Mulk : A Must Watch Hindi Film for all Indians #RelevantCinema #TheGreatIdeaOfIndia #ReligiousInclusiveness
It's a wonderful surprise to see our indigenous Hindi film industry, so often referred to as Bollywood, coming out with relevant, topical and well researched cinema. Cinema that touches the heart and forces you to question your innermost biases, orientations and prejudices.
The film "Mulk" by #AnubhavSinha, challenges the stereotyping of the Muslim community by seemingly level-headed and sensible Indians. How many times have we conjured up a particular image of a Muslim? The bearded, skull capped look of the man, and the burkha-clad image of the woman, with a brood of children trailing behind, is the most typical image that we have in mind. We assume all Muslims are hot-headed, bigoted, semi-literate, violent people, who will kill or maim at the drop of a hat.
This in our great country #India, which has seen a remarkable amalgamation of cultures and religions over centuries of its existence. We all have heard of Akbar, Sher Shah, Tughlaq, and Tipu Sultan, yet when we think of Muslim kings, Aurangzeb and Mohammed Ghori come to our mind. We remember their brutality, their razing of Hindu temples, and the torture they meted out to Hindus, not the religiously inclusive policies and harmonious regimes of Akbar or Tipu. This prejudice and the feeling of "us" and "them" have become ingrained in our psyche. So much so that we fear and distrust every Muslim as a potential terrorist.
Image courtesy: Hindustan Times
This is exactly what the director and scriptwriter of Mulk point out to us. A terrorist gets killed after planting a bomb in a bus. His family members are completely unaware of his criminal activities. They happen to have some relations in Pakistan. That is enough for the society to label the entire family, a respectable and law-abiding family, as terrorists. Neighbours and old friends turn hostile, shunning them and defacing their walls with "Go to Pakistan".
Sounds familiar? How many times have we, as educated, intelligent Indians, wished the same for our Muslim fellow-Indians, the moment we hear of a terrorist attack? Whenever there is a communal flare-up, according to the rest of the country, they are the principal instigators. A crime is reported, and the moment we hear of the Muslim convict, we smugly remark, see I told you. So deeply entrenched is our suspicion and wariness, that even when we mingle and mix as friends, we keep one eye open for possible aberrations in behaviour by the Muslim.
Does terrorism have any religion? Does politics have religion? If yes, then why are so many Muslims being killed in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria, and other middle-eastern countries of Asia? What do we say about the hate crimes against coloured people in "enlightened nations" like England, America and Australia? What about kidnappings and rapes occurring on a sickeningly regular basis in our own country? What about lynchings and atrocities against Dalits, North-Eastern people, tribals? What about the very Hindu Maoists? And Bajrang Dal and VHP activists, and their strident slogans?
Through the characters of Rishi Kapoor and Tapsee Pannu, the film raises these very questions. The performances of both these actors, and that of Manoj Pahwa, as the bewildered father of the terrorist, who can't take the interrogation and police torture and dies in custody, are superlative. So are the supporting cast, who pitch in with earnest performances.
The film is hard-hitting and doesn't allow a moment of relief. The horror, ugliness, blatantness of it all hits you in your face, more so because you yourself have been guilty of it sometime. I have yet to come across such an unapologetic, hard-hitting, sensible film in Hindi commercial cinema.
Great work, and a big thank you to all the people involved in giving us such a timely film around India's Independence Day.
The film "Mulk" by #AnubhavSinha, challenges the stereotyping of the Muslim community by seemingly level-headed and sensible Indians. How many times have we conjured up a particular image of a Muslim? The bearded, skull capped look of the man, and the burkha-clad image of the woman, with a brood of children trailing behind, is the most typical image that we have in mind. We assume all Muslims are hot-headed, bigoted, semi-literate, violent people, who will kill or maim at the drop of a hat.
This in our great country #India, which has seen a remarkable amalgamation of cultures and religions over centuries of its existence. We all have heard of Akbar, Sher Shah, Tughlaq, and Tipu Sultan, yet when we think of Muslim kings, Aurangzeb and Mohammed Ghori come to our mind. We remember their brutality, their razing of Hindu temples, and the torture they meted out to Hindus, not the religiously inclusive policies and harmonious regimes of Akbar or Tipu. This prejudice and the feeling of "us" and "them" have become ingrained in our psyche. So much so that we fear and distrust every Muslim as a potential terrorist.
Image courtesy: Hindustan Times
This is exactly what the director and scriptwriter of Mulk point out to us. A terrorist gets killed after planting a bomb in a bus. His family members are completely unaware of his criminal activities. They happen to have some relations in Pakistan. That is enough for the society to label the entire family, a respectable and law-abiding family, as terrorists. Neighbours and old friends turn hostile, shunning them and defacing their walls with "Go to Pakistan".
Sounds familiar? How many times have we, as educated, intelligent Indians, wished the same for our Muslim fellow-Indians, the moment we hear of a terrorist attack? Whenever there is a communal flare-up, according to the rest of the country, they are the principal instigators. A crime is reported, and the moment we hear of the Muslim convict, we smugly remark, see I told you. So deeply entrenched is our suspicion and wariness, that even when we mingle and mix as friends, we keep one eye open for possible aberrations in behaviour by the Muslim.
Does terrorism have any religion? Does politics have religion? If yes, then why are so many Muslims being killed in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria, and other middle-eastern countries of Asia? What do we say about the hate crimes against coloured people in "enlightened nations" like England, America and Australia? What about kidnappings and rapes occurring on a sickeningly regular basis in our own country? What about lynchings and atrocities against Dalits, North-Eastern people, tribals? What about the very Hindu Maoists? And Bajrang Dal and VHP activists, and their strident slogans?
Through the characters of Rishi Kapoor and Tapsee Pannu, the film raises these very questions. The performances of both these actors, and that of Manoj Pahwa, as the bewildered father of the terrorist, who can't take the interrogation and police torture and dies in custody, are superlative. So are the supporting cast, who pitch in with earnest performances.
The film is hard-hitting and doesn't allow a moment of relief. The horror, ugliness, blatantness of it all hits you in your face, more so because you yourself have been guilty of it sometime. I have yet to come across such an unapologetic, hard-hitting, sensible film in Hindi commercial cinema.
Great work, and a big thank you to all the people involved in giving us such a timely film around India's Independence Day.
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