Post by NewLaura on Apr 6, 2014 2:49:38 GMT
Posts from the Old Forum:
Author Topic: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti) (Read 2526 times)
phul
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 825
Ignore
Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« on: September 24, 2008, 06:40:44 PM »
I'm starting this because I ran across this movie on Nandita's filmography and wanted to know if anyone had seen it. Fairly recent release in Pakistan (Aug 1st). Official website: www.ramchandpakistani.com/
Logged
Steena
I feel totally out of place being
the one & only superstar
******
Posts: 3231
WWW
Ignore
Ramchand Pakistani (* Nandita Das, Rashid Farooqui)
« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2008, 06:44:45 AM »
Banner
Percept Picture Company
Release Date
October 2, 2008
Genre
Thriller
Director
Mehreen Jabbar
Star Cast
Nandita Das
Rashid Farooqui
Noman Ijaz
Maria Wasti
Navaid Jabbar
Syed Fazal Hussain
One of Nandita's fortcomming projects, looks quite promising Smiley
The First Look Stills appeared some days ago:
i.indiafm.com/firstlook/ramchandpakistani1.jpg
i.indiafm.com/firstlook/ramchandpakistani2.jpg
Movie Preview has been added today @ IndiaFM
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, September 29, 2008 - 16:28 IST
'Ramchand Pakistani' is derived from a true story concerning the accidental crossing of the Pakistan-Indian border during a period (June 2002) of extreme, war-like tension between the two countries by two members of a Pakistani Hindu family belonging to the 'untouchable' (Dalit) caste, and the extraordinary consequences of this unintended action upon the lives of a woman, a man, and their son.
The singular theme of the film is how a child from Pakistan aged eight years learns to cope with the trauma of forced separation from his mother while being held prisoner, along with his father in the jail of a country i.e. India, which is hostile to his own, while on the other side of the border, the wife mother, devastated by their sudden disappearance builds a new chapter of her life, by her solitary struggle for sheer survival.
Belonging to one of the lowest castes in Hinduism (one of the "untouchables"), the family is also part of a small minority of Hindus in a country, which is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in which 97% of the people are Muslims. The boy and his father are held captive in India where, in contrast to Pakistan, the overwhelming majority of about 80% comprises of Hindus.
The film portrays the lives of a family that is at the bottom of a discriminatory religious ladder and an insensitive social system, which is nevertheless tolerant, inclusive and pluralist. The irony is compounded by the fact that such a family becomes hostage to the acrimonious political relationship between two neighbor-states poised on the brink of war.
Logged
"Govinda jaisa pura ladka nahin milega, main shaadi karungi sirf Govinda se. Main Govinda ki Biwi No.1 bana jaungi" - Manisha Koirala in Loha
phul
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 825
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2008, 02:10:46 PM »
Do you know what areas that release date covers? I think it's been shown (or is going to be shown) at a few different film festivals too.
Logged
Steena
I feel totally out of place being
the one & only superstar
******
Posts: 3231
WWW
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2008, 01:32:44 PM »
At least in India it releases on 2nd of October. Here's a first review by Gaurav Malani from IndiaTimes Movies.
Rating: 3/5 points
[...]
With a premise as basic as this, the straightforward storytelling by director Mehreen Jabbar focuses predominantly on human bonding and the emotional evolution of the child character. The film very sharply shows how two innocent people pall prey to the political hostility between two neighbouring countries on the verge of war and become hostages on charges they are not even remotely aware of. Their helplessness to the circumstances and the resulting frustration is persuasively portrayed.
[...]
Logged
"Govinda jaisa pura ladka nahin milega, main shaadi karungi sirf Govinda se. Main Govinda ki Biwi No.1 bana jaungi" - Manisha Koirala in Loha
Steena
I feel totally out of place being
the one & only superstar
******
Posts: 3231
WWW
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2008, 02:31:15 AM »
Taran Adarsh didn't like any of this weekend's releases too much, Drona got 1.5 and Kidnap 2 points as well:
By Taran Adarsh, October 2, 2008 - 11:03 IST
[...]
RAMCHAND PAKISTANI is also watchable due to the fine performances delivered by just about everyone in its cast. But it works mainly due to Syed Fazal Hussain's sterling act as the young Ramchand. He conveys the pathos and helplessness with aplomb. Even the grown-up Ramchand, Navaid Jabbar, is equally competent.
