Firaaq - THREE and 1/2 stars

Nandita Das has made sure through her directorial debut that she won't state the obvious , even if she is dabbling in a notoriously well known theme

Before you go to watch this movie with pre conceived notions about what a Gujarat pogrom movie should/would look like, let me tell you -- this one is different

The cinematography, art direction, music...just do their role of carrying a well written story with subtlety. They do not overwhelm you or take your attention away or distract you from the situation at hand. Ravi K Chandran has done a fabulous job with the camera, showing only as much as is required -- not more not less. A principle that seems to be the highlight of the film. Firaaq 's characters don't say or do any more than is required. The script, screenplay etc. don't ever insult the audience's intelligence, in fact a lot is left to our imagination and interpretation. Strangely most of us will still conclude/interpret it in the same way. I would say this is one of Nandita's biggest achievements with Firaaq.
Ravi K Chandran seems to get the mood of very varied movie themes right, every time. He is the same guy who cinematographed Ghajini, Jodha Akbar and Saawariya -- believe it or not.

There are many stories in this movie, all weaved together without much drama but with lots of sensitivity. Gory has been portrayed without the gore and without making you cringe in your seat. She has also done justice to all the stories she has brought together and has validated her claim that it is a fictitious tale about a 1000 real stories -- varied stories that cut across different ages, classes etc.

One wonders if both sides of the story were told adequately, but that is a healthy debate which the movie can trigger. Also I think we should grant her the benefit of the doubt that she showed more of the side that [in this case] suffered the most. So it is okay, I think.

The movie ends brilliantly, with an important child character staring into your eyes -- the meaning of this too will fire a debate, mind you. I don't know if Nandita aimed at triggering discussions/debates but that is one of the interesting by products of the film, surely. Try seeing it with a group of people and you'll know what I mean

A lot of research has definitely and rightly gone into a movie that handles a real life incident such as this, and it shows. You feel completely "in place" in Ahmedabad with details like the manner of speaking/accents done correctly...all this aptly supported by believable art direction and incidents.
Her attention to detail is so high and effortless, that you will miss it easily if you don't pay similar attention to detail :)

Paresh Rawal plays his role very honestly, and you will swear that he was the guy he was playing. And Shahana Goswami reassures you that her Rock On performance was not a fluke

A movie like this could have become preachy, gory, one sided, docu-like and hence boring...Nandita has risen above all these temptations and has come out a winner.

I was not impressed with Parzania, an earlier movie on similar lines...but let me assure you that Firaaq belongs to another league altogether.

Through their roles, Naseeuddin Shah and Deepti Naval remind you of the 80's when parallel cinema thinking actors like them regularly took simple roles to extraordinary heights. It will be difficult to forget Naseer's nonchalant line in this movie, "Insaan ne insaan ko mara"...not just because of the meaning but more because of the way he says it -- without any drama.

The movie also has its amusing moments like the scene where a group of angry young men dispute over who should get a gun with its solitary bullet and also sharpen the bullet to make it fit the gun.

Don't miss the symbolic shot early on, in the form of a "lotus" design on the front of the lorry carrying dead bodies.

I am consciously not branding this movie a docu-drama, because it is neither...simply put, it is just a MUST SEE. ONCE