Hamid is an achingly beautiful film about love, loss, faith, duty, and keeping humanity alive in a
climate of injustice and dangerous politics. Adapted from Mohd. Amin Bhat’s play ‘Play Phone No
789’, the film follows a seven-year-old Hamid (Talha Arshad Reshi) in Kashmir, trying to find his
footing in a world where his father has gone missing. Unable to comprehend the implications of his
father being taken by the police, or his mother’s (Rasika Dugal) isolating grief as a half-widow, Hamid
embarks on a quest to get his father back. When told that his father is with Allah, Hamid puts two
and two together, and calls Allah’s number – 786. His call is answered by a CRPF officer, Abhay (Vikas
Kumar) who decides to play along, and an unlikely connection blossoms between the diametrically
opposite individuals. 

<h2>In recent years, without a doubt, if there ever was a region creatively and emotionally exploited by
filmmakers, “hami asto, hami asto, hamin ast” (it is here, it is here, it is here). Kashmir has become a touchstone for
creating darker, more relevant content for artists, focused on emotionally overwhelming their
audiences rather than actually tapping into and depicting the raw reality of Kashmir. </h2>

Hamid manages to never lose sight of the issues that allow its protagonists’ story to exist, without
continually exploiting them. The film rests on Hamid’s belief that his father is in “jannat” with God,
but everyone other than the young boy is painfully aware that his father is merely a casualty of the
conflicts in “Jannat-e-Kashmir”. Hamid, his parents and their story are casualties of Kashmir’s
trauma; his grief is almost an archetypal one – part of a collective subconscious of the Valley. The use
of a child’s lens to view dark and traumatic events isn’t a new concept, but Hamid never treats its
foundational concept as something unique or ingenious.

 

The cinematography is wonderful, bringing something novel to even the cliché, quintessential
'Kashmir shots'. As engaging as Hamid’s humorous naivety and heart-breaking determination is, the
film dominated by long shots engulfs him in Kashmir’s expansive greenery and tumultuous politics.
Rasika Dugal’s performance is phenomenal; every posture, every expression and every move
exude destitution and resilience, anguish and numbness, heart-break and anger, all at once. Reshi is an impeccable Hamid; he plays the part of an innocent and stubborn child with
surprising maturity and intuitiveness. 

The film truly is heart-breaking; I’ve watched it thrice in the span of a year, and I’ve never managed
to hold back my tears when Hamid reads out a letter he’s written to his father, begging him to
return, when talking to “Allah” on the phone. 

<h2>What is even more heart-breaking, however, is the
fact that when Hamid won a National Film Award for best Urdu film and best child actor in August
2019, the filmmakers were unable to communicate the celebratory news to young Talha Arshad
Reshi – a resident of Kashmir - owing to the state-wide lockdown and internet shutdown in the
region. </h2> 

The helpless anguish depicted in the film extends to reality, especially today, when Kashmir’s
state of affairs has so quickly barrelled out of control.

Like most films based on Kashmir, the conventional happy ending is not possible for a film like
Hamid, as there hasn’t been a happy beginning, middle, or end for Kashmir. Giving in to the grief,
burying the past, and moving on seems to be the only form of closure a film like Hamid can offer to
its characters and viewers. 

 
Written by Sanjana Bhagwat

Hamid | Rasika Dugal | Review

As the title suggests, this short film by J&K tourism showcases the warmth and hospitality of the Kashmiri people. You will be mesmerised by the breathtaking shots of Kashmir. You will not guess how it ends.

Kashmir: Warmest Place | Short Film of the Day

The manner in which conflict comes to influence and mould human experience is unmistakable, and perhaps even grand in its grotesqueness. Another aspect that matches the scale of this control and power is art - perhaps the Yin to this Yang. Art in conflict-ridden areas comes to constitute the other inescapable and undeniable part of reality. The short film is an exploration and portrayal of this proposition. The documentary locates itself in Kashmir, a geographical space that has been ravaged by militancy, consequent violence and political tussles for over three decades now. The voices it brings within its fold to amplify its message are loud and clear, unequivocal and strong in the comments they want to make. This, in turn, allows the narrative not only a lucidity of thought, a clarity of communication, but also a poignancy that touches the very core of the viewer, irrespective of the side of the conflict they locate themselves on. Inherent to the film is another message for the optimistic viewer, one about the undeniable nature of art and the many ways in which it brings solace and comfort to many- be it in the form of a much-needed expression of grief, or a messenger for the views they want to share with society, in the form of hope that warms them amidst the stony coldness of a disturbing reality or in the clarion call it can potentially become for a revolution. Lastly, Raqs-e-Inquilab, or Dance of Revolution, achieves its final triumph in the very specific manner and tonality it adopts to tie art and conflict together, an endeavour that has been attempted previously as well by several storytellers, filmmakers and artists, but with few results as notable as this documentary film.

Raqs-e-Inquilab | Short Film of the Month

Could love truly be the answer to all human conflict? Maybe yes, suggests this short film. With its detailed narrative and expert camerawork that perfectly capture the stunning images of Kashmir, My Kashmir Love Story becomes a romance with the Valley. As media headlines ravage this magnificent place, the film is a reminder of how life in Kashmir is no different from life in any other part of the world. Yes, there is turmoil, and yes, it does affect the day-to-day business of people inhabiting it, but that is only a small part of a huge picture. At the end of the day, all that anyone wants is peace. So, though the visit to this part of India may have left the narrator feeling sad and dejected, but the hope that love will one day conquer all lives in his heart, as it does in the heart of Kashmiris.

