Films – Montreal (2019)

It is a fascinating story about Fatin, played by fiery Sarah Hashmi, who is in need of money for completing her education. Her father, played by Vipin Sharma, had managed somehow till now but is unable to provide any more money. So he applies for financial aid by an Islamic institution which helps Muslim students to study. Sarah is frustrated by the idea but has to tag along only to face prerequisites by the officer-in-charge at that institution, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui . What happens next is the decision by an islamic woman which will affect the society at large. What that decision is and how Sarah arrives at it, forms the further part of the story.

In modern Mumbai of glass skyscrapers, the young widow Ratna works as a maid for Ashwin, a young man from a wealthy home, who apparently has everything it takes for a comfortable life. On the other hand, Ratna has one thing above all: the desire to work for a better life and to realize her dream of becoming a fashion designer. When Ashwin’s carefully arranged storybook wedding bursts, Ratna seems to be the only one who understands Ashwin’s deep melancholy. Ashwin falls in love with the housemaid and discovers in her a strong-willed and sensual woman who is ready to stand up for her dreams.

Madiha Aijaz’s observational documentary on public libraries in Karachi, Pakistan, provides an entry point into present-day Karachi, where irredeemable changes feel imminent. While the libraries become a bastion for the literary tradition of Urdu, their frequent visitors lament the increasing dominance of English – a residual remINDIAr of colonialism, partition and the ‘globalising’ present. Wrapped in quiet solitude, seated readers are shown hiding away from the hustle and bustle of urban life that can be seen outside.

The diverse cultures around Indus, with over 70 spoken languages, have deep roots going back centuries. Despite the richness of the various cultures flourishing along the mighty Indus river, their sounds have faded to the background in a world dominated by modern musical instruments. Filmmaker Jawad Sharif takes us on a journey spanning a thousand miles from the Karakoram Mountains to the southern coastline, capturing the little-known ethnic, linguistic, and musical diversity and humanism of the cultures of the Indus.

This film explores the sudden decline and degradation of classical dance in Pakistan following the introduction of restrictive laws by General Zia ul Haq, a fundamentalist dictator in the 1980’s. The film focuses on how Sheema Kermani, an iconic Pakistani classical dancer, not only defied those laws but has continued to relentlessly employ this powerful art form as an act of resistance against regressive mindsets.

Mangesh Desai, one of the top ten sound mixing engineers of the world accordng to New York Times, was a colourful character whose understanding of the craft and technique was unparalleled. The film narrates the fascinating story of how he created sounds for iconic movies such as Sholay, Pakeeza, Kabhi Kabhi and many others. His dynamic range of work goes from the artistic extremes of Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal’s art films to Manmohan Desai’s commercial films. He could blend himself according to the needs of the subject, the film and the director, but no one could proceed without receiving his approval and availability.

The Orphanage is a beautifully photographed, quietly methodical portrait of 1989 Kabul and tells the story of young Quodrat rounded up by the cops and sent to a public orphanage. The movie was shot in Tadjikistan, mixing natural splendors with the starker institutional interiors. A grainy look makes the film feel like it was actually made in the 80s, adding to its historical authenticity. When, at the end, the orphanage risks tumbling along with the Soviet regime, you’re left with the harrowing feeling that for Quodrat and his friends, it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire.

The shimmering emerald state of Manipur, India is the birthplace of modern polo with men having played there for several hundred years. Now it’s the turn for the young maidens to charge forward. A young polo sisterhood is developing in Manipur that ploughs on in spite of adversity and political turmoil. They are intensely connected to their sacred Manipuri pony and play an international tournament every year. Roopa Barua’s film is a tribute to these polo players and the modern Manipuri women.

Sprightly Chuskit’s dream of going to school is cut short when she is rendered a paraplegic after an accident. She’s confined to life indoors in the company of her strict grandfather, Dorje. Chuskit continues to harbor hopes of school but Dorje tries to make her understand that school can’t handle her needs. As life at home gets harder, her battle with her grandfather exacerbates. Caught in between their struggle are Chuskit’s parents and her enterprising brother who want to respect the old world views that Dorje represents, but also want to keep Chuskit’s spirit alive. Chuskit will have to get her grandfather to yield or she will have to accept the reality he has chosen for her.

A woman and a man are declared as joint winners for their presentation in a 5-day long business workshop in a city away from their home . The film traces the life of these two individuals on that night when they return back to their home . The film shows side by side the two lives: how the success of the man is celebrated by his family and how the success of the woman is not even talked about and she is made to feel guilty for her absence from home. It depicts the privileges that the man gets on his return and points out how the woman is expected to manage all the pending household chores even after going through the same grueling work schedule . At the end, the woman realizes that the world is not fair and that she needs to continue her fight. She claims her own place to celebrate her victory.

Shubhchintak meaning ‘well-wishers’ is a story of a young and vibrant woman with simple dreams. It is set in the city of Rajkot, India but the theme is universal. Shubhchintak examines the role of woman in small town India, in its society and in a male-dominant house.

