Das hopes her film on aftermath of Guj riots prompts dialogue

Jaipur, Jan 24 (PTI) Actor Nandita Das hopes her
directorial venture 'Firaq' based on the aftermath of the
Gujarat riots will prompt dialogue on the issue of
divisiveness and prevail over any wrong noises the film's
theme generates from right wing parties.

Though it is based on the riots in Gujarat, the film
has very little violence depicted in it and deals with the
human tragedy and fallout of such events, Das said here at the
Jaipur Literature festival.

"If a film, which is an artist's creative expression
of reality, offends certain people, you can do nothing about
it. But you definitely do not want five people to prevent many
others from watching the film," Das said.

In light of the fact that 'Parzania,' another film
based on a similar theme had generated protests from some
saffron outfits, particularly in Gujarat, Das hopes her
willingness to generate a dialogue on the issue through the
medium of the film will prevail over any negative sentiment.

"My intention is not wrong. In fact, it is to promote
dialogue and discussion over the human tragedy that befell
victims of violence," Das said.

Asked if she was worried about any controversy that
might erupt, the actor, who turned both director and script
writer for the film, said "If you have the belief and
conviction to come up with something, you manage to get the
courage for it as well".

The debutant director refused to bracket her film
with Rahul Dholakia's Naseeruddin Shah starrer 'Parzania'.
"Every film is different from the other, you can't compare any
two of them," she said.

Das said the inspiration for the film came from her
experiences and her interactions with people.

Das, who scripted the film along with co-writer, Shuchi
Kothari, termed herself as an actor, director and script
writer all by default.

Embarking on the film-making process, Das realised there
was hardly any screen writer willing to write the screenplay
for 'Firaaq' which she describes as a work of fiction based on
a thousand real stories.

"As some writers were apprehensive about writing for
Gujarat as a theme, I decided to write the script on my own
with the help of a co-writer, who would instill in me the
discipline for the purpose," she said.

Describing language as a component that not only acts as
a communicating mechanism but which also opens up a window to
a particular culture, the actor said the characters in her
film speak four languages depending upon who they are.

"My characters speak in Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and
English and a fifth language improvised by the lower class of
people in Gujarat but we have used sub-titles only for Hindi,"
Das said.

The film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Dipti
Naval, Raghubir Yadav and Tisca Chopra among others and has
already won critical acclaim around the world.,

It has travelled to film festivals in Telluride (USA),
Toronto, Pusan, London, Thessaloniki (Greece), Singapore,
Dubai.

Based over a period of 24 hours, the film is about how
different relationships unfold a month after a communal
carnage. PTI WAJ
AMT