‘Faraaz’ film review: Hanging between hope and hell, Hansal Mehta’s film stands up to bigotry

Far from sensationalism, the narrative is based on a long night in July 2016 when Bangladesh came to a standstill, and the world was in shock as five misguided youths descended upon an expensive Dhaka restaurant with ammunition. They killed foreigners and took local people hostage so that they could make confessions about atrocities committed against people of their faith. But as the suffocating night opens, we find that these are essentially ruffians whose brains have not yet been fully washed, and they display their half-baked ideas of one religion’s supremacy with machine guns. out to do.

One of the hostages is Faraz Hussain (debutant Zahaan Kapoor), a privileged kid from an influential family, who is given a free pass by the leader of the militant pack Nibras (Aditya Rawal). But Faraz decides not to leave his friends behind. The conversation between the two forms the essence of the story. When the leader of the terrorist group asks Faraz why he doesn’t see what is happening in Palestine or what America is doing in the Middle East, Faraz agrees on these issues. He says that there is a lot wrong with this world but then asks, is this the answer.

Writers Raghav Kakkar, Kashyap Kapoor and Ritesh have created a sense of doom without playing to the gallery. The protagonist’s language is modern, but the idea is thoroughly medieval, which makes for a disturbing watch. whether the Hindu cook is preparing Sehri Before dawn for the hostages, or one of the militants objecting to the use of perfume to care for a hostage’s wound (because it contains alcohol and is therefore against their faith), the writing turns into an ideology that is devoid of compassion. Yet Nibras comes across as a neighborhood boy who has sympathy for the children and has not lost touch with humanity. In search of heaven, a moment gives him hope that he will come out of this living hell like Mehta Shahid Did it in 2012, but when he hands a gun to a child, we look away into darkness. It’s way more disturbing to see in between than the bloodied corpses in a delicious restaurant.

Such is our upbringing of films on terrorism that we expect boys to be born with rigid views and a willingness to bite the bullet from the cradle. So, when we see a Google-educated militant (Sachin Lalwani) who makes false boasts and does not lose fear of death, the process takes time.

Then there is the quiet Faraz who finds his voice during the night. The beauty of the writing is that both the boys age without being out of character. The writers are suitably supported by cinematographer Pratham Mehta; He takes the audience to the center of the crisis without being exploitative.

On the other side of the hostage drama are unprepared but motivated policemen and parents eager to ensure the safety of their children. Faraj’s mother Simeen (Juhi Babbar) makes the most noise. At first, she appears like an entitled bully but as the film progresses and her privileges are taken away from her, we get to see a helpless mother. Returning to the screen after a long hiatus, Juhi brings out the character’s guts and grace with a masterful performance, and her speech at the end – which reminds us of her theater rehearsals – leaves a lump in the throat . The right casting adds to the layers of the night. Zahaan gets Faraz’s Ragini right and Aditya is a revelation as Nibras.

along the way, faraz It becomes a cautionary tale because we can see a rise in religious extremism even in our own backyards, where intolerance for the other is taking violent forms. It jolts liberals out of their protective slumber and takes a stand before the good Muslim versus bad Muslim debate, co-opted by those who support violence in the name of religion. Not aspiring to be a theatrical Friday blockbuster, faraz There is a pain that will gradually grow on the wiser.

Faraaz is currently running in cinemas