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{{EngvarB|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Firaaq
| image = Firaaq.jpg
| caption = Poster
| director = [[Nandita Das]]
| producer = Percept Picture Company
| writer = [[Nandita Das]] [[Shuchi Kothari]]
| narrator =
| starring = [[Naseeruddin Shah]] [[Sanjay Suri]] [[Raghubir Yadav]] [[Inaamulhaq]] [[Deepti Naval]] [[Paresh Rawal]] [[Shahana Goswami]] [[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]] [[Tisca Chopra]] [[Dilip Joshi]] [[Amruta Subhash]]
| music =
| cinematography = [[Ravi K. Chandran]]
| editing = [[A. Sreekar Prasad]]
| distributor =
| studio = Percept Picture Company
| budget =
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2008|9|5|[[2008 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]|2009|3|20|India}}
| runtime = 112 minutes
| country = India
| language = Hindi
}}
'''''Firaaq''''' (English: ''Separation'') is a 2008 Hindi [[political thriller]] film set one month after the [[2002 Gujarat violence|2002 violence in Gujarat]], [[India]] and looks at the aftermath in its effects on the lives of everyday people. It claims to be based on "a thousand true stories". ''Firaaq'' means both separation and quest in [[Arabic]]. The film is the directorial debut of actress [[Nandita Das]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/firaaq/ | title=Rotten Tomatoes | website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | access-date=6 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/movie-review-firaaq/437021/ | title=The Indian Express | date=20 March 2009 | access-date=6 January 2014}}</ref> and stars [[Naseeruddin Shah]], [[Deepti Naval]], [[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]], [[Inaamulhaq]], [[Nassar (actor)]], [[Paresh Rawal]], [[Sanjay Suri]], [[Raghubir Yadav]], [[Shahana Goswami]], [[Amruta Subhash]] and [[Tisca Chopra]].

The film has largely been well received locally and internationally. ''Firaaq'' won three awards at the [[Asian Festival of First Films]] in Singapore in December 2008, the Special Prize at the [[International Thessaloniki Film Festival]], and an award at the [[Kara Film Festival]] in Pakistan. It won two [[National Film Awards]] at [[56th National Film Awards]]. The film was banned in [[Gujarat]] owing to the communally sensitive subject of the film.<ref>{{cite news |title=15 Indian Movies That Got Banned By The Censor Board |url=https://www.scoopwhoop.com/entertainment/banned-hoon-main/ |access-date=8 November 2020 |publisher=ScoopWhoop |date=2015}}</ref>

== Plot ==
''Firaaq'' follows the life of several ordinary people, some who were victims, some silent observers, and some perpetrators one month after the [[2002 Gujarat violence|2002 violence in Gujarat]]. It focuses on how their lives are affected and (irrevocably) changed.

The story is set over a 24-hour period, one month after a carnage that took place in Gujarat, India in 2002. This sectarian violence killed more than 900 Muslims and 300+ Hindus (reported), hundreds of thousands were made homeless on both sides.

Khan Saheb ([[Naseeruddin Shah]]) is an elderly [[Islamic music|Muslim classical vocalist]], who remains blissfully optimistic of the situation happening around him. His servant, Karim Mian ([[Raghubir Yadav]]), tries to alert him to the problems the Muslim community is facing, but Khan Saheb only realises the extent of the trauma upon seeing the destruction of a shrine dedicated to the [[Sufism|Sufi]] saint, Wali Gujarati. A middle-age [[Hinduism|Hindu]] housewife, Aarti ([[Deepti Naval]]), is traumatised because she did not help a [[Islam in India|Muslim]] woman being chased by a mob and finds a way to atone for her sins upon finding Mohsin, a Muslim orphan who wanders the city in search for his family. Meanwhile, her husband, Sanjay ([[Paresh Rawal]]), and his brother, Deven ([[Dilip Joshi]]), try to bribe police officers to prevent Deven's arrest for gang-rape. Muneera ([[Shahana Goswami]]) and her husband Hanif ([[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]]), are a young Muslim couple who return home only to find it looted and burnt. Muneera struggles to relate to her Hindu neighbour Jyoti ([[Amruta Subash]]) in the following days, as she suspects her for taking part in the looting. Hanif, along with several other Muslim men, plan to retaliate against the violence and their helplessness by searching for a gun to exact revenge. Sameer Shaikh ([[Sanjay Suri]]) and Anuradha Desai ([[Tisca Chopra]]) are a wealthy, interreligious couple, whose store was burnt during the carnage. They decide to move to [[Delhi]] to escape the violence and Sameer comes into conflict with his wife's family over expressing his identity as a Muslim in India.

