Article
Multiple releases this month but why no publicity?
Even though this week sees only two movies Articlereleasing [Jai Veeru releases on Holi which falls on 11th March while Gulaal sees a conventional Friday release on 13th March], it's the week ahead that is turning out to be scary indeed. Reason? At last count there are at least five films that have been confirmed for arrival on 20th March.
Unbelievable, but true! These films are Aloo Chaat, Barah Aana, Firaaq, Heaven On Earth (Videsh) and Straight. Ironically, the only film out of this list of five that has seen some kind of promotion coming its way is Aloo Chaat. A light hearted feel good romantic comedy, it is the only quintessential commercial film of the week and is expected to have audiences warming up to it.
The other notable film of the week is Heaven On Earth (Videsh) in which Preity Zinta has come up with an award winning performance. The film is being released in its dubbed version sans any promotion and even if it intensifies over the next fortnight, it is hardly expected to excite the audience enough to make them walk over to the theaters. Moreover, the film seemingly has a serious theme to it which would only restrict the footfalls further.
Through these characters we trace the ways in which violence impacts both inner and outer lives. Violence spares nobody. Yet in the midst of this madness, some find it in their hearts to sing hopeful songs for better times.
Preview
Firaaq is an Urdu word that means both separation and quest. The film is a work of fiction, based on a thousand stories.
The story is set over a 24-hour period, one month after a campaign that took place in Gujarat, India, in 2002. It traces the emotional journey of ordinary people- some who were victims, some perpetrators and some who choose to watch silently. As an ensemble film, it fo9llows multiple narratives that are at some times interconnected and at times discreet, yet all are united by their spatial and emotional context.
A middle class housewife closes the door on a woman desperately seeking refuge, and then struggles to overcome her guilt. The loyalty of two best friends is challenged in times rife with fear and suspicion. A group of victimized young men seek revenge as a way out of their helplessness and anger. A modern day Hindu-Muslim couple struggle between the survival instinct to hide their true identities and the desire to assert them. A boy having lost most of his family in the riots wanders through the streets searching for his missing father. A saintly musician clings on to his idealism until an evidence of civil strife shakes his faith.
