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''Firaaq'' (English: ''Separation'') is a 2008 Hindi
political thriller A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The ...
film set one month after the 2002 violence in Gujarat,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and looks at the aftermath in its effects on the lives of everyday people. It claims to be based on "a thousand true stories". ''Firaaq'' means both separation and quest in
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
. The film is the directorial debut of actress
Nandita Das Nandita Das (born 7 November 1969) is an Indian actress and director. She has acted in over 40 feature films in ten different languages. Das appeared in the films ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth'' (1998), '' Bawandar'' (2000), '' Kannathil Muthamittal' ...
and stars
Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...
,
Deepti Naval Deepti Naval (born 3 February 1952) is an Indian-born American actress, director, and writer, predominantly active in Hindi cinema. Her major contribution has been in the area of art cinema, winning critical acclaim for her sensitive and 'clos ...
,
Nawazuddin Siddiqui Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Siddiqui's feature film debut was alongside director Prashant Bhargava in ''Patang'' (2012). He ga ...
,
Inaamulhaq Inaamulhaq (born 14 November 1979) is an Indian actor and screenwriter who has been part of several commercial and critically acclaimed Bollywood films, including ''Filmistaan'', '' Jolly LLB 2'' and ''Airlift''. In 2019 Inaamulhaq has bagged t ...
,
Nassar (actor) M. Nassar (born 5 March 1958) is an Indian actor, director, producer, dubbing artist, singer and politician who mainly works in the Tamil and Telugu film industries he has also worked in few Malayalam, English and Hindi films. He is the incumb ...
,
Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works notably in Hindi films, and Telugu, and a few Gujarati and a few Tamil films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient ...
,
Sanjay Suri Sanjay Suri (born 6 April 1971) is an Indian actor and film producer of Hindi cinema. He made his debut in the film '' Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999)''. He went on to star in many supporting roles, but finally got his big break with '' Jhankaar ...
,
Raghubir Yadav Raghubir Yadav is an Indian actor, music composer, singer and set designer who works in Hindi films. He made his film debut with ''Massey Sahib'' (1985), in which he played the title role. He has won two International Awards as Best Actor for ...
,
Shahana Goswami Shahana Goswami is an Indian actress. She is the daughter of Indian economist and writer Omkar Goswami. Career Through her theater circle Goswami met talent consultant Shaanu Sharma who asked her to audition for a role in Naseeruddin Shah's ...
,
Amruta Subhash Amruta Subhash is an Indian actress who works in Marathi and Hindi films, television, and theatre. She is a graduate of the National School of Drama, New Delhi. She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the Marathi-langua ...
and
Tisca Chopra Tisca Zareen Chopra (née Arora; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress, author and film producer who has appeared in over 45 feature films, predominantly in Hindi language. ''Taare Zameen Par'', her best known feature film, was India's off ...
. The film has largely been well received locally and internationally. ''Firaaq'' won three awards at the Asian Festival of First Films in Singapore in December 2008, the Special Prize at the
International Thessaloniki Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF), organized by the cultural institution of the same name under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture, is held every November in Thessaloniki.TIFF features international competition secti ...
, and an award at the
Kara Film Festival The Karachi International Film Festival, simply known as the Kara Film Festival (Urdu: ''کارا فلم فیسٹیول'' or ''کارا فلم'') was founded in 2001 by the KaraFilm Society, reportedly in response to the declining state of th ...
in Pakistan. It won two
National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
at 56th National Film Awards. The film was banned in
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
owing to the communally sensitive subject of the film.


