befell them for their own religious rigidity and beastly actions. All the characters in Firaaq are trying to escape the feeling of seclusion and yet they continue with their innate habit of pursuing and go on for a quest… a quest for finding their roots and permanent peace.
With 2002 Godhra incident as the backdrop, Firaaq explores its after-math on the natives of Gujarat, more importantly on the two religious sects that have been living harmoniously until the riot took place. The movie captures a desolated Gujarat with the state wrapped in a tensed mood. The characters think twice before opening the doors and die everyday out of fear and insecurity. Rubbles and relics of newly devastated structures are evident in every corner of the state.
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Munira (Shahana Goswami), a muslim woman returns to her home to find it in a ravaged state. Her helplessness makes her wail. You have to get used to such wails for tragedy hardly leaves the scenes of Firaaq. Sanjay’s (Paresh Rawal) wife Deepti Naval is traumatized and suffers within for not having allowed a victim (who was a woman) to take shelter in her home. Every knock on the door gives her fright and she cannot condone her for not having helped the woman. Her encounter with Mohsin (Mohammad Samad) gives her a chance to help this little muslim boy, who is in search of his abbu. She teaches Mohsin to call himself Mohan in front of others and hears the heartrending story his mother being burnt alive before his eyes.
Naseeruddin Shah, who is a revered classical singer - Khan Sahab, is also a part of this ever-persisting apprehension. Khan Sahab is not like others who bother about the rising strife and merciless killing between the Hindus and Muslims but he is upset about the fact that a human is killing other fellow human. He remains optimism and the grossness of the outside world did not affect him much till he realized how hatred has seeped into the minds of people. He concludes that even the seven notes of music do not have the power to wipe out hatred and finally resigns to his room. Sanjay Suri and Tisca Chopra paired up in the movie as married couple who had inter-caste marriage and now the muslim husband tries to hide his identity and escape to Delhi.
Mohsin, the little boy, put up a brilliant performance with his natural innocence. Director Nandita Das made perfect use of this child victim and it is through his forced vagabond life and vulnerability that we can identify how pathetic and haunting is this sense of helplessness. Firaaq takes a vigilant look into the lives of people and their bound existence, who find it easier to borrow other’s identity than to face such carnage. Their grit and self-belief has suffered a fatal blow after the incident. Music director Rajat Dholakia and Piyush Kanojia deserve kudos for selecting some classical ragas as background music. The movie does not take you to a melodramatic ride but places before you the crudeness in its actuality. With no sugar-coated scenes, Firaaq is certainly hard on the lovers of light-hearted movies.
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