KingsCharts at 03:19, 8 March 2026

2026-03-08T03:19:13Z

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Half Widow
| image = Half Widow 2017 Indian Film.jpg
| caption = Half Widow Release Poster
| director = [[Danish Renzu]]
| producer = Gaya Bhola Danish Renzu
| writer = Danish Renzu
| starring = Neelofar Hamid Shahnawaz Bhat [[Mir Sarwar]] Haseena Sofi
| music = [[Alokananda Dasgupta]] [[Sonu Nigam]] Dilip Langoo
| cinematography = Antonio Cisneros
| editing = Nitin Baid
| studio = Renzu Films Gaya Art Films
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|df=y|2017|12|16|South Asian International Film Festival|2020|1|6|India}}
| runtime = 91 minutes
| country = India
| language = Urdu
| budget = 
| gross =
}}
'''''Half Widow''''' is a 2017 Indian drama film directed by debutant Danish Renzu and written by Renzu and Gaya Bhola. The film tells the story of a woman from [[Srinagar]] in Kashmir, who tries to find her husband who is abducted by the [[Indian army]].<ref name=tt>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/if-there-is-paradise-on-earth-it-is-not-here-183441|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728191046/https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/if-there-is-paradise-on-earth-it-is-not-here-183441|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 July 2018|title=If there is paradise on earth, it is not here|last=Sarkar|first=Sonia|work=[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|The Telegraph]]|date=5 November 2017|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref> Jointly produced by Bhola and Renzu, the film stars Neelofar Hamid, Shahnawaz Bhat, [[Mir Sarwar]] and Haseena Sofi.<ref name=tribune>{{cite news|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/shot-in-valley-award-winning-film-set-for-release/535564.html|title=Shot in Valley, award-winning film set for release|last=Khan|first=M Aamir|work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|date=30 January 2018|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref> Because there are no theaters in Kashmir, the film was screened at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre.<ref name=tribune/>
The title of the film refers to the [[Half-widow|namesake term]] used for Kashmiri women whose husbands have disappeared mostly in custody of security forces in the [[Kashmir conflict]].<ref name=ht>{{cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/tracing-the-life-of-a-half-widow-muslim-director-kashmiri-pandit-writer-join-hands-for-a-film/story-KVbgLlsnOt376yFkiByr3J.html|title=Tracing the life of a 'half widow': Muslim director, Kashmiri pandit writer join hands for a film|last=Hussain|first=Ashiq|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=27 August 2017|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref> The film's official trailer was released in May 2017.<ref name=ht/> The characters in the film talk in [[Urdu]], with some Kashmiri.<ref name=scroll>{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/reel/848155/in-kashmiri-film-half-widow-the-journey-from-disappearance-to-death-to-hope|title=In Kashmiri film 'Half Widow', the journey from disappearance to death to hope|last=Bhat|first=Niyati|publisher=[[Scroll.in]]|date=27 August 2017|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref> The film received a favourable review on [[Cineblitz]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cineblitz.in/review/half-widow-review-danish-renzus-heart-breaking-tale-of-love-longing-and-loss-is-a-must-watch/|title=Half Widow review: Danish Renzu's heart-breaking tale of love, longing and loss is a must-watch|date=14 April 2019|publisher=Cineblitz |access-date=14 April 2019}}</ref> The film was released theatrically on 6 January 2020 in India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/half-widow-does-not-fall-into-the-bollywood-trap-of-the-formula-kashmir-film/article30535093.ece|title='Half Widow' does not fall into the Bollywood trap of the formula Kashmir film|first=Niyati|last=Bhat|date=10 January 2020|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref>

==Cast==
*Neelofar Hamid as Neela
*Shahnawaz Bhat as Zakir
*[[Mir Sarwar]] as Khalid
*Haseena Sofi as Khala
*Rhonda Leal as Eva
*Yasmeena Wani as Zumba
*Ayaan Sikander as Faizan