My Kashmir Love Story | Short Film of the Day

The term “half-widow” is defined on Wikipedia as being a namesake for “Kashmiri women
whose husbands have disappeared and were still missing during the on-going conflict in
Kashmir” – a definition that barely conveys the injustice, violence and misery that accompanies it into the life of Kashmiri women.

<h2>The film depicts the plight of one such woman,
Neela (Neelofar Hamid), whose husband, Khalid (Mir Sarwar), is unexpectedly and
unreasonably abducted by Indian armed officials, thrusting her into the endless gloom of a
woman who is neither married nor a widow. She is ripped apart from her husband with no
knowledge of whether he is dead or alive – she is a half-widow.</h2>

Neela is devastated, but it’s clear that the abduction is not an uncommon phenomenon. On the contrary,
it is common enough for the existence of a ‘Half Widows Club’ - a group of women who gather to
protest against the injustice on a regular basis. A woman shrieking on the streets after her
husband has been taken away is a sad, but common occurrence – onlookers shake their head
with pity and then go about their day.

 

Neela’s only respite is her brother Zakir (Shahnawaz Bhat), who stands by her resolutely and
refuses to leave her side. The wide angle shots depict her desolation and isolation after Khalid
is taken away, but she is never truly alone – Zakir is always there in the frame with his
watchful gaze, trailing quietly behind her. This is especially apparent at her lowest point
when she is separated from Zakir. She staggers on and as the camera pans out, there is no one
walking behind her – a realisation that is almost as unusual to the viewer as it must be for
the protagonist herself.

 

Music plays a vital role in the film as well as in Neela’s life. Be it Khalid’s cassette tapes, a
nomadic folk singer, or a children’s choir – music seems to be a ray of light that provides her a temporary escape from the dark reality of her world.

<h2>Familiar songs like ‘Dilbaro’ and ‘Ae Watan’ sound starkly different without the sheen of
being in a Bollywood film; they can be heard in Half Widow through the static of

radios or the off-key, asynchronous hum of a children’s choir. </h2>

This is just what the film is –
grounded, honest and real, without any glossiness of romanticism or manipulation.

 

Half Widow was made in 2017, when the current escalation of Kashmir’s plight could not have
been predicted. It is impossible to watch the film in a vacuum of merely being art and
entertainment without considering the social and political realities it depicts. Neela
complains to a group of reporters, saying that for them “Kashmir sirf news hai”. However, for people like her, Kashmir is more than just that, it's indeed a very harsh reality. There’s a difference between finding a story in
Kashmir and Kashmir itself becoming a story.

 

As Neela’s devastation transforms to anger,
and her anger transforms to acceptance and purpose, it is necessary to look beyond the film as
merely being the story of a woman finding herself after trauma. Not all half widows and
others who have suffered in the conflict have loved ones who take care of them, or victories to be won against the self. Neela is a mere insight into the wreckage of
Kashmir; her loss thus is a larger loss of Kashmir itself.

 
Written by 
Sanjana Bhagwat

Half Widow | Review

It’s a lovely winter morning in Kashmir when Haleema meets her close friend Tara. As the two women sit down to chat, share a moment and eventually go about the town, arm in arm with each other, a bond marked by intimacy and deep affection is conjured for the viewer. 
The tonality and writing is deliberately suffused with warmth and an uplifting delineation of a friendship. However, tragedy is swift to strike, and in this sudden reversal of fortune, the narrative offers its core message to the viewer. 
Without meandering into overt sentimentalism, the film presents its comment on the mindlessness of a form of violence that is executed in the name of imagined boundaries of religion and communal differences. The vagaries of life are put under question, as the hope, and the voice which stood for it, is silenced with a brutal act of cruelty. The storytelling, and performance both show earnestness, thereby, allowing the film lucidity in communicating its message to you.

The Good News | Short Film Nominee

An idyllic space marked by shikaras, roses, adornment and smiles constitute the world of the film at first glance. At the heart of this narrative is a loving father-daughter equation, and a kind doctor who visits them regularly for follow-ups. However, this realm of love and longing is soon disrupted as tragedy strikes, following a shooting in a marketplace. 

By tying matters of the heart, and the ensuing complications, with the terrible reality of Kashmir that gets embroiled in the turbulent political terrain of the region, the film also presents the darkness of what lies beneath the surface of the Valley’s spectacular beauty. As foiled expectations, the motif of a red flower, tenderness of a hurt heart all make their presence felt, the film comes into its own. Though the narrative sometimes runs the danger of a little laxity, the end result remains especially notable in its visual progression and the performances it brings to life.

My Father's Doctor | Short Film Nominee

Vaapsi is a glimpse into a father-son conversation as they go about discussing mundane affairs that constitute life; from his son's love life to his affinity for alcohol to a goodbye that the two share as the young lieutenant returns to his duties as an Indian Army officer. On their way to the Dehradun train station, the two talk about their shared past and the future, perhaps all the while attempting to take their attention away from the imminent goodbye. Some goodbyes are harder than others and the short film attempts to capture the essence of one such parting that is made bearable only by the promise of a reunion.

Vaapsi | Short Film of the Day

Set against the hinterland of a Kashmir divided on religious lines, the film tells the story of inter-faith lovers. Attempting to invoke a poetic approach in the narrative, supplemented by a strong performance by Neelofar Hamid, Gaash is about Fatima, a Kashmiri Muslim, falling in love with a Hindu man. The film opens with the sight of a group of men carrying a coffin in the snow. A parallel story is unfolding inside the coffin as a woman metaphorically awaits her life after death and the subsequent liberation from all man-made restrictions and inhibitions that kept her from her one true love. The plot attempts a comment on a society that is fraught by religious differences, misogyny, patriarchy and the complete obliteration of a woman's voice, along with the idea of love eventually surmounting all of these odds.

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links