Through these characters we experience the consequences of violence that impact their inner and outer lives. Violence spares nobody. Yet in the midst of all this madness, some find it in their hearts to sing hopeful songs for better times.<ref>http://www.nanditadas.com/firaaq_synopsis.htm</ref>

== Cast ==
* [[Naseeruddin Shah]] as Jaagir Khan Saheb
* [[Deepti Naval]] as Aarti
* [[Sanjay Suri]] as Sameer Arshad Shaikh
* [[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]] as Hanif
* [[Inaamulhaq]] as Munna
* [[Paresh Rawal]] as Sanjay
* [[Sumeet Raghavan]] as Dr. Subhash
* [[Raghubir Yadav]] as Karim
* [[Mohammad Samad]] as Mohsin
* [[Shahana Goswami]] as Muneera
* [[Amruta Subhash]] as Jyoti
* [[Tisca Chopra]] as Anuradha Desai
* [[Shafi (actor)|Shafi]] as Ghogha
* [[Dr Sridhar Kumar]] as police cop
* [[Ruhi Singh]] as Sakina
* [[Nassar (actor)|Nassar]] as Grave Digger
* [[Dilip Joshi]] as Deven
* [[Rahul Singh (actor)|Rahul Singh]] as Rajat, Ketaki's husband
* [[Jasbir Thandi]] as Cop at Lucky's restaurant
* [[Honey Chhaya]] as Bapuji
* [[Sucheta Trivedi]] as Ketaki
* [[Sakina]] as Ruhi

==Music==
Composed by Piyush Kanojia and Rajat Dholakia, the lyrics of the songs are penned by [[Gulzar]].
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| lyrics_credits =
| title1 = Meri Gali Mein Andhera | extra1 = [[Sukhvinder Singh]] | lyrics1 = | length1 = 03:43
| title2 = Gujarat Ke Firaaq Soon Hai | extra2 = [[Jagjit Singh]] | lyrics2 = | length2 = 06:46
| title3 = Ummeed Ab Kahi Koi Dar Kholti Nahi | extra3 = [[Rekha Bhardwaj]] | lyrics3 = | length3 = 05:41
| title4 = Daag Daag Ujaala | extra4 = Faiz Ahmed Faiz | lyrics4 = | length4 = 02:10
| title5 = Kuchh is Tarah | extra5 = [[Mohit Chauhan]], [[Tulsi Kumar]] | lyrics5 = | length5 = 04:44
}}

==Reception==
''Firaaq'' won top honours at the [[Asian Festival of First Films]] 2008 in Singapore, where it won the awards for "Best Film", "Screenplay / Script", and "Foreign Correspondents Assn. Purple Orchid Award for Best Film".<ref name="Patrick2008">{{cite magazine|author=Patrick Frater|title='Firaaq' scoops Asian fest honors: Indian film picks up multiple awards|date=10 December 2008 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997193.html?categoryId=13&cs=1 |access-date=11 December 2008}}</ref><ref name="Ref_2008">{{Cite book|title=Firaaq wins best film award at Asian Festival of 1st Films|publisher=Indiantelevision|date=11 December 2008 |url=http://www.indiantelevision.com/aac/y2k8/aac747.php |access-date=11 December 2008}}</ref> The film has won awards at other international festivals, including the Special Prize award at the [[International Thessaloniki Film Festival]] in Greece, the Special Jury Award at the [[International Film Festival of Kerala]], and the Best Editor award for [[Sreekar Prasad]] at the [[Dubai International Film Festival]].<ref name="Ref_2009">{{cite web|title=PPC's FIRAAQ wins five International Awards|date=22 January 2009|publisher=Bollywood Trade News Network |url=http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/09/jan/22-ppcs-firaaq-wins-five-international-awards-010913.asp|access-date=1 February 2009}}</ref> It won an award at the [[Kara Film Festival]] in Pakistan. Gautam Sen for "its perfect use of props and choice of colours to enhance the ambience of a post-riots" won [[National Film Award for Best Art Direction]]. [[A. Sreekar Prasad]] also won a [[National Film Awards|National Film Award]] for "aesthetically weaving together unrelated sequences to heighten the dramatic impact" in the [[National Film Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]] category at the [[56th National Film Awards]].<ref name="56thaward">{{cite web|url=http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm56NFAAward.aspx|title=56th National Film Awards|publisher=[[International Film Festival of India]]|format=pdf|access-date=27 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015045700/http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm56NFAAward.aspx|archive-date=15 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="56thawardPDF">{{cite web |url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/56th_nff_2008.pdf |title=56th National Film Awards (PDF)|publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]] |access-date=27 March 2012}}</ref>