==Production==
Director Danish Renzu was doing a job at [[AT&T]] in the United States.<ref name=quint>{{cite web|url=https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/indian-cinema/danish-renzu-on-kashmir-half-widow-and-cinema|title=A Kashmiri Filmmaker Returns For the Love of Kashmir & Cinema|last=Ali Khan|first=Murtaza|publisher=[[The Quint]]|date=8 August 2017|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref> He came back to India in 2015 as he wanted to "tell stories from my world and the place I grew up in" that need attention and platform.<ref name=tt/> The film was shot in the valleys of Kashmir with local cast and crew. Sheikh Neelofar handled the casting part and approached some actors including a Bollywood actor [[Mir Sarwar]].<ref name=tribune/><ref name=quint/> Due to the local people involved Renzu was able to shoot the film in several unexplored locations.<ref name=quint/> The last schedule of filming was delayed due to the [[2016–18 Kashmir unrest|2016 Kashmir Uprising]] in the valley.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/a-window-to-the-valley/article19714135.ece|title=A window to the Valley - Danish Renzu talks about reviving cinema in Kashmir|last=Bhat|first=Adil|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=19 September 2017|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref> The film's dialogue writer Sunayana Kachroo, who is a poet, said that she felt the need to tell this story as "men in conflict zones are celebrated, decorated, and revered for their heroism", but the women and children are referred to as "the bystanders of the discord". She further said: "The first and the last victims of war are always the women and the children and, due to this, they are also the torchbearers of change and progress."<ref name=scroll/>

== Reception ==
Niyati Bhat of [[The Hindu]] wrote: "'Half Widow' does not fall into the Bollywood trap of the formula Kashmir film"<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/half-widow-does-not-fall-into-the-bollywood-trap-of-the-formula-kashmir-film/article30535093.ece |title=Half Widow' does not fall into the Bollywood trap of the formula Kashmir film|date=10 January 2020 |website=The Hindu |access-date=10 January 2020|last1=Bhat|first1=Niyati}}</ref> Aakansha Naval of [[Cineblitz]] gave it 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "it's a hard look at the harrowing and emotional trauma of half widows in Kashmir, Danish Renzu's directorial debut is storytelling at its best and not to be missed. Danish Renzu's Half Widow differs. In fact, not just from these two films, but also from every other film that's either been made, based, set or shot in Kashmir!"<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cineblitz.in/review/half-widow-review-danish-renzus-heart-breaking-tale-of-love-longing-and-loss-is-a-must-watch/ | title= Danish Renzu's heart-breaking tale of love, longing & loss is a must-watch |date=4 April 2019 |website=Cineblitz |access-date=4 April 2019}}</ref> Keyur Seta of [[Cinestaan]] gave it 3 stars out of 4 and write: "It is a more intimate portrayal and captures the lives of ordinary Kashmiris. The simple and realistic dialogues are an example. The use of the local language in a number of places adds to the realism."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cinestaan.com/reviews/half-widow-41372 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323214230/https://www.cinestaan.com/reviews/half-widow-41372 |url-status=live |archive-date=23 March 2020 |title=Half Widow review: Hopeful end to grim tale of a missing husband|date=24 March 2020 |website=Cinestaan |access-date=20 March 2020}}</ref> Nandini Ramnath of Scroll in praised the lead actors performance and wrote: "Neelofar Hamid's sensitive and affecting portrayal accommodates the spectrum of Neela's emotional experiences, from loneliness to comfort in family and community, and from despair to hope. Neela's dilemma, articulated through a voiceover by dialogue writer Sunayna Kachroo, moves away from politics towards the direction of poetics. There is immense poignancy and wistfulness in Neela's ruminations. The seasons change, but no season brought you back, Neela says to herself as she remembers Khalid."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://scroll.in/reel/948974/in-kashmiri-film-half-widow-a-missing-husband-and-a-dilemma-should-she-hold-on-or-let-go |title=In Kashmiri film 'Half Widow', a missing husband and a dilemma: should she hold on or let go?|date=6 January 2020 |website= The Scroll |access-date=6 January 2020}}</ref> Sanjana Bhagwat of [[Shorted]] wrote: "This is just what the film is – grounded, honest and real, without any glossiness of romanticism or manipulation. Familiar songs like ‘Dilbaro’ and ‘Ae Watan’ sound starkly different without the sheen of being in a Bollywood film; they can be heard in Half Widow through the static of radios or the off-key, asynchronous hum of a children's choir."<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://shorted.in/films/half-widow-danish-renzu/ |title=Half Widow |date=17 December 2019 |website=Shorted |access-date=17 December 2019}}</ref>

