Firaaq

What links here Related changes Page information
Created by UpdateBot
Last edited June 28, 2022

Template:EngvarB

Firaaq
File:Firaaq.jpg


Poster

Directed by Nandita Das
Written by Nandita Das
Shuchi Kothari
Produced by Percept Picture Company
Starring Naseeruddin Shah
Sanjay Suri
Raghubir Yadav
Inaamulhaq
Deepti Naval
Paresh Rawal
Shahana Goswami
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Tisca Chopra
Dilip Joshi
Amruta Subhash
Cinematography Ravi K. Chandran
Edited by A. Sreekar Prasad






Country India
Language Hindi



Firaaq (English: Separation) is a 2008 Hindi political thriller film set one month after the 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[1][2] 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.[3]

Plot

Firaaq follows the life of several ordinary people, some who were victims, some silent observers, and some perpetrators one month after the 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 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 Sufi saint, Wali Gujarati. A middle-age Hindu housewife, Aarti (Deepti Naval), is traumatised because she did not help a 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.[4]

Cast

Music

Composed by Piyush Kanojia and Rajat Dholakia, the lyrics of the songs are penned by Gulzar. Template:Track listing

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".[5][6] 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.[7] 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 Award for "aesthetically weaving together unrelated sequences to heighten the dramatic impact" in the Best Editing category at the 56th National Film Awards.[8][9]

It was released in India on 20 March 2009 and received critical acclaim.[10] 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.[11]

Professional reviews
Review Scores
Source Rating
Bollywood Hungama[11] Template:Rating
CNN IBN[12] Template:Rating
Glamsham[13] Template:Rating
MouthShut[14] Template:Rating
Movie Talkies[15] Template:Rating
Outlook India[16] Template:Rating
Rediff.com[17] Template:Rating
The Times of India[18] Template:Rating

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
19th Cinequest Film Festival San Jose, USA (2009)
  • Won – The Maverick Spirit Award
56th National Film Awards (2009)
55th Filmfare Awards (2010)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  2. ↑ The Indian Express(20 March 2009). Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  3. ↑ 15 Indian Movies That Got Banned By The Censor Board(2015). Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  4. ↑ http://www.nanditadas.com/firaaq_synopsis.htm
  5. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  6. ↑ Firaaq wins best film award at Asian Festival of 1st Films{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Indiantelevision(11 December 2008)
  7. ↑ PPC's FIRAAQ wins five International Awards. Bollywood Trade News Network(22 January 2009). Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  8. ↑ 56th National Film Awards. International Film Festival of India. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  9. ↑ 56th National Film Awards (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  10. ↑ firaaqthefilm.com. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Firaaq – Critics Review. Bollywood Hungama(20 March 2009). Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  12. ↑ Masand's movie review: Firaaq is a must watch. IBN Live(21 March 2009). Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  13. ↑ Firaaq Movie Review. Glamsham(20 March 2009). Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  14. ↑ Is Our Country Really Secular?. MouthShut.com(24 March 2009). Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  15. ↑ There is light beyond the darkness in this movie by Nandita Das. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  16. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  17. ↑ Hats off to you, Nandita Das(20 March 2009). Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  18. ↑ Firaaq – Critic's review. Times of India(19 March 2009). Retrieved 16 April 2012.

Template:FilmfareCriticsAwardBestMovie Template:2002 Gujarat Violence

Retrieved from "https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Firaaq&oldid=332494"
Discover more