It was released in India on 20 March 2009 and received critical acclaim.<ref name="Ref_">{{cite web|url=http://www.firaaqthefilm.com|title=firaaqthefilm.com|access-date=24 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702204603/http://www.firaaqthefilm.com/|archive-date=2 July 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Taran Adarsh]] in his review of the film on [[Bollywood Hungama]] called it disturbing, powerful and thought-provoking and gave it 4.5 stars out of five.<ref name=Hungama>{{cite news |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/513165 |title=Firaaq – Critics Review |work=[[Bollywood Hungama]] |author=Taran Adarsh |author-link=Taran Adarsh |date= 20 March 2009 |access-date=13 April 2012}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable infobox plain" style="float:right; width:23em; font-size: 80%; text-align: centr; margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1em; padding:0;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
! colspan="2" style="font-size:120%;" | Professional reviews
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#d1dbdf; font-size:120%;" | Review Scores
|-
! Source
! Rating
|-
| [[Bollywood Hungama]]<ref name=Hungama/>
| {{Rating|4.5|5}}
|-
| [[CNN IBN]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/masands-movie-review-firaaq-is-a-must-watch/88227-8.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322152639/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/masands-movie-review-firaaq-is-a-must-watch/88227-8.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 March 2009 |title=Masand's movie review: Firaaq is a must watch |publisher=IBN Live |author=Rajeev Masand |author-link=Rajeev Masand |date=21 March 2009 |access-date=16 April 2012}}</ref>
| {{Rating|3|5}}
|-
| [[Glamsham]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glamsham.com/movies/reviews/20-firaaq-movie-review-030914.asp |title=Firaaq Movie Review |publisher=[[Glamsham]]|date= 20 March 2009 |author=Martin D'Souza (Bollywood Trade News Network) |access-date=16 April 2012}}</ref>
| {{Rating|3|5}}
|-
| [[MouthShut.com|MouthShut]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Firaaq-Movie-review-qsrmoqnprm |title=Is Our Country Really Secular? |publisher=[[MouthShut.com]] |date=24 March 2009 |access-date=16 April 2012}}</ref>
| {{Rating|4|5}}
|-
| [[Movie Talkies]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.movietalkies.com/movies/reviews/19449/firaaq |title=There is light beyond the darkness in this movie by Nandita Das |access-date=16 April 2012}}</ref>
| {{Rating|3.5|5}}
|-
| [[Outlook India]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?240087 |title=Firaaq |author=Namrata Joshi |author-link=Namrata Joshi |magazine=[[Outlook India]] |access-date=16 February 2012}}</ref>
| {{Rating|3|5}}
|-
| [[Rediff.com]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2009/mar/20firaaq-a-powerful-directorial-debut.htm |work=[[Rediff.com]] |title=Hats off to you, Nandita Das |author=Sukanya Verma |date=20 March 2009 |access-date=16 April 2012}}</ref>
| {{Rating|4|5}}
|-
| [[The Times of India]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Firaaq/movie-review/4288252.cms |title=Firaaq – Critic's review |newspaper=[[Times of India]] |author=Nikhat Kazmi |date=19 March 2009 |access-date=16 April 2012}}</ref>
| {{Rating|3.5|5}}
|-
|}

===Awards and honours===
;2009 [[Kara Film Festival]]
*'''Won''' – Best Film

;2008 [[Asian Festival of First Films]]
*'''Won''' – Best Film
*'''Won''' – Best Screenplay
*'''Won''' – Foreign Correspondents Association Purple Orchid Award for Best Film

;2009 [[International Film Festival of Kerala]]
*'''Won''' – Special Jury Award

;2009 [[International Thessaloniki Film Festival]]
*'''Won''' – Special Prize (Everyday Life: Transcendence or Reconciliation Award)
*Nominated – Golden Alexander for Best Film

;[[Cinequest Film Festival|19th Cinequest Film Festival San Jose, USA]] (2009)
*'''Won''' – The Maverick Spirit Award

;[[56th National Film Awards]] (2009)
*[[National Film Award for Best Art Direction|Best Art Direction]] – Gautam Sen
*[[National Film Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]] – [[A. Sreekar Prasad]]

;55th [[Filmfare Awards]] (2010)
*[[Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie|Critics Award for Best Movie]]
*[[Filmfare Special Award|Special Award]] – [[Nandita Das]]
*[[Filmfare Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]] – [[A. Sreekar Prasad]]
*[[Filmfare Award for Best Sound Design|Best Sound Design]] – Manas Chaudhury
*[[Filmfare Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]] – Vaishali Menon

==See also==
*[[Barkha Dutt]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|1263679|Firaaq}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=firaaq|title=Firaaq}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090331133139/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/27/stories/2009032750650200.htm Review – The Hindu]
* [http://www.indianexpress.com/news/movie-review-firaaq/437021/0 Review – Indian Express]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120105173234/http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_review.aspx?lang=hindi&id=385&moviename=Firaaq Review – NDTV]
* [http://www.upperstall.com/films/2009/firaaq Review – Upperstall]
* [http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2009/mar/210309-Firaaq-Nandita-Das-Naseeruddin-Shah-Paresh-Rawal-Deepti-Naval-Tisca-Chopra.htm Review – Mid Day]
* [http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/review-firaaq-sensitively-explores-the-aftermath-of-gujarat-riots_25848.htm Review – Zee News]

{{FilmfareCriticsAwardBestMovie}}
{{2002 Gujarat Violence}}

[[Category:2008 films]]
[[Category:2000s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Hyperlink films]]
[[Category:Films set in India]]
[[Category:Films set in Ahmedabad]]
[[Category:Films about religious violence in India]]
[[Category:Films about Hinduism]]
[[Category:Films about Islam]]
[[Category:Films shot in Ahmedabad]]
[[Category:Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing National Award]]
[[Category:Films whose production designer won the Best Production Design National Film Award]]
[[Category:2008 directorial debut films]]

Firaaq - Revision history

UpdateBot at 11:34, 28 June 2022