==Awards and festivals==
'''Festivals '''
*[[CAAMFest]], San Francisco
*[[Seattle International Film Festival]], Seattle
*[[Asian Film Festival of Dallas]], Dallas <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asianfilmdallas.com/half-widow/|title=Half Widow|publisher=Asian Film Festival of Dallas|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref>
*Indie Meme International Film Festival, Texas
*Vancouver South Asian Film Festival, Canada
*South Asian International Film Festival, New York
*Innovative International Film Festival, Bangalore
*2nd New Delhi Film Festival, Delhi
*Le Festival des Films Indiens de Toulouse, France
*Jaipur International Film Festival, Jaipur
*Tasveer South Asian Film Festival, Seattle
*Chicago South Asian Film Festival, Chicago
*Houston Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival (HAAPIFest), Houston
*[[UN Women]], Los Angeles chapter (SPECIAL SCREENING)
*Boston Indian and International Film Festival, Boston
*Mustard Seed Film Festival of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
*San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, San Luis Obispo
*DC South Asian Film Festival, Washington DC
*New Jersey Indian & International Film Festival, New Jersey
*Caelesdoscope International Film Festival, Rhode Island
*[[Hyderabad Bengali Film Festival]], Hyderabad
*Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, Ohio
*National Film Festival of Kerala, Kochi
*Third Eye Asian Film Festival, Mumbai
*Indian Film Festival Of Prague

'''Nominations '''
*Best Actress (Neelofar Hamid) - Boston Indian and International Film Festival
*Best Film - Boston Indian and International Film Festival
*Le Festival des Films Indiens de Toulouse - [[Film Critics Circle of India]] Award for the Best Debut Director Danish Renzu <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://filmcriticscircle.com/fcci-awards/|title=Film Critics Circle Of India|website=filmcriticscircle.com|access-date=22 June 2019|archive-date=4 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104025141/https://filmcriticscircle.com/fcci-awards/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*In Competition at [[Asia Pacific Screen Awards]], Australia

'''Awards'''
*Audience Choice, Best Feature Film - 2017 South Asian International Film Festival, New York (world premiere)<ref name=tribune/>
*Audience Choice, Best Feature Film - 2018 Vancouver South Asian International Film Festival, Canada
*Best Film Award - 2018 New Jersey Indian and International Film Festival<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.njiiff.org/2018-winners.html|title=New Jersey Indian & International Film Festival: 2018 Winners|publisher=New Jersey Indian & International Film Festival|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref>
*Best Director Award Danish Renzu - 2018 New Jersey Indian and International Film Festival<ref name="auto"/>
*Best Actress (Neelofar Hamid) - 2018 Caelesdoscope International Film Festival
*Best Cinematography (Antonio Cisneros) - 2018 Boston Indian and International Film Festival, Boston
*Best Film Critics Choice - 2019 Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, Cincinnat
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|tt5012370}}
[[Category:Films set in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Films shot in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:2017 Urdu-language films]]
[[Category:Indian independent films]]
[[Category:Kashmir conflict in films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Alokananda Dasgupta]]
[[Category:Films scored by Sonu Nigam]]
[[Category:Indian Army in films]]
[[Category:2017 drama films]]
[[Category:2017 films]]
[[Category:Urdu-language Indian films]]

Half Widow - Revision history

KingsCharts at 03:19, 8 March 2026