Plot

''Firaaq'' follows the life of several ordinary people, some who were victims, some silent observers, and some perpetrators one month after the 2002 violence in Gujarat. It focuses on how their lives are affected and (irrevocably) changed. The story is set over a 24-hour period, one month after a carnage that took place in Gujarat, India in 2002. This sectarian violence killed more than 900 Muslims and 300+ Hindus (reported), hundreds of thousands were made homeless on both sides. Khan Saheb (
Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...
) is an elderly Muslim classical vocalist, who remains blissfully optimistic of the situation happening around him. His servant, Karim Mian (
Raghubir Yadav Raghubir Yadav is an Indian actor, music composer, singer and set designer who works in Hindi films. He made his film debut with ''Massey Sahib'' (1985), in which he played the title role. He has won two International Awards as Best Actor for ...
), tries to alert him to the problems the Muslim community is facing, but Khan Saheb only realises the extent of the trauma upon seeing the destruction of a shrine dedicated to the
Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
saint, Wali Gujarati. A middle-age
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
housewife, Aarti (
Deepti Naval Deepti Naval (born 3 February 1952) is an Indian-born American actress, director, and writer, predominantly active in Hindi cinema. Her major contribution has been in the area of art cinema, winning critical acclaim for her sensitive and 'clos ...
), is traumatised because she did not help a
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
woman being chased by a mob and finds a way to atone for her sins upon finding Mohsin, a Muslim orphan who wanders the city in search for his family. Meanwhile, her husband, Sanjay (
Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works notably in Hindi films, and Telugu, and a few Gujarati and a few Tamil films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient ...
), and his brother, Deven (
Dilip Joshi Dilip Joshi (born 26 May 1968) is an Indian film, television actor. He has appeared in several Indian movies and television series. Joshi has performed mostly in comedy roles, he initially worked in side roles in Bollywood films and then rose to ...
), try to bribe police officers to prevent Deven's arrest for gang-rape. Muneera (
Shahana Goswami Shahana Goswami is an Indian actress. She is the daughter of Indian economist and writer Omkar Goswami. Career Through her theater circle Goswami met talent consultant Shaanu Sharma who asked her to audition for a role in Naseeruddin Shah's ...
) and her husband Hanif (
Nawazuddin Siddiqui Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Siddiqui's feature film debut was alongside director Prashant Bhargava in ''Patang'' (2012). He ga ...
), are a young Muslim couple who return home only to find it looted and burnt. Muneera struggles to relate to her Hindu neighbour Jyoti ( Amruta Subash) in the following days, as she suspects her for taking part in the looting. Hanif, along with several other Muslim men, plan to retaliate against the violence and their helplessness by searching for a gun to exact revenge. Sameer Shaikh (
Sanjay Suri Sanjay Suri (born 6 April 1971) is an Indian actor and film producer of Hindi cinema. He made his debut in the film '' Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999)''. He went on to star in many supporting roles, but finally got his big break with '' Jhankaar ...
) and Anuradha Desai (
Tisca Chopra Tisca Zareen Chopra (née Arora; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress, author and film producer who has appeared in over 45 feature films, predominantly in Hindi language. ''Taare Zameen Par'', her best known feature film, was India's off ...
) are a wealthy, interreligious couple, whose store was burnt during the carnage. They decide to move to
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
to escape the violence and Sameer comes into conflict with his wife's family over expressing his identity as a Muslim in India. Through these characters we experience the consequences of violence that impact their inner and outer lives. Violence spares nobody. Yet in the midst of all this madness, some find it in their hearts to sing hopeful songs for better times.http://www.nanditadas.com/firaaq_synopsis.htm


