Firaaq : Unsettling, Poignant and Difficult

Long after you have seen Firaaq, an uncontrollable silence will empower you. The movie makes you numb and there is this uncomfortable pit in the stomach that refuses to go.

Nandita Das has made a movie that represents the society and its hidden monstrous edges, with dialogues and emotions, frame after frame. Every single twist and turn in the movie shows the hidden fears that a city or a village goes through when some level of prejudice is injected into them.

There is first class acting by all the actors in the movie and the fact that every sentence of the movie lingers on after its over is testament to the story-writer's finesse.

Its a movie with many intertwined stories regarding the situation post the Godhra Riots. Yes, there have been many different movies based on riots, but this movie essentially represents all of them from different points of view.There are stories of victims, of Hindu-Muslim friendship,of inter-religious marriage and of orphans. The stalwarts,Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal and Deepti Naval speak through their words and silences. Its great to see Deepti after such a long time on the screen. 

There are difficult lines and unsettling situations in the movie. Like the time Paresh Rawal asks his brother if he enjoyed a gangrape, or when Sanjay Suri changes his surname to escape ostracisation or the last scene where a child who has seen violence and lost his family to the riots, refuses to play a game of marbles. 

The movie is a must see because it puts into perspective the fears that humans go through when the people who are elected to create harmony in our lives do the exact opposite. 

It asks all the right questions at the right time and therefore it must be watched.

And yes, there is renewed respect for Nandita Das.