There have been many films that try to show the suffering endured during the indio-pak partition but few achieve it with
such exquisite humanity. Pinjar was first a successful book written by Amrita Pritam and has now been turned into a film by Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi. This is a diffucult story to tell and a big challenge especially as it is Dr Chandraprakesh's debut. The film is touching and honest and true to the book.
The film is set in a small
village on the India Pakistan border. Dr Chandraprakash has been very successful in creating a small rural village as the back drop of this film. He has been meticulous in his presentation of the era and made all possible efforts to accurately recreate village life of the time.
Anyone who knows about the partition will be aware of the scale of tragedy it created for thousands of people. It was a time of mass killing and riots when people turned on their friend and neighbours in the most vicious way. There were many full scale riots where thousands of families were displaced overnight. India and Pakistan was in chaos and devoid of hope.
The plight of women in this time is still some what an untold story. Thousands of women left helpless by the killings were raped and kidnapped and this film is brave enough to tell the story of one of these women.
Puro is a Hindu girl who is played wonderfully by Urmila Matondkar. Normally being known for her high glamour mainstream bollywood roles this role presented a clear challenge for her. She manages to play the part of Puro a sweet and innocent village girl excellently. We are convinced by her performance and warm to her almost immediately. It feels as though we are watch history rather than an acted version of it. Puro feels so real and when she meets difficulties the
audience will her to survive.
Rashid who is the male lead in this film is played by the talented Manoj Bajpai. We first meet him when he kidnaps Puro and in our minds he is immediately the villain. However as the film progresses we see him soften and see that he too is facing pressure from his family. Some how we warm to Rashid and an odd love story emerges out of the despair between Puro and Rashid.
I am very conscious of not giving too much away as I really believe that the story told by this film with all its delicate twists and turns is necessary to view the film as a success. If I told you the story in detail it would take away from the film and I can not do that.
Very basically the film begins with a view of happy village life full of colors and rural music. We see Puro as a bright vibrant girl who is due to be engaged to Ramchand, played by Sanjay Suri. Things then take a turn for the worst as Puro is taken away from this life by Rashid. We see Ramchand lose everything when he loses Puro as he begins a quest to find her. Puro's mother and father are torn between the shame and stigma involved with rape and kidnapping and the love they feel for their child. The story is full of beautiful and quite unpredictable twists and turns that keep the viewers interest for the full three hours.
Pinjar succeeds as a film on many levels.
The setting of the film in a rural village is done with such accuracy and conviction that the audience is transported back to the time of the partition.
The characters are so real that we quickly get to know them and care for them. The audience is invited to watch the traditions and rituals of rural village life. We can understand the pressures faced by Puro's family and fell their helplessness. It feels as though a tremendous amount of research has been done to ensure the accuracy of this film.
Chandraprakesh emerges as an exceptional story teller with a real passion for truth. The film tells a real story without stirring up any hatred for a particular community. This is a real unbiased story of a turbulent era told with a real flourish.
This film caters more to a thinking audience and this is why it was not successful at the box officI believe it is a film worth watching.
The truthful and sensitive performances by every cast member is mirrored by the touching soundtrack. As one would expect with singers like Kavita Krishnamurti and Udit Naryan and Gulzar the music for this film is poignant and though provoking. Each number is also true to the era with the correct use of instruments and folk songs. The music complements the visual beautifully.
As you can probably tell