Cast

*
Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...
as Jaagir Khan Saheb *
Deepti Naval Deepti Naval (born 3 February 1952) is an Indian-born American actress, director, and writer, predominantly active in Hindi cinema. Her major contribution has been in the area of art cinema, winning critical acclaim for her sensitive and 'clos ...
as Aarti *
Sanjay Suri Sanjay Suri (born 6 April 1971) is an Indian actor and film producer of Hindi cinema. He made his debut in the film '' Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999)''. He went on to star in many supporting roles, but finally got his big break with '' Jhankaar ...
as Sameer Arshad Shaikh *
Nawazuddin Siddiqui Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Siddiqui's feature film debut was alongside director Prashant Bhargava in ''Patang'' (2012). He ga ...
as Hanif *
Inaamulhaq Inaamulhaq (born 14 November 1979) is an Indian actor and screenwriter who has been part of several commercial and critically acclaimed Bollywood films, including ''Filmistaan'', '' Jolly LLB 2'' and ''Airlift''. In 2019 Inaamulhaq has bagged t ...
as Munna *
Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works notably in Hindi films, and Telugu, and a few Gujarati and a few Tamil films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient ...
as Sanjay *
Sumeet Raghavan Sumeet Raghavan is an Indian film, television, and theatre actor known for his roles in '' Wagle Ki Duniya - Nayi Peedi Naye Kissey,'' Hudd Kar Di'', ''Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'', ''Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo'', '' Badi Door Se Aaye Hai'', and Sa ...
as Dr. Subhash *
Raghubir Yadav Raghubir Yadav is an Indian actor, music composer, singer and set designer who works in Hindi films. He made his film debut with ''Massey Sahib'' (1985), in which he played the title role. He has won two International Awards as Best Actor for ...
as Karim *
Mohammad Samad Mohammad Samad (born 7 May 2000) is an Indian actor, known for movies like ''Gattu (2012),'' ''Haraamkhor (2015)'', ''Tumbbad (2018),'' ''And Chhichhore (2019). He played the lead role of Manju Kumar in the Netflix web series Selection Day (201 ...
as Mohsin *
Shahana Goswami Shahana Goswami is an Indian actress. She is the daughter of Indian economist and writer Omkar Goswami. Career Through her theater circle Goswami met talent consultant Shaanu Sharma who asked her to audition for a role in Naseeruddin Shah's ...
as Muneera *
Amruta Subhash Amruta Subhash is an Indian actress who works in Marathi and Hindi films, television, and theatre. She is a graduate of the National School of Drama, New Delhi. She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the Marathi-langua ...
as Jyoti *
Tisca Chopra Tisca Zareen Chopra (née Arora; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress, author and film producer who has appeared in over 45 feature films, predominantly in Hindi language. ''Taare Zameen Par'', her best known feature film, was India's off ...
as Anuradha Desai *
Shafi The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...
as Ghogha * Dr Sridhar Kumar as police cop * Ruhi Singh as Sakina *
Nassar Nassar ( ar, نصار, lit=helper, protector, supporter, victory-maker), is a given name and surname, commonly found in the Arabic language. Alternative spellings of this name, possibly due to transliteration include Naser, Nasser, Nasir, Naseer ...
as Grave Digger *
Dilip Joshi Dilip Joshi (born 26 May 1968) is an Indian film, television actor. He has appeared in several Indian movies and television series. Joshi has performed mostly in comedy roles, he initially worked in side roles in Bollywood films and then rose to ...
as Deven * Rahul Singh as Rajat, Ketaki's husband *
Jasbir Thandi Jasbir may refer to: *Jasbir Singh Bajaj, Indian Physician and Diabetologist has been conferred with the Padma Vibhushan award *Jasbir Jassi Jasbir Singh Bains (born 7 February 1970), better known by his stage name Jasbir Jassi, is an Indian s ...
as Cop at Lucky's restaurant *
Honey Chhaya Honey Chhaya (1930 – 28 February 2016) was an Indian writer, actor and director. He directed and acted in both Hindi and Gujarati films and plays. Life Honey Chhaya was born in 1930. He started his acting career in 1944. Initially, he act ...
as Bapuji * Sucheta Trivedi as Ketaki *
Sakina Sakinah ( ar, سكينة ) is a word derived from ''sukun'' ( ar, سـكـن, "peace", "serenity" or "tranquility"). It appears in the Qur'an. Usage in the Qur’an ''Sakina'' is the Spirit of Tranquility, or Peace of Reassurance. It is a derivat ...
as Ruhi


Music

Composed by Piyush Kanojia and Rajat Dholakia, the lyrics of the songs are penned by
Gulzar Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...
.


