Sada-e-Watan
Sydney ™
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Ramchand Pakistani will be screened in Canberra
at the South Asian Film Festival
(News from PakForum)
The Pakistan High Commission Canberra, in association with Tuggeranong Arts Centre presents the 2011 South Asian Film Festival
7:00 PM, Thursday 24 February 2011
Ramchand Pakistani - Pakistan
Director: Mehreen Jabbar
Ramchand Pakistani’ is derived from a true story concerning the accidental crossing of the Pakistan-Indian border during a period of extreme war-like tension between the two countries by two members of a Pakistani Hindu family belonging to the ‘untouchable’ (Dalit) caste, and the extraordinary consequences of this unintended action upon the lives of a woman, a man, and their son.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TRAILER:
http://www.ramchandpakistani.com/
Venue: Tuggeranong Arts Centre
Corner Cowlishaw & Reed streets, Tuggeranong ACT 2900
For more information, Please visit: http://www.tuggeranongarts.com/f_asia2011.php
Ramchand Pakistani
Ramchand
Pakistani is a Pakistani Urdu film that tells a true story about a boy who
inadvertently crosses the border between Pakistan and India and the following
ordeal that his family has to go through.
plays Champa, a Hindu woman who is left desolate when her young son and husband
disappear one day from their village at the Pakistan-India border near
Nagarparkar, in Tharparkar. Nandita Das is the only non-Pakistani actor in the
large cast comprising well-known Pakistani TV and stage personalities including
Rashid Farooqi, Noman Aijaz, Maria Wasti, Zhalay Sarhadi, Syed Fazal Ahmed, (who
plays the title role) Farooq Pario, Shahood Alvi, Adarsh Ayaz, Salim Mairaj,
Tipu, and Navaid Jabbar (no relation to the producer or director).
Ramchaal crossing of the Pakistan-India border during a period (June 2002) of
extreme, war-like tension between the two countries by two members of a
Pakistani Hindu family belonging to the 'untouchable' Dalit caste, and the
extraordinary consequences of this unintended action upon the lives of a woman,
a man, and their son.
The singular theme of the film is how a child from Pakistan aged eight years
learns to cope with the trauma of forced separation from his mother while being
held prisoner, along with his father in the jail of a country i.e. India, which
is hostile to his own, while on the other side of the border, the wife-mother,
devastated by their sudden disappearance builds a new chapter of her life, by
her solitary struggle for sheer survival.
The film portrays a true picture of how the people living close to the border
unknowingly cross border and how they are used by both the nations as pawns to
negotiate and prove each others point.
Plot
This is a simple story, told very simply. Ramchand is a 8 year old Pakistani
Hindu living near the border to India with his parents. He has a rather petulant
anger, and on such occasion, crosses over the border inadvertently and is caught
by Indian forces. His father sees him wander over and follows him, to be also
captured. His mom realizes this the next day with the help of friends, but is
powerless to do anything about it, other than spend her days waiting for them to
return.
At first, the prisoner father-son duo find it tough to adjust, but they settle
down eventually. The movie spans a period of 4 to 5 years before they are
released. The strength of the movie is in the telling of the tale, aided by the
power of the uniformly strong acting and delicate direction. With such an
ominous premise, the fact that neither country is vilified is a huge relief, if
slightly incredible.
Overview
The film was released in Pakistan and India in September 2008. Screenplay by
Mohammad Ahmed and produced by Javed Jabbar. The music directors are Debojyoti
Mishra,Surya Mitra,Shiraj Ahmed lyrics by Anwar Maqsood and the songs are sung
by Shubha Mudgal and Shafqat Amanat Ali. The cinematographer is Sofian Khan, the
associate producer is Mariam Mukaty, and the creative consultant is Sonia Rehman
Qureshi.
Till March 2009, the film has won:
1. FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics at the Osian
Film Festival, July, 2008
2. Honourable Mention by the 13th Annual Satyajit Ray Award at the 2008 London
Film Festival.
3. Best Actor for Rashid Farooqi at the KaraFilm Festival, Pakistan, 2009
4. Audience Award at the Fribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland,
March 2009.
5. Honourable Mention by the Eucumenical Jury at the Fribourg International Film
Festival, March 2009.
6. Honourable Mention by the E Changer Award at the Fribourg Int'l Film
Festival, March 2009
Cast
Nandita Das as Champa
Syed Fazal Hussain as Younger Ramchand
Navaid Jabbar as Older Ramchand
Rashid Farooqui as Shankar
Maria Wasti as Kamla
Nouman Ijaz as Abdullah
Adnan Shah as Sharma
Adarsh Ayaz as Moti
Farooq Pario as Suresh
Shahood Alvi as Asif Hussain
Zhaley Sarhadi as Lakshmi
Atif Badar as Lalu
Saleem Mairaj as Vishesh
Saif-e-Hasan as Murad
Rao Saleem as Interrogator, Border Security Force, India
Karim Bux Baloch as Baloch
Master Yaqub as Baba Gul
Hassan Niazi as Deepak
Kazim Raza as Professor
Muhammad Rafiq as Bengali
Sajid Shah as Inspector, Border Security Force, India
Iqbal Motilani as Maulvi
Anis Chachar as Captain Saleem
The film has seven songs composed by Debojyoti Mishra. Two guest composers
were,Surya Mitra & Shiraj Hussain.
