Firaaq (2009) Country: India Language: Hindi Year: 2009 Color/BW: COLOR Category: Feature Film Genre: Drama
Description Firaaq is an Urdu word that means both separation and quest. Set in the aftermath of a communal carnage, Firaaq, is a work of fiction based on a thousand stories. It is an ensemble film that takes place over a 24 hour period, a month after the worst of the violence is over. The film traces the emotional journeys of 'ordinary people' - some who were victims, some perpetrators and some who watched silently. Firaaq explores their relationships as they experience many fierce and delicate emotions of fear and prejudice, guilt and revenge, trust and betrayal and a loss of innocence that wounds the soul forever. Violence truly spares nobody. Yet in the midst of all this madness, some still sing hopeful songs for better times.
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Shahana Goswami, Sanjay Suri, Tisca Chopra, Deepti Naval, Paresh Rawal, Raghuvir Yadav, Masood Akhtar, Honey Chhaya, Dilip Joshi, Rahul Singh, Nawazuddin Siddiqui | | Director: Nandita Das Music Director: Rajat Dholakia, Piyush Kanojia
| | Parzania (2005) Tagline: Heaven And Hell On Earth Country: India Language: English, Hindi Year: 2005 Color/BW: COLOR Category: Feature Film Genre: Drama
Description Allan (Corin Nemec), an American, arrives in Ahmedabad searching for answers, to find internal peace and to understand the world and his troubled life. He choses India as his school and Gandhi as his subject of his thesis. It is here that he meets the Pithawala family - Cyrus (Naseeruddin Shah), his wife Shernaz (Sarika), son Parzan (Parzan Dastur) and daughter Dilshad (Pearl Barsiwala). The Pithawalas being Parsis follow Zoroastrianism. Through them and the teachings of an Gandhian, Allan starts to find peace of mind.After the fall of Babri Mosque by some extremist Hindus, and then in response the Godhra incident happens wherein 58 Hindu religious activists are burnt by supposedly a Muslim mob. As a chain reaction to these incidents, communal riots ensue shortly thereafter wherein Muslims were killed and raped by Hindu mobs, followed by Muslim attack on Hindus. Amidst these riots, 10 year-old Parzan disappears. Cyrus, Shernaz and Dilshad manage to escape the carnage. In the aftermath of the riots, Cyrus searches for his missing child while fighting for his own sanity. While assisting the Pithawalas in their search, Allan battles to uncover the reason behind the riots in an effort to try and make some sense of the incident. People start to question government's official explanation of the incident which downplays any conspiracy. As a result, a Human Rights Commission is formed. Through the commission, several witnesses and victims testify against the indifference of the police to protect them from the rioters. The film ends with a dedication to the victims of communal violence.
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Corin Nemec, Sarika, Zutshi, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Anupam Shyam, Sheeba Chaddha, Parzan Dastur, Asif Basra, Pear Barsiwala | | Director: Rahul Dholakia Music Director: Ustad Zakir Hussain
| | Shoot On Sight (2007) Language: English Year: 2007 Color/BW: COLOR Category: Feature Film Genre: Drama, Thriller
Description Shoot on sight is a fictional story based on London Police order to shoot suspected terrorists after the July 7th 2005 London bombings, that resulted in racial profiling. The film is a thrilling & riveting drama that unfolds the turmoil in the life of Tariq Ali, a Muslim police officer at Scotland Yard. Commander Ali, born in Lahore and tasked to investigate the police and his fellow Muslims - he finds his inquiry hampered from all sides. When evidence surfaces pointing to the slain man's innocence, as well as the existence of a terrorist cell operating in his own backyard, Tariq must face the realization that sometimes, the right decision is the hardest one to make.
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Greta Scacchi, Om Puri, Gulshan Grover | | Director: Jag Mundhra Music Director: John Altman
| | Maqbool (2003) Country: India Language: Hindi Year: 2003 Color/BW: COLOR Category: Feature Film Genre: Drama
Description Jahangir Khan/Abbaji (Pankaj Kapoor) is the aging leader of a criminal gang. Nimmi (Tabu) is his mistress. Members of the gang include Maqbool (Irfan Khan), Kaka (Piyush Mishra) and his son Guddu (Ajay Gehi), and 2 cops Pandit and Purohit (Puri and Shah respectively). Maqbool and Nimmi love each other, but since Maqbool will not defy Abbaji openly, their affair is kept secret. Nimmi wishes to leave Abbaji and live with Maqbool, but realizes the futility of it while Abbaji is alive. So, she slowly but surely begins to put ideas in Maqbool's head...
Cast: Irfan Khan, Tabu, Pankaj Kapur, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Piyush Mishra, Masumi Makhija, Ajay Gehi, Shweta Menon, Daya Shankar Pandey, Vivek Mishra, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Murli Sharma, Mohini Mathur, Deepak Dobriyal | | Director: Vishal Bhardwaj Music Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
| | Khuda Kay Liye (2007) Also Known As: In the Name of God, Khuda Ke Liye Country: Pakistan Language: Hindi Year: 2007 Color/BW: COLOR Category: Feature Film Genre: Drama, Thriller
Description The film is about the difficult situation in which Pakistanis in particular and the Muslims in general are caught up since 9/11. There is a war going on between the fundamentalists and the liberal Muslims. This situation is creating a drift not only between the western world and the Muslims but also within the Muslim community. The educated and the modern Muslims are in a difficult situation because of the approach towards life and their western attire. They are criticized and harassed by the fundamentalists and on the other hand the western world sees them as potential suspects of terrorism just because of their Muslim names.
The paradox is resulting in great suffering for a forward looking Muslim. This is the theme of the film Khuda Kay Liye, Which in English means In The Name Of God.
The interesting thing about the film is how it connects the happenings in three continents. Unlike the usual Indian and Pakistani films based on romantic sagas, dances and songs, this film is based on some very serious issues, raising a lot of controversial questions engaging the Muslim youth these days...
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Iman Ali, Fawad Khan, Shan, Austin Marie Sayre, Larry Newman, Rasheed Naz, Simin Raheel, Humayun Kazmi, Angela Williams, Alex Edwards, Hameed Sheikh, Ayub Khoso | | Director: Shoaib Mansoor Music Director: Javed Bashir, Shuja Haider, Lagan Band, Ahmad Jahanzeb, Khawar Jawad
| | | Format: DVD Label:Eagle Catalog No: EDVDN 3426 DVD Region: All Region No Of Disks: 5 Subtitles: English Video: NTSC | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