Karachi, Pakistan. 24 April 2015. A car stops at a red-light. Inside are two women: Sabeen and her mother Mahenaz. Two men on a motorcycle stop and open fire. Sabeen dies on the spot; her mother gets wounded but survives. Moments before she was killed, Sabeen Mahmud, founder and director of the non-profit cultural institution Peace Niche, had hosted a discussion on the unexplained and ongoing disappearances of more than 20,000 activists and civilians in the country. Sabeen had been warned and advised to cancel the event but she went ahead insisting, “someone’s got to do this!” In the wake of the killing, the director tiptoes ”After Sabeen“ following her mother and friends to record not only their memories and grief but also their ongoing impetus to continue Sabeen’s work.

A mini-bus is on a journey across the mountains to Kabul. Each person on the bus has a reason to make this journey. An old man is traveling to give a turkey to his grandchild, as his last wish before dying. However, the main road is blocked by insurgents. They decide to use an alternative road, which is not very secure, and there is still the possibility of getting caught by insurgents.

Adeel is a cab driver and conman with dreams to leave Karachi and start a new life in Dubai. Aliya Malik is a widow desperate to find and bring justice to the target killers who murdered her husband. In a circumstantial meeting, the two realise they can help each other. Adeel, through his contacts on the streets, can help Aliya find her husband’s murderer. In exchange, she’ll give him enough money to flee to Dubai. But neither of them realise the odds against them, and so begins an intriguing cat-and-mouse game through the streets of Karachi.

Avinash, a Silicon Valley engineer, returns to India to care for his bedridden father. Unlike the warmth his father shares with his professional caregivers, the father and son’s relationship is prickly. One afternoon when the usual attendant is unavailable, Avinash confronts awkward intimacies for which he was never prepared.

Dust to Dust touches upon the fundamental truth of life – death – and the eternal human quest to transcend it. In the ageless city of Lahore, Pakistan, it is business as usual for Ashraf as he digs yet another grave. His work as a gravedigger requires him to deal with death on a daily basis. Nevertheless, as he digs deeper, he grows firmer in his resolve to rise above darkness.

Filmmaker Mo Naqvi will vote for the first time during Pakistan’s elections. His priority is backing a candidate who will prevent Pakistan from becoming a terrorist state. But Mo has a tough choice – either vote for religious hardliners or for secular liberal leader General Musharraf, a former military dictator. “Insha’Allah Democracy” chronicles one voter’s journey: to see if democracy is compatible with an unstable Muslim country.

Canadian Screen Awards nominated Balinder Johal (Beeba Boys, Heaven on Earth) stars as Gayatri, a devoutly religious vegetarian Indian woman who mistakenly eats chicken at her retirement party. Her life is thrown into chaos when she can’t get the succulent taste out of her mind. Already challenged with adjusting to her new retired life, Gayatri struggles to find her place in her family’s hectic schedule. Resigning herself to her new cravings, Gayatri’s search for the chicken recipe takes her on an adventure that will forever change her.

Untying the Knot tells the powerful story of Rumana Monzur, the blinded survivor of a domestic attack, and her courageous pursuit of a career in Canada. A powerful exploration of marriage in Bangladesh, the film also follows three women in Dhaka as they struggle with abuse and social pressure, laying bare the sacrifices made by women in the name of marital expectation.

Having met on a matrimonial site, Maya & Raunak have been dating for a year now. Now they want to take their relationship to the next level. However there’s a hitch – her mother.

When a young, exiled Tibetan woman unexpectedly sees a man from her past, long-suppressed memories of her traumatic escape across the Himalayas are reignited and she is propelled on an obsessive search for reconciliation and closure.

Set in the backdrop of ongoing communal tension instigated by rival political factions, MEAL is an 11-minute DIALOGUE-LESS story about one particular household. The atmosphere in the house is clearly that of unease. A woman in the kitchen carrying a bruise underneath an eye stares into the distance until a pressure cooker whistle breaks her dead gaze. A man in another room restlessly stuffs arbitrary things into a suitcase, seemingly preparing to leave the house in a state of fury. A child in school uniform picks up broken remnants from a wall clock. Also present in the house is an ailing grandfather restricted to a wheelchair who bears witness to it all. The house is in a state of disarray, reflecting the chaos and lovelessness of outside – where everyone is a victim and everyone a perpetrator in equal measure. Amidst all this, the family sits down for one last meal together.

As 57 year old government employee Mithi Kumar finds herself on the brink of retirement from her mundane office job, she realises there’s just one thing she’ll miss about work – or rather her daily commute by the local passenger train. It’s the voice of a stranger that she has been irresistibly drawn to; one she has felt a deep connection with amidst the everyday din of the railway station. That voice belongs to the station announcer- her invisible but constant companion as she goes to work everyday. Ever since the first time she heard his voice, she felt something stir in her – and it began to feel as if he was speaking directly to her, interacting with her, as she began conjuring up her own images of him- even writing letters to him, sharing her deepest emotions with this stranger. As her days at work come to a close, Mithi searches anxiously for her imagined soulmate. Will she ever find him- and more importantly, is he for real?

This is an unforgettable classic from a great Indian filmmaker of yester years. Set in 1930s, the film tells the story of an honest Chinese hawker, Wang Lu, who sells silk in Calcutta’s streets while refusing to get involved in the opium trade run by his fellow countrymen. He feels a sisterly affection towards Basanti engaged in a political group, the wife of a lawyer. Basanti is arrested and imprisoned causing Wang Lu to get involved with her political group. He later returns to China to join the resistance movement against the Japanese invasion of China in 1931.