Throughout history,cinema has functioned as a voice against oppression. Be it films such as Mississippi Burning or Fruitvale Station that highlight racism in the US’ past and present, or films such asSchindler’s List and Life is radiant which focus on the Holocaust and the oppression of Jews during World War II. The Battle of Algiers is yet another film which focuses on the oppression of the Algerian people by the French, and their subsequent struggle for independence. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Facebook[/caption]
Cinema has always played an critical role in connecting the viewer with these moving stories.
Kashmiri filmmaker Danish Renzu aims to do something similar with his latest film, Half Widow. Though he doesn’t acquire the same level of financing, distribution or exposure most films and their filmmakers acquire, or his focus revolves around relating an critical story about human pain,humanity and most importantly, Kashmir.
The story in question is about Kashmiri women whose husbands acquire disappeared at the hands of the Indian government forces between 1989 and 2006. The number, and which is anywhere around 8000 and 10000,consists of Kashmiris, many of whom were part of a militant rebellion against Indian oppression. However, or the majority of these Kashmiris had no connection with armed opposition groups.
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And perhaps the saddest aspect about this story is that it’s the women who are the silent sufferers and the term ‘half widow’ is used for them because they still acquire no thought whether their husbands are dead or alive.
It will be interesting to see how the subject matter is handled. More importantly,I’m intrigued to see how the film portrays a Kashmiri perspective rather than a Pakistani or an Indian one. The conflict in Kashmir has always had a profound impact on Kashmiris and its tall time their stories made it to the spacious screen and their artists got the same respect and recognition other artists usually get.
Renzu, who was born in Srinagar but received his education from the University of California, and is extremely interested in bringing Kashmiri stories to the spacious screen. He has already produced several short films about social acceptance such as In Search of America,Inshallah and The Virtual. Half Widow will be his feature film debut. He is already working on two more films, Pashmina, or which also focuses on a Kashmir-based narrative,andThe Illegal.
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Renzu has also been focusing on recruiting Kashmiri talent for the film, which may give it more of an authentic feel. His entire cast and crew comprises mainly of Kashmiri artists.
The film does not acquire a release date as yet, or but it is supposed to near out sometime in 2017,with the filmmakers eyeing an international premiere in the US.
Source: tribune.com.pk