Nandita Das is efficient. Rashid Farooqui [Ramchand's father] is equally competent. Pakistani actors Noman Ijaz, Shahoor and Maria Wasti -- popular names on Pakistani TV circuit - deliver fine performances.
On the whole, RAMCHAND PAKISTANI is a simple story well told. Business-wise, the problem is that it faces a strong opposition from two major releases this week. Besides, a film like RAMCHAND PAKISTANI caters to a select audience, which means that it might go unnoticed in the domestic circuit.
Rating: 2/5 points
Logged
"Govinda jaisa pura ladka nahin milega, main shaadi karungi sirf Govinda se. Main Govinda ki Biwi No.1 bana jaungi" - Manisha Koirala in Loha
phul
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 825
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2008, 09:00:51 AM »
Adarsh sure didn't have very nice things to say about Pakistani cinema.
"Most Pakistani films are synonymous with loud acting, garish sets and blood-n-gore."
We never see that in any Indian movies, of course. Wink
Regardless, I look forward to seeing this whenever it becomes available!
Logged
NewLaura
couldn't possibly be
shahrukh's inspiration
*****
Posts: 1842
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2009, 01:43:34 PM »
This is showing at a film festival in Washington DC on April 18 and 19, 2009:
filmfestdc.org/filmView.cfm?passID=43
Logged
NewLaura
couldn't possibly be
shahrukh's inspiration
*****
Posts: 1842
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2009, 08:06:47 PM »
I really enjoyed this film. It was so much better than the only other Pakistani film I’ve seen, Khuda Ke Liye. I thought Ramchand Pakistani was in a whole different league in just about every way. The actors, the writing, the cinematography, and the direction were all excellent. Every single actor in this movie was much better than any of the Western actors in KKL.
The film, based on a true story, is about a little boy, Ramchand, who accidentally crosses the border into India. His father follows him, looking for him, and is also arrested. They spend five years in a crowded Indian jail. The little boy, Syed Fazal Hussain, who plays the younger Ramchand is wonderful. He is a stunningly beautiful child, but he also does a great job with the part. He is mischievous without annoying over-acting. Ramchand is Hindu and Dalit, and one theme of the film is how an Indian Hindu female prison officer treats him. She has been assigned to teach him, and they watch Bollywood movies together (you see snips of Chandni and another Sridevi movie). Nandita Das plays Champa, the boy’s mother. The other actors are all Pakistani, and it was filmed entirely in Pakistan.
There is one fairly disturbing, but brief, torture scene. The Indian prison guards are not portrayed as one-sided and evil, though. Their characters are quite believably human. Actually one thing I really liked about the film is that, although it hints at sinister possibilities, in most cases the people in the film are revealed to be basically good. It isn't a dark and depressing film at all.
The director, Mehreen Jabbar, answered questions after the film. There was a disclaimer in the film that said all of the characters and events were imaginary, but Jabbar talked about how it was based on a real boy and his father and their experiences. She and the writer/producer got to know the family while they were writing the screen play. Although Ramchand was an only child in the film, the real family had 5 children. The film was produced by Jabbar’s father and funded by her family and friends. (And she said she had walked by the White House that afternoon and seen Michelle Obama outside walking the new dog. Smiley )
Logged
phul
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 825
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2009, 12:13:20 AM »
That's awesome that you got to see it and listen to the director! I finally snagged a copy of this (thank you, isohunt!) and will get to watch it this week I hope.
Logged
leaf
the one & only superstar
******
Posts: 4365
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2009, 12:09:56 PM »
FYI, guys, Youtube Screening Room has Ramchand Pakistani as part of its presentation of films form the Doha Film Festival.
www.youtube.com/ytscreeningroom
Logged
tanya
Someday I'll be a legend! But for now
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 959
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2009, 09:00:16 PM »
I recently saw this at a film festival. You can watch it on youtube with just a few commercial interruptions here
I'm not normally a fan of films dominated by child actors, but I'll certainly make an exception for this film and the actor who played young Ramchand. Nandita Das was wonderful too.
I also enjoyed the folk music inspired soundtrack! Here's an excerpt from a review of it at jang.com.pk/thenews/jul2008-weekly/nos-06-07-2008/instep/mainissue.htm
"In simple terms, Ramchand Pakistani is an amazing album. Not just for it's incredibly rich and powerful sound paired with the moving vocals of Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan and Shubha Mudgal but also that it transcends one into the distant and dry desert of Sindh where Champa loses her son to the land beyond the line of control.
