Khamosh Pani Breaks a Long Silence

Great review, Ras Siddiqui.
C.

plats8:
It`s a pity that most bengali films are unaccessible to Hindi speakers. Back in my days in Delhi, the only time you could see even a Satyajit Ray film in Delhi was on a Sunday morning 9 AM show, and that too without any subtitles.

Apropos the subject, I now remember another film Dharam Putra, starring Shashi Kapoor. It was set in the pre-partition period and was about a muslim baby adopted by hindu parents who grows up to be a fanatical hindi-hindu-hindustan type hindu, which in turn was similar in its theme to Tagore`s famous novel Gora, where the hero -a diehard orthodox high caste hindu discovers that he was in fact the son of an irish woman. That novel of course was inspired by Tagore`s Brahmo Samaj philosophy.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Dost-mittar #35,

There have been a few films in Bengali, mostly by Ritwik Ghatak, dealing with
the after-effects of the partition of Bengal. They focussed on life after the event,
rather than the violence during. Ritwik was almost obsessed with the theme of
partition. The language would be a problem most chowkies, however - the subtitling
is poor to non-existent.

You should get a copy of Tamas if you can. Extremely well directed, and deals with
the unrest and violence head on. Om Puri was his usual intense self. I have been
unsuccessfully trying to look for a copy in the Indian stores for a while now (Noor,
good luck there).

If you hear anything else about Ashis Nandi`s project, please share it. I respect
him a great deal as a sociologist. In my opinion, much like Pinjar, Train to Pakistan
needed a better directorial effort.

Sadna #40,

The third film of this trilogy is Sardari Begum. Mammo is the best of the lot, I felt -
mostly due to Farida Jalal`s superb acting. All of them have hints of Khalid Mohammad`s
own life, from what I understand.

nooralain #41
``i think we may have to order `in which annie gives it those ones. .` ``

I looked for it online. I found that its screenplay which was written by Arundhati Roy is selling on Amazon, and discovered that the great Shahrukh Khan too acted in it(in his pre-celebrity days)!! but the movie itself doesnot seem to be available anywhere.

It won a couple of national awards so is prob. lying in some DD/NFDC vault somewhere.

sadna:

no i haven`t seen `mammo` though it`s been recommended countless times. i did see zubeida though.

i think we may have to order `in which annie gives it those ones. .`

and i hope the malayalam movie has subtitles. : )

nooralain
I haven`t seen many of them, but in the same list :

`In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones` with the famous Arundhati Roy playing lead is hilarious. I haven`t been able to find it in stores, however.

The Malayalam movie `Adaaminte Variyallu` is unrelentingly serious but well made.

You might have already seen `Mammo`. I realised recently that it was a bit of `cinematic prequel`/`chronological sequel` of Zubeida.

dost-mittar #37
If I remember right, Buniyaad was a family drama spanning 2-3 generations whose timeline began around the time of their migration/displacement at Partition. It was Ramesh Sippy`s, I believe.

sadna:

thanks for providing that link. i have seen quite a few movies that are listed there, but would like to see more. .if i ever have time to watch movies again. and i haven`t seen tamas yet. hopefully the local indian stores are carrying it.

mittarji:

about your reference to deepa mehta`s earth, i was really disappointed with it myself. i think it was one of the better films around that time about partition. .but i felt that deepa took much away from the spirit of the novel. the novel is a little more sensitive, i feel, about those who were directly affected by the events, especially the women. that was hardly referred to in the movie, except that one point where the two parsi cousins are talking to a little refugee boy, and she offers him a slice of her birthday cake.

sadna:
Yes, I did forget about Tamas, which was highly acclaimed and, if I remember correctly, also criticised by the sangh parivaar. And wasn`t there another TV serial, called Buniyaad or something by B.R.Chopra? And they all came three decades after the even.
I haven`t seen either of them.

dost-mittar
In 1987, Govind Nihilani-directed `Tamas` was serialized on Doordarshan, which was based on Bhishm Sahani`s Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novel Tamas written about Partition.

It is listed here:
http://www.geocities.com/curlybraces/movies/hindimovies.htm

Romair:
I do not follow Adnan that closely. But I dont think that he has been domiciled in India for five years.


plats8:
I think we are finally coming to terms with this.
Soon after the partition, there was a hindi film Nastik, ostensibly around the theme. It had newsreel footings of trains of refugees and the famous theme song, ``dekh tere sansaar kee haalat kya ho gayee bhagwaan`` but the film was mostly a routine masala hindi drama with some good songs. The theme of the partition was too horrible and the wounds too raw to be touched by anyone. Probably, trying to forget the horrors was considered the best therapy to deal with the psychic wounds. There was also the likelihood that any film made on that theme in India would have a strong anti-muslim tenor (remember Gadar made recently?) and the prevailing tolerant culture of that time went against that.

As far as I know the theme was not touched until a quarter century when the memorable `Garam Hawa` was made. Still, the film was primarily about the impact of the partition on the muslims who remained in India and not on the partition as such.

