A work of fiction. Based on thousand true stories


Firaaq (http://www.firaaqthefilm.com/)..





I am eagerly waiting to watch this directoral debut of Nandita Das and her take on Gujarat of 2002. I like the title of the movie..FIRAAQ..which means both separation and quest..search..search for peace, search for harmony, search for more tolerance..search for humility..search for more inclusive identity..





What is more stark though is the punch line, which reads..a work of fiction. based on thousand true stories...what happened in 2002 was true..real..but still one has to call the story a fiction poses some interesting compulsions..and also reflects maturity on the part of story writer and the director..





I am a Gujarati who was away from Gujarat during 2001-2008..so had a chance to see 2002 as an insider-outsider..and people who are close to me know very well what impact 2002 has had on me...I cannot forget it and would influence many people not to...





last week, Gujarat witnessed Vibrant Gujarat Summit and a lot followed..on the dais and thereafter through media..





At the exhibition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit I came across a friend of mine..fellow Gujarati..who remarked that one of the talk show on NDTV resurrected 2002 while discussing Mr. Modi and commented that why we need to dig the past...That led me to ponder the issue all over again..the resources that I went through to learn about the pogrom - Movies like Final Solution and Final Solution Revisited, Parzania, books like Tragedy in Making..and booklets like maro kapo balo by PUDR...I revisited everything in a flash..I told my friend..how can one forget what happened..and the reply was, 'but nothing has proved'....I responded, 'true..it may never get proved. But that does not change the history'....and I restrained myself to elaborate it further and offered to share movies and other evidences...I am yet to receive any comments on that...





I will now recommend the movie Firaaq as well..the trailer itself is so touching to me especially because many dialogues in the movie are in my mother tounge Gujarati..





It is five odd months now that I have returned to Gujarat..I feel it was better to see it as an insider-outsider rather than Just an an insider!!!





Anyways..pl do watch the trailer at the film website..and pl pl do read the director's space..and if possible make it a point to watch the movie when it is released next month!!





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