The low-key and truly talented Debajyoti Mishra (Raincoat, Choker Bali) heralds the music direction with brilliance, while from Pakistan Anwar Maqsood pens the lovely and often heartbreaking words, Rohail Hyatt plays the role of sound engineer while Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan joins Shubha Mudgal on the daunting vocals. It is an infallible combination.
The soundtrack of Ramchand Pakistani is not very extensive - barely four original songs and an instrumental. But what takes it a step further is the selection of classic folk songs from Sindh that lend the album an authentic integrity."
Logged
Darshana
Waiting for a couple of Bhojpuri deals to finalise so she can become
*bollywood legend*
*******
Posts: 10781
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti) Mehreen Jabbar director
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2010, 01:17:43 PM »
I finally saw this on a big screen, at the Museum of Modern Art here in NYC. The hall was more than 50% full: the audience was almost all "white," which at first I was disappointed by (sometimes a non-S Asian audience is kind of dead to a S Asian movie) -- but they were rapt, and they clapped at the end, and me along with them, even though this was just a lights-out/projector-on thing -- no intro, no q and a.
Ramchand Pakistani is based on a true story about a small Hindi Dalit family of rural Pakistan, whose village is near the India border. It takes place at a time of heightened India-Pakistan tension. The eight-year-old boy, Ramchand, wanders into India -- the border is marked just by white stones. His father goes to find him, and they are arrested and detained in an Indian prison for a long time.
The film is pretty much a "here is what happened" presentation. The dramatic tension has to do only with our hoping the boy and his father will be freed -- not with anybody's actions, and not with anybody's psychic development. This is so "correct" about the story -- this is how powerless people live, and here it works because of the strong and steady close up attention to the individual humanity of the characters. It's not about somebody struggling and overcoming something, it is about powerless people who survive and retain their dignity and humanity.
Nandita Das as the mother is an illiterate rural woman doing all she can to survive and prevail. The landlord makes the villagers move to another location to work: she hides in a temple to wait for her family. She works off a debt to the landlord, and fights with the overseer when he tries to get more than she owes. She speaks very little, and says a great deal with her actions. Character and performances of the father and son, played by two boys, are equally fine.
I especially liked a tough woman Army officer She has thrown out a bad husband, she has a boyfriend, and she has no use for kids, but is assigned nonetheless to look after Ramchand in prison and keep up his education. In addition she's repelled to find out he's "untouchable," but gently reminded that the caste system is not recognized by government or Army, and watches Mr India in her office.
Hard to make a movie about such an awful situation and keep the audience from fleeing, emotionally or in fact. This is really mostly a movie of original human moments, and small developments over time among people, with enough time and space around them to allow us to absorb them.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2010, 01:42:52 PM by Darshana » Logged
i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/Darshana_/colors3EDIT2-1.jpg
latishya
shahrukh's inspiration
*****
Posts: 1823
यह दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाये तो क्या है? जला दो!
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #12 on: February 29, 2012, 08:50:02 PM »
Oh the irony that someone called Nandita almost always makes me cry! This was very touching movie. Not preachy or showily grim, just very human and real. I think the teariest moment was when the army officer who initially wouldn't even let Ramchand touch her bowls kissed him goodbye. Both the Ramchands were great, and Nandita shone as always. PLUS, how wonderful to hear the sadly underused Shubha Mudgal again.
Logged
hellogiggles.com/if-you-dont-have-anything-nice-to-say<br />A little learning is a dangerous thing<br />http://wordie.org/words/pieriansipist<br />I love *barren* bollywood, apparently.
phul
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 825
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2013, 01:25:57 AM »
So I started this thread... over four years ago... O.o But I actually finally watched the movie today (life got in the way, I guess you could say). It was a nice movie, seemed to drag a bit in the first half but got more interesting in the second half. The subtitles I had weren't great, they skipped a lot of the dialogue but I think I got the gist of everything... that said, does anybody know where there's a plot point-by-plot point synopsis of the movie so I could fill in the details?
I thought, for being a Pakistani production, the treatment of the Indian characters, even the prison workers, was very even-handed. (I've yet to see an Indian movie that treats Pakistani prison guards so fairly. Roll Eyes) My favorite was Ramchand's father; a totally sympathetic character whose love for his son you can really see.