Reception

''Firaaq'' won top honours at the Asian Festival of First Films 2008 in Singapore, where it won the awards for "Best Film", "Screenplay / Script", and "Foreign Correspondents Assn. Purple Orchid Award for Best Film". The film has won awards at other international festivals, including the Special Prize award at the
International Thessaloniki Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF), organized by the cultural institution of the same name under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture, is held every November in Thessaloniki.TIFF features international competition secti ...
in Greece, the Special Jury Award at the
International Film Festival of Kerala The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...
, and the Best Editor award for Sreekar Prasad at the
Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announce ...
. It won an award at the
Kara Film Festival The Karachi International Film Festival, simply known as the Kara Film Festival (Urdu: ''کارا فلم فیسٹیول'' or ''کارا فلم'') was founded in 2001 by the KaraFilm Society, reportedly in response to the declining state of th ...
in Pakistan. Gautam Sen for "its perfect use of props and choice of colours to enhance the ambience of a post-riots" won
National Film Award for Best Art Direction The National Film Award for Best Production Design is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several award ...
.
A. Sreekar Prasad Akkineni Sreekar Prasad is an Indian film editor. He works predominantly in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi language films. In a career spanning more than 35 years, he has edited over 600 films. He is a recipient of nine National Film Awards ...
also won a
National Film Award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directora ...
for "aesthetically weaving together unrelated sequences to heighten the dramatic impact" in the Best Editing category at the 56th National Film Awards. It was released in India on 20 March 2009 and received critical acclaim.
Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media. Career Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...
in his review of the film on
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides ...
called it disturbing, powerful and thought-provoking and gave it 4.5 stars out of five.


Awards and honours

;2009
Kara Film Festival The Karachi International Film Festival, simply known as the Kara Film Festival (Urdu: ''کارا فلم فیسٹیول'' or ''کارا فلم'') was founded in 2001 by the KaraFilm Society, reportedly in response to the declining state of th ...
*Won – Best Film ;2008 Asian Festival of First Films *Won – Best Film *Won – Best Screenplay *Won – Foreign Correspondents Association Purple Orchid Award for Best Film ;2009
International Film Festival of Kerala The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...
*Won – Special Jury Award ;2009
International Thessaloniki Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF), organized by the cultural institution of the same name under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture, is held every November in Thessaloniki.TIFF features international competition secti ...
*Won – Special Prize (Everyday Life: Transcendence or Reconciliation Award) *Nominated – Golden Alexander for Best Film ; 19th Cinequest Film Festival San Jose, USA (2009) *Won – The Maverick Spirit Award ; 56th National Film Awards (2009) * Best Art Direction – Gautam Sen * Best Editing –
A. Sreekar Prasad Akkineni Sreekar Prasad is an Indian film editor. He works predominantly in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi language films. In a career spanning more than 35 years, he has edited over 600 films. He is a recipient of nine National Film Awards ...
;55th
Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
(2010) * Critics Award for Best Movie *
Special Award Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...
–
Nandita Das Nandita Das (born 7 November 1969) is an Indian actress and director. She has acted in over 40 feature films in ten different languages. Das appeared in the films ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth'' (1998), '' Bawandar'' (2000), '' Kannathil Muthamittal' ...
* Best Editing –
A. Sreekar Prasad Akkineni Sreekar Prasad is an Indian film editor. He works predominantly in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi language films. In a career spanning more than 35 years, he has edited over 600 films. He is a recipient of nine National Film Awards ...
* Best Sound Design – Manas Chaudhury * Best Costume Design – Vaishali Menon


See also

*
Barkha Dutt Barkha Dutt is an Indian television journalist and author. She has been a reporter and news anchor at NDTV and Tiranga TV. She currently runs her own digital news channel called 'MoJo Story'. She is also an opinion columnist with ''The Hindus ...


References


External links

* *
Review – The Hindu

Review – Indian Express

Review – NDTV

Review – Upperstall




{{2002 Gujarat Violence 2008 films 2000s Hindi-language films Hyperlink films Films set in India Films set in Ahmedabad Films about religious violence in India Films about Hinduism Films about Islam Films shot in Ahmedabad Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing National Award Films whose production designer won the Best Production Design National Film Award 2008 directorial debut films