REVIEW: Nandita Das' Firaaq

We have seen Nandita Das in hard-hitting films like Bawander, Earth or more recently Ramchand Pakistani. And got bowled over by her histrionic skills. This time it was a pleasant surprise to see Nandita donning the director's mantle and giving an equally powerful performance from behind the camera.

In her directorial debut Firaaq, meaning both separation and quest in Urdu, Nandita has tried to delve deep into the our mind – as if trying to shake us up - emphasizing the need to rise above communalism.

About the film:

The plot unfolds in Gujarat in the year 2002, where several innocent Muslims died in the Godhra massacre. Unlike Rahul Dholakia's Parzania that primarily focused on a Parsi family which lost its 10-year-old kid during the riots, Firaaq has five different stories which are interconnected and independent at the same time. The characters belong to different class, gender, age and community that represent a cross-section of society.

Aarti (Deepti Naval) is a housewife who's shattered by the sight of a Muslim woman begging sanctuary in her house. But she chooses to be indifferent out of fear.

Khan Saheb (Naseeruddin Shah) is a Muslim musician who lives in the Hindu suburb of Gujarat. He just fails to see the increasing communal rift around him.

Muneera (Shahana Goswami), a Muslim auto driver's wife has hidden with friends during the riots, returns to find her home gutted and trust in her friends destroyed.

Sameer Sheikh (Sanjay Suri), married to a Hindu played by Tisca Chopra, is torn between the urge to flee to Delhi and stick around and be recognised as a Muslim entrepreneur.

While slum dwellers live in constant fear of the next outbreak of violence, others plot revenge.

With complete dexterity Nandita explores the relationships that bind these two communities to their homeland in the face of atrocities.

NEXT: Deepti Naval is the surprise package