Logged
Pages: [1] Print
« previous next »
Jump to:
Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.16 | SMF © 2006, Simple Machines Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
Author Topic: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti) (Read 2526 times)
phul
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 825
Ignore
Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« on: September 24, 2008, 06:40:44 PM »
I'm starting this because I ran across this movie on Nandita's filmography and wanted to know if anyone had seen it. Fairly recent release in Pakistan (Aug 1st). Official website: www.ramchandpakistani.com/
Logged
Steena
I feel totally out of place being
the one & only superstar
******
Posts: 3231
WWW
Ignore
Ramchand Pakistani (* Nandita Das, Rashid Farooqui)
« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2008, 06:44:45 AM »
Banner
Percept Picture Company
Release Date
October 2, 2008
Genre
Thriller
Director
Mehreen Jabbar
Star Cast
Nandita Das
Rashid Farooqui
Noman Ijaz
Maria Wasti
Navaid Jabbar
Syed Fazal Hussain
One of Nandita's fortcomming projects, looks quite promising Smiley
The First Look Stills appeared some days ago:
i.indiafm.com/firstlook/ramchandpakistani1.jpg
i.indiafm.com/firstlook/ramchandpakistani2.jpg
Movie Preview has been added today @ IndiaFM
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, September 29, 2008 - 16:28 IST
'Ramchand Pakistani' is derived from a true story concerning the accidental crossing of the Pakistan-Indian border during a period (June 2002) of extreme, war-like tension between the two countries by two members of a Pakistani Hindu family belonging to the 'untouchable' (Dalit) caste, and the extraordinary consequences of this unintended action upon the lives of a woman, a man, and their son.
The singular theme of the film is how a child from Pakistan aged eight years learns to cope with the trauma of forced separation from his mother while being held prisoner, along with his father in the jail of a country i.e. India, which is hostile to his own, while on the other side of the border, the wife mother, devastated by their sudden disappearance builds a new chapter of her life, by her solitary struggle for sheer survival.
Belonging to one of the lowest castes in Hinduism (one of the "untouchables"), the family is also part of a small minority of Hindus in a country, which is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in which 97% of the people are Muslims. The boy and his father are held captive in India where, in contrast to Pakistan, the overwhelming majority of about 80% comprises of Hindus.
The film portrays the lives of a family that is at the bottom of a discriminatory religious ladder and an insensitive social system, which is nevertheless tolerant, inclusive and pluralist. The irony is compounded by the fact that such a family becomes hostage to the acrimonious political relationship between two neighbor-states poised on the brink of war.
Logged
"Govinda jaisa pura ladka nahin milega, main shaadi karungi sirf Govinda se. Main Govinda ki Biwi No.1 bana jaungi" - Manisha Koirala in Loha
phul
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 825
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2008, 02:10:46 PM »
Do you know what areas that release date covers? I think it's been shown (or is going to be shown) at a few different film festivals too.
Logged
Steena
I feel totally out of place being
the one & only superstar
******
Posts: 3231
WWW
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2008, 01:32:44 PM »
At least in India it releases on 2nd of October. Here's a first review by Gaurav Malani from IndiaTimes Movies.
Rating: 3/5 points
[...]
With a premise as basic as this, the straightforward storytelling by director Mehreen Jabbar focuses predominantly on human bonding and the emotional evolution of the child character. The film very sharply shows how two innocent people pall prey to the political hostility between two neighbouring countries on the verge of war and become hostages on charges they are not even remotely aware of. Their helplessness to the circumstances and the resulting frustration is persuasively portrayed.
[...]
Logged
"Govinda jaisa pura ladka nahin milega, main shaadi karungi sirf Govinda se. Main Govinda ki Biwi No.1 bana jaungi" - Manisha Koirala in Loha
Steena
I feel totally out of place being
the one & only superstar
******
Posts: 3231
WWW
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2008, 02:31:15 AM »
Taran Adarsh didn't like any of this weekend's releases too much, Drona got 1.5 and Kidnap 2 points as well:
By Taran Adarsh, October 2, 2008 - 11:03 IST
[...]
RAMCHAND PAKISTANI is also watchable due to the fine performances delivered by just about everyone in its cast. But it works mainly due to Syed Fazal Hussain's sterling act as the young Ramchand. He conveys the pathos and helplessness with aplomb. Even the grown-up Ramchand, Navaid Jabbar, is equally competent.
Nandita Das is efficient. Rashid Farooqui [Ramchand's father] is equally competent. Pakistani actors Noman Ijaz, Shahoor and Maria Wasti -- popular names on Pakistani TV circuit - deliver fine performances.
