Ignoring political undertones of Firaaq having been released in India at this time, just ahead of the elections, one must bow to Nandita Das for making a directorial debut with this gem of a movie. Firaaq is a honest tale of the lives of Muslims in the aftermath of the Gujarat riots in 2004. It is a tale of brutal reality, conveyed more through emotions than through actions. Infact, there is just one act of violence that is shown in the movie. And that is enough to make the viewer ponder about how somebody could harbour such hatred(that too based on communal grounds) in oneself. There have been many movies that have dealt with the brutality of religious riots in India - Bombay, Black Friday, why even Slumdog Millionaire. But all these movies had to employ many scenes of action and violence to convey the effect. They just made us wonder why such things happen. How Firaaq differs is by delving into the psyche of the victims and capturing the element of fear in a very poignant manner such as not achieved in those movies, even by the legend himself, Mani Ratnam.
There are six stories narrated in the movie, and some of the tracks are interlinked. Every character in the movie is affected by the riots in a certain way, though not in the same way. An upper-class hindu-muslim couple, a Hindu fanatic who was part of the rioting group and his wife who feels guilty for being a helpless bystander, a revered Muslim musician who inspires fellowmen through his songs, another lower-class couple who lose their house in the riots, a group of Muslim friends who seek revenge, and a poor little kid who has witnessed a lot of gore in the riots and survived it. Through the different characters, Nandita has showcased what goes on in a victim's mind - anxiety, fear, helplessness, anger, the urge to rebel, the desire for retribution. The movie also succeeds in making you wonder what the hell goes on in the perpetrator's mind. The success of a good psychological movie is in posing difficult questions, not in answering them. Because there is no definite answer to some questions. That is where Firaaq shines. Even though all the tracks reach a kind of closure, the climax would seem kind of abrupt. One might feel disappointed, but after a little insight you would realise there couldn't have been a better climax.
Acting is terrific, no doubt as most of the actors are/were originally great theatre artists. Mohammed Samad as the kid and Deepti Naval as the housewife of the fanatic shine out particularly. Naseeruddin Shah plays his role to perfection. It was great to see Paresh Rawal in a serious character, for a change. He has funny lines too in the movie. Shahana Goswami is a refreshingly talented actress. A wonderful ensemble cast, overall.
Ravi K Chandran is the cinematographer and he has infused a lovely visual look in the movie. In certain scenes, the streets of Gujarat seem to convey the grim nature of the period even though there is no action on the streets. Credit also has to go to the art director Gautam Sen. Music is by not-at-all-popular people Rajat Dholakia and Piyush Kanojia, but the background score is certainly effective. But one wishes A.R.Rahman was a part of this project.
Overall, a must-watch for all Indians who need to get a grip on reality instead of condemning a whole community as crime-perpetrators and terrorists. I'm glad an Indian actress has come up with an original movie as good as this. The standard of Bollywood seems to be improving, with a lot of offbeat directors creating successful movies. Let's hope the trend continues.
