Lest we forget...

What's it about: As is wont in the aftermath of every holocaust slash mass murder slash genocide, there is a cacophony of voices waiting to be heard of denials, of rabid fear, of remorseless rancour, of endless pain. Which ones get voiced makes all the difference.

Know about the child who saw his family being raped, chopped, burnt in front of his eyes while being hidden away and then walking the streets searching for his lost father, about the housewife whose inaction still haunts her to the extent that her own family treats her like a doormat, about the Muslim grave digger who wants instant vengeance (by attempting to mutilate a woman belonging to the community that perpetrated the violence against their kin, a minority), the store owner who's afraid to stay in the state he once called home after his store is ransacked, about the Muslim musician waiting for an audience (mostly Hindu students), observing that the only reason that is (and what a self-introspection on a community that is!), is because his own community has no love for 'mausiki', about the perpetrators of violence who live on as if nothing has changed and are bold enough to behave like it has been their birthright to behave the way they do.u00a0

What's hot: Firaaq takes 'a thousand true stories' and turns it into 'a work of fiction'. Of course, cramming a few of those thousand stories into the span of a little more than an hour and a half, requires a confident hand. Nandita succeeds on that account, delivering a mostly intelligent, sometimes witty, and usually poignant film. While the debutant director takes the road all too well trod, she takes quite a few detours as well. For her first, Nandita's is a superlative effort. It is a thinking woman's take on a post-riot Gujarat. Shahana stands out. Deepti Naval as the housewife/doormat and Paresh Rawal as her demonic battering ram of a husband excel. Naseer as the music guru hits all the right chords.u00a0u00a0u00a0

What's not: Much like Sameer's (Sanjay Suri) dilemma, this one seems like a 'delayed reaction'. For whatever technical reasons those may be, it now seems that we belong to an era that sympathises with the victims (whichever community or whatever definition that may be) only when they are in the news. We really don't care for the voices of reason when they do pipe up. You're seriously left wondering if Nandita hopes to effect any change with this film. You don't really leave the screening feeling like it has affected you in some way.

What to do: There may have been a thousand reasons for making this film. There are a handful of reasons to watch it. It's a 'good product', it's a different take, and yes, it doesn't talk to you in a language you're unfamiliar with.

Firaaq

U/A; drama
Dir: Nandita Das
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Deepti Naval, Tisca Chopra, Sumeet Raghavan
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At a cinema...

ANDHERI Fun (1.15 pm, 1.45 pm, 7.45 pm, 10 pm), Cinemax Versova (10.15 am, 2.30 pm, 6 pm, 10.45 pm), Fame Big (12.30 pm, 4.40 pm, 10.15 pm)

BANDRA Suburbia (8.15 pm), Globus (11.15 am), Galaxy (12.30 pm, 3.15 pm, 6.15 pm, 9.15 pm)

CHURCHGATE Inox (10.30 am, 6.45 pm, 11 pm)

DADAR Premiere (12.30 pm, 3.30 pm, 6.30 pm), Fame Nakshatra (5.45 pm)