On the whole, RAMCHAND PAKISTANI is a simple story well told. Business-wise, the problem is that it faces a strong opposition from two major releases this week. Besides, a film like RAMCHAND PAKISTANI caters to a select audience, which means that it might go unnoticed in the domestic circuit.
Rating: 2/5 points
Logged
"Govinda jaisa pura ladka nahin milega, main shaadi karungi sirf Govinda se. Main Govinda ki Biwi No.1 bana jaungi" - Manisha Koirala in Loha
phul
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 825
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2008, 09:00:51 AM »
Adarsh sure didn't have very nice things to say about Pakistani cinema.
"Most Pakistani films are synonymous with loud acting, garish sets and blood-n-gore."
We never see that in any Indian movies, of course. Wink
Regardless, I look forward to seeing this whenever it becomes available!
Logged
NewLaura
couldn't possibly be
shahrukh's inspiration
*****
Posts: 1842
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2009, 01:43:34 PM »
This is showing at a film festival in Washington DC on April 18 and 19, 2009:
filmfestdc.org/filmView.cfm?passID=43
Logged
NewLaura
couldn't possibly be
shahrukh's inspiration
*****
Posts: 1842
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2009, 08:06:47 PM »
I really enjoyed this film. It was so much better than the only other Pakistani film I’ve seen, Khuda Ke Liye. I thought Ramchand Pakistani was in a whole different league in just about every way. The actors, the writing, the cinematography, and the direction were all excellent. Every single actor in this movie was much better than any of the Western actors in KKL.
The film, based on a true story, is about a little boy, Ramchand, who accidentally crosses the border into India. His father follows him, looking for him, and is also arrested. They spend five years in a crowded Indian jail. The little boy, Syed Fazal Hussain, who plays the younger Ramchand is wonderful. He is a stunningly beautiful child, but he also does a great job with the part. He is mischievous without annoying over-acting. Ramchand is Hindu and Dalit, and one theme of the film is how an Indian Hindu female prison officer treats him. She has been assigned to teach him, and they watch Bollywood movies together (you see snips of Chandni and another Sridevi movie). Nandita Das plays Champa, the boy’s mother. The other actors are all Pakistani, and it was filmed entirely in Pakistan.
There is one fairly disturbing, but brief, torture scene. The Indian prison guards are not portrayed as one-sided and evil, though. Their characters are quite believably human. Actually one thing I really liked about the film is that, although it hints at sinister possibilities, in most cases the people in the film are revealed to be basically good. It isn't a dark and depressing film at all.
The director, Mehreen Jabbar, answered questions after the film. There was a disclaimer in the film that said all of the characters and events were imaginary, but Jabbar talked about how it was based on a real boy and his father and their experiences. She and the writer/producer got to know the family while they were writing the screen play. Although Ramchand was an only child in the film, the real family had 5 children. The film was produced by Jabbar’s father and funded by her family and friends. (And she said she had walked by the White House that afternoon and seen Michelle Obama outside walking the new dog. Smiley )
Logged
phul
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 825
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2009, 12:13:20 AM »
That's awesome that you got to see it and listen to the director! I finally snagged a copy of this (thank you, isohunt!) and will get to watch it this week I hope.
Logged
leaf
the one & only superstar
******
Posts: 4365
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2009, 12:09:56 PM »
FYI, guys, Youtube Screening Room has Ramchand Pakistani as part of its presentation of films form the Doha Film Festival.
www.youtube.com/ytscreeningroom
Logged
tanya
Someday I'll be a legend! But for now
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 959
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2009, 09:00:16 PM »
I recently saw this at a film festival. You can watch it on youtube with just a few commercial interruptions here
I'm not normally a fan of films dominated by child actors, but I'll certainly make an exception for this film and the actor who played young Ramchand. Nandita Das was wonderful too.
I also enjoyed the folk music inspired soundtrack! Here's an excerpt from a review of it at jang.com.pk/thenews/jul2008-weekly/nos-06-07-2008/instep/mainissue.htm
"In simple terms, Ramchand Pakistani is an amazing album. Not just for it's incredibly rich and powerful sound paired with the moving vocals of Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan and Shubha Mudgal but also that it transcends one into the distant and dry desert of Sindh where Champa loses her son to the land beyond the line of control.