A more realistic appraisal came with Deepa Mehta`s Earth, based on the Pakistani author Bapsi Sidhwa`s Ice Candy Man/India Cracking. The protagonist of the film was an 9-year old parsi girl and it depicted the horror of the riots quite well but somehow lacked the sensitivity and realism that would have come from someone who came from the milieu that was directly affected by the events.

The two recent films, Pinjar and Khamosh Pani, seem to be confronting the issue head-on. I have not scene either of these films but it would appear from the reviews that both are an honest and a sincere attempt to narrate the tragedy from a woman`s point of view and have some similarities. Pinjar, of course, is based on the famous story of the same name by the reknowned author, Amrita Pritam, who was a young girl herself at the time of the partition.

There does not seem to be much from the other side, namely, what happened in India. I believe that Khushwant Singh`s `Train to Pakistan` was being made into a film too but never heard what became of that venture. There was also that film about Boota Singh, based on a real life story, but again that was more from a lover`s perspective than that of the victim whose life was disrupted twice because of being caught in the maelstrom (sp?).

In addition to the books you mentioned, a one-time Indian colleague of mine, Ashis Nandi, had started a project about ten years ago in which he was contacting some surviving `perpetrators` of those horrors on both sides of the border to build some case studies of the mob behaviour during such calamities. He had met some success in contacting some people but, the last I heard, he had been less successful in finding an organization in Pakistan to collaborate on the subject.

From Naseeb Vibes:




It is a film by a woman about women in the subcontinent and their struggles to emerge from a position of being no better than chattel and symbolic of their men’s “honor”, to being independent, equal members of society who can define their own destinies.

The Zia era in Pakistan was an era that saw the birth of the Taliban, their introduction into Afghanistan as a force to counter the Russian occupation, and the eventual defeat of the Russians. This was a defeat that indirectly exposed the Soviet Union’s soft underbelly and led to their sudden and dramatic collapse, leaving the U.S. as the world’s sole superpower. Sabiha Sumar has used the backdrop of this era to show what life was like at the grassroots level in Pakistan and how fertile the times were to influence impressionable youth and lure them into fundamentalist ways of thinking.

If this had been the primary purpose of her film, it would have been somewhat of a political statement. But Sumar’s theme is much more subtle and powerful. It is a film by a woman about women in the subcontinent and their struggles to emerge from a position of being no better than chattel and symbolic of their men’s “honor”, to being independent, equal members of society who can define their own destinies.

Interwoven between these two themes, is the fertile land of the Punjab that, in 1947, was tragically split into two, the East going to India and the West to Pakistan. The Punjab was the scene of an enormous amount of bloodshed during the Partition: families were separated, properties and houses were abandoned on either side of the border, friends became enemies, and the worst sufferers became the women and children who were raped and slaughtered in the heat of communal passions.

Ayesha, a devout Muslim widow in the small Punjabi village of Charkhi, is the film’s heroine. She has a secret leading back to the events of 1947, that is gradually revealed through flashbacks. As the pieces of the puzzle fall into place,


Ayesha had refused to follow her father’s instructions to jump into the Charkhi well, thereby saving her family honor from the possibility of Muslim-initiated rapes and murders.




the story within the story comes to life.
As an adolescent belonging to a Sikh family during the time of Partition, Ayesha had refused to follow her father’s instructions to jump into the Charkhi well, thereby saving her family honor from the possibility of Muslim-initiated rapes and murders. Instead she ran away and was soon accosted by a sympathetic Muslim man who converted her to Islam first and then married her.

Many years later, in 1979, she lives alone with her adolescent son, Saleem, earning an income through her late husband’s pension and the Quran classes she offers to young girls. Saleem’s life at this time consists of loafing around with friends and setting up romantic trysts with Zubeida, a village girl with hopes of pursuing a higher education in the city. Saleem’s beliefs and values come into question when he encounters two new village residents. The arrival of these militant Muslims coincides with the mass arrival of Sikhs from India, who have recently been granted permission by the Zia government to visit their holy temple in Charkhi. The militants successfully influence and recruit Saleem on their mission to propagate fundamentalist Muslim ideals into the government, ideals that include anti-Sikhism and the repression of individual thought and choice. Once Saleem discovers the truth about his mother’s background, he is caught between his devotion to her and the staunch commitment he has made to his new allies. The maelstrom that ensues leads up to an unpredictably violent climax, and a conclusive flash forward into 2003.

The first thing that grabs me upon viewing this film is the authenticity of the setting. The village of Charkhi, from the fertile landscapes and cloistered homes, to the traditional costumes and Punjabi dialogue, immerses me in the time and place


The engrossed audience of men that surround the dancer, most enthusiastic of whom is the Pir of the village (a spiritual leader who is revered by virtue of lineage more than piety).




of the film. I appreciate Sumar’s attention to detail in revealing marital festivities that take place in the village, including the “mujrah” dance (a very popular custom, widely considered un-Islamic) and the engrossed audience of men that surround the dancer, most enthusiastic of whom is the Pir of the village (a spiritual leader who is revered by virtue of lineage more than piety). Spraying rupee notes at the dancer is also a prevalent custom, as is the village practice of eating on the floor of one’s home. As Sumar well knows and portrays, the Punjabis are commonly known for their penchant towards gossip mongering. Saleem’s secret rendezvous with Zubeida feel like a natural part of adolescent life in Pakistan, especially since traditional society generally discourages male/female contact and romance.

The second element of the film I appreciate is its timeliness. References to the historical events of the Partition of 1947, the Zia regime of the late ‘70s, and a brief look at the present-day, is set as a backdrop to the individual conflicts of the people of Charkhi. Among a non-Pakistani audience, these references may serve as educational food for thought. One important event in Pakistani political history that is mentioned is the hanging of Prime Minister Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto (father of ex-PM Benazir Bhutto), who spearheaded the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and was viewed as the representative of the working-class masses. In the film, Ayesha and other like-minded friends mourn Bhutto’s execution as the end of a progressive, democratic Pakistan and the beginning of a backward-sinking fundamentalist society under the rule of General Zia.

Apart from major historical references, Sumar also highlights conflicts that rest at the level of the individual. Although Ayesha is a practicing Muslim who gives Quran classes to children,


Furthermore, the film begs the question that, in the latter case, whose responsibility would it be to interpret which laws are “Islamic”: the mullahs or the Muslim citizens of the country?




she believes in peace between members of different religions. Her beliefs are in direct opposition to the ideals of the fundamentalists, whose goal it is to drive out the non-Muslims from Pakistan. This age-old conflict between the “moderates” and the “fundamentalists” projects into the historical debate of whether the nation of Pakistan was originally founded as a secular nation for Muslims or a nation to be governed under Islamic law. Furthermore, the film begs the question that, in the latter case, whose responsibility would it be to interpret which laws are “Islamic”: the mullahs or the Muslim citizens of the country? This debate hits at the very root of Pakistan’s political weakness, even today, and it is for this reason that the subject matter of “Silent Waters” is a timely one.

Kirron Kher, the veteran Indian actress, who most recently played the mother of Paro in the Bollywood film “Devdas”, gives an outstanding performance as Ayesha. Aamir Malik makes his superb debut performance as Saleem. Other cast members include Arshad Mahmud, Salman Shahid, Shilpa Shukla, and Sarfaraz Ansari.

Born in Karachi, Pakistan, director Sabiha Sumar studied political science and filmmaking from Sarah Lawrence College, New York. Her previous documentaries include “Don’t Ask Why” (1999), “Girls Around the World” (1999), and “For a Place Under the Heavens” (2003). “Silent Waters” is her feature film debut.

After having picked up four awards at the Locarno Film Festival, “Silent Waters” has been picked up by New York-based distribution company First Run Features. The film will be playing in March and April at The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s New Directors/New Films in New York City. The film will be playing in March and April at The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s New Directors/New Films in New York City.






Footnote: Check http://www.filmlinc.com/ndnf/ndnf.htm for screening dates and times.

Author Bio






Nida Elley
Nida Elley is a fiction writing graduate student at Sarah Lawrence College, NY. She grew up in both Lahore and New York, and went on to study journalism at Rutgers University. She has worked in the fields of magazine and book publishing, and most recently in non-profit film distribution. She is also a freelance script reader. Her interests include the media, arts and entertainment, South Asian literature, and writing.








Times read: 381 TalkBacks: 7 April 19, 2004 5 4 3 2 1





Naseeb is the largest online Musim Community thriving on expression, discussion and debate.
Whereas the aim is to reveal opinions we advise you do so with civility so others can accept your
ideas from a comfortable position. Threats, insinuations and abusive language will only undermine
your case. What you say is as important as how it is said.




About Naseeb l What`s New l Press l Careers l Contact Us l Privacy Policy l Why Pay?

Copyright © 2004 Naseeb Networks, Inc

http://www.naseeb.com/myNaseeb.php

re:#21 by Ras
``rsridhar : You must be getting soft in your old age. I should have mentioned Kashmir somewhere in here... ``
Ha, ha.
That was a good one.
BTW, i am not as old as u think! I am old to the chowk though.
``kyan karen miyan, we NRIs are not as obsessed about Kashmir as u Pakis are``.
Sridhar

dost-mittar jee,
I lost touch after they went back to Pakistan during Benazir`s first term. I think we were in Vancouver when Adnan lived in Mississauga, so never really met him and he wouldn`t probably recognize me now that he is a big star.;)

Ras #21
``Re; #20 sadna: I am tempted to mention that ``K`` word again.... ``

Please do, if you wish - it is mentioned every day on chowk and does not send the Indians bonkers, as zamir1 said. That is why I asked him to tell his stories.