This week saw the release of five films simultaneously. The one with the most diverse subject happens to be Nandita Das' Firaaq, that's based on communal violence and its effects. The film is set in the backdrop of the outcome of the not-too-long-ago Gujarat communal violence that practically shuddered the Indian democracy. Bollywood Hungama takes a look at films that have been based on the same pretence of communal violence.
Dev
This is a masterpiece from the stable of the classique' director Govind Nihlani, who took a shop-worn Bollywood subject like communalism and had envigoured it so differently that it turned out to be not just an entertaining film, but also a well treated film. The film dealt with the age old beast of recurring communal violence between the majority Hindus and minority Muslims that has ravaged India through the ages. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri, Ehsaan Khan, Fardeen Khan and Kareena Kapoor, Dev was not just a film; but was an entire view point of a law enforcer stuck between his community and his duty.
Amu
This film from the entire list is the only one that, at first, seems totally off the subject of communal violence. However, as the story progresses the violent shades of this uncalled for oppression blur the lines of rationality and insanity. The film is about a 21-year-old
Indo-American woman Kajori Roy who has lived in the U.S.since the age of 3. The film also traces her saga as she returns to India to visit her relatives. From here, the film gradually sets up the pace as Kajori slowly unravels the disturbing truth about her real parents. Amu is a film that, very subtly, talks about the communal disharmony that was prevalent in the shanty areas of the city. Overall, a true masterpiece.
Black Friday
This film has been termed as, by far, the most realistic portrayal of the happenings in Mumbai that followed the serial blasts that rocked the city. For starters, this was not just a mere film, but a lesson... a message. The film, without a doubt, opened old wounds, however only to find the root cause and find cure for them and to make sure they are eradicated and never resurface again. Black Friday presented the hard facts about the 1993 serial bomb blasts that rocked the city of Mumbai. Besides this, the film gave a new dimension to real life cinema, with real names, incidents, and people. The usage of actual news footage of the incidents made the cinegoer believe every frame of the film!
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
Director Aparna Sen has very subtly told a tale of how love and affection, coupled with religious tolerance, grows as people come together for a valid cause. The story starts off as Meenakshi Iyer, a Tamil Brahmin and her nine-month-old son are riding next to Raja, a Muslim, on a long bus journey. When the bus is stopped by a communal mob that is on the hunt for Muslims, Meenakshi thrusts her baby into Raja's arms and the mob allows the couple to proceed unharmed. This film traces the growing relationship between Mr. & Mrs. Iyer while set against the background of Hindu-Muslim communal violence. Overall, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer is a beautiful and thought provoking tale of unity in the times of strife.
Bombay
The name says it all, a film that literally, hit the nail on the head and shook the entire thinking populace in this bustling city. Based on true events that happened about a Hindu man and a Muslim woman as they elope, get engaged in wedlock despite their families' firm resistance. Life progresses blissfully after they move to Bombay, the city of dreams. However, the trouble soon erupts in paradise as the whole city comes under siege during the riots following the Babri Masjid demolition. What unfolds then, tells a story of the couple trying to come to terms with the gripping situation that the small island city is thrown into.