The low-key and truly talented Debajyoti Mishra (Raincoat, Choker Bali) heralds the music direction with brilliance, while from Pakistan Anwar Maqsood pens the lovely and often heartbreaking words, Rohail Hyatt plays the role of sound engineer while Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan joins Shubha Mudgal on the daunting vocals. It is an infallible combination.
The soundtrack of Ramchand Pakistani is not very extensive - barely four original songs and an instrumental. But what takes it a step further is the selection of classic folk songs from Sindh that lend the album an authentic integrity."
Logged
Darshana
Waiting for a couple of Bhojpuri deals to finalise so she can become
*bollywood legend*
*******
Posts: 10781
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti) Mehreen Jabbar director
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2010, 01:17:43 PM »
I finally saw this on a big screen, at the Museum of Modern Art here in NYC. The hall was more than 50% full: the audience was almost all "white," which at first I was disappointed by (sometimes a non-S Asian audience is kind of dead to a S Asian movie) -- but they were rapt, and they clapped at the end, and me along with them, even though this was just a lights-out/projector-on thing -- no intro, no q and a.
Ramchand Pakistani is based on a true story about a small Hindi Dalit family of rural Pakistan, whose village is near the India border. It takes place at a time of heightened India-Pakistan tension. The eight-year-old boy, Ramchand, wanders into India -- the border is marked just by white stones. His father goes to find him, and they are arrested and detained in an Indian prison for a long time.
The film is pretty much a "here is what happened" presentation. The dramatic tension has to do only with our hoping the boy and his father will be freed -- not with anybody's actions, and not with anybody's psychic development. This is so "correct" about the story -- this is how powerless people live, and here it works because of the strong and steady close up attention to the individual humanity of the characters. It's not about somebody struggling and overcoming something, it is about powerless people who survive and retain their dignity and humanity.
Nandita Das as the mother is an illiterate rural woman doing all she can to survive and prevail. The landlord makes the villagers move to another location to work: she hides in a temple to wait for her family. She works off a debt to the landlord, and fights with the overseer when he tries to get more than she owes. She speaks very little, and says a great deal with her actions. Character and performances of the father and son, played by two boys, are equally fine.
I especially liked a tough woman Army officer She has thrown out a bad husband, she has a boyfriend, and she has no use for kids, but is assigned nonetheless to look after Ramchand in prison and keep up his education. In addition she's repelled to find out he's "untouchable," but gently reminded that the caste system is not recognized by government or Army, and watches Mr India in her office.
Hard to make a movie about such an awful situation and keep the audience from fleeing, emotionally or in fact. This is really mostly a movie of original human moments, and small developments over time among people, with enough time and space around them to allow us to absorb them.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2010, 01:42:52 PM by Darshana » Logged
i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/Darshana_/colors3EDIT2-1.jpg
latishya
shahrukh's inspiration
*****
Posts: 1823
यह दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाये तो क्या है? जला दो!
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #12 on: February 29, 2012, 08:50:02 PM »
Oh the irony that someone called Nandita almost always makes me cry! This was very touching movie. Not preachy or showily grim, just very human and real. I think the teariest moment was when the army officer who initially wouldn't even let Ramchand touch her bowls kissed him goodbye. Both the Ramchands were great, and Nandita shone as always. PLUS, how wonderful to hear the sadly underused Shubha Mudgal again.
Logged
hellogiggles.com/if-you-dont-have-anything-nice-to-say<br />A little learning is a dangerous thing<br />http://wordie.org/words/pieriansipist<br />I love *barren* bollywood, apparently.
phul
starring as the obligatory love interest
****
Posts: 825
Ignore
Re: Ramchand Pakistani (*ing Nandita Das, Maria Wasti)
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2013, 01:25:57 AM »
So I started this thread... over four years ago... O.o But I actually finally watched the movie today (life got in the way, I guess you could say). It was a nice movie, seemed to drag a bit in the first half but got more interesting in the second half. The subtitles I had weren't great, they skipped a lot of the dialogue but I think I got the gist of everything... that said, does anybody know where there's a plot point-by-plot point synopsis of the movie so I could fill in the details?
I thought, for being a Pakistani production, the treatment of the Indian characters, even the prison workers, was very even-handed. (I've yet to see an Indian movie that treats Pakistani prison guards so fairly. Roll Eyes) My favorite was Ramchand's father; a totally sympathetic character whose love for his son you can really see.
Logged
Pages: [1] Print
« previous next »
Jump to:
Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.16 | SMF © 2006, Simple Machines Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!