Lady behind the lens

By Rinky Kumar

Nandita Das's directorial debut Firaaq is all set to hit the theatres this Friday. The talented actor's first film has already garnered a lot of critical acclaim and won several international awards. In a tête-à-tête with iDiva, the actor-turned-film-maker tells us about what inspired her to don the director's hat.

1) Can you tell a little bit about Firaaq?

Firaaq is a human relationship film. It is about the impact of violence on our lives, how different relationships unfold a month after carnage, over a period of 24 hours. It's about how violence lingers on much after the obvious manifestation is over. For me, this is a very personal film. It is an expression of all the helplessness, anguish, anger, frustration, and the fluctuating optimism I have felt over the years. Firaaq, explores the fierce and delicate emotions of fear, anxiety, prejudice and ambivalence in human relationships during such times.

2) How did the idea come about?

Firaaq is a work of fiction based on a thousand true stories. It had to do with waking up to newspapers with stories full of violence; having conversations about religion and identity and soon finding oneself in a polarised 'them and us' debate; meeting many who were victims, and many more who remained silent ...Firaaq is a reaction to all that and more. I think what happened in Gujarat was deeply disturbing and I started engaging with the issue of communalism in a much deeper way. I felt compelled to tell these stories that I had seen, heard, read and felt. And that's how Firaaq was born.

3) What challenges did you face while shooting for this film?

The journey of making Firaaq has been a cathartic experience that has pushed my boundaries, in ways that have even surprised me and I have enjoyed every phase of film making, with all its challenges, big and small. While it is a collaborative process, it is also a lonely one. I have never had to make so many decisions, multi task at all times and be responsible for so many different things.

4) Since your film deals with the aftermath of the Godhra carnage, as a debut filmmaker and well-established actor what kind of sensitivity did you want the characters to portray?

Firaaq is primarily about fear and prejudice, love and anger, trust and betrayal, hope and despair… basic relatable human emotions. The film is not set during the riot and in fact hardly has any violence. Audiences across board have felt deep empathy for the characters. Each of the actors have brought out the many layers of the characters. I have to say that half the job is done in doing the right casting. In fact, I had some actors in mind even while scripting and feel thrilled that they are in the film. They are, Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Raghubir Yadav and Deepti Naval.

I got to experience a diverse range of talent as I searched for my characters; and finally an incredible cast came together. The additions to the list were Sanjay Suri, Tisca Chopra, Shahana Goswami, Nowaz and many other wonderful actors.

5) Firaaq has won a lot of international awards. How does that feel?

I have been overwhelmed by the audience reaction at every festival at which Firaaq has been screened. It has reaffirmed my faith that human emotions are universal. While the film has made the audiences aware of the context, they are also able to relate it to their own experiences.

6) What kind of audience reaction do you expect your film to garner here?

I hope Firaaq continues to touch the hearts and minds of all those who watch it because it is here in India that the film is most relatable and the nuances most understood. The film is not bout pointing fingers or preaching an easy solution, but the idea is to raise a lot of questions we hesitate to ask ourselves. And as with any creative work, each person will take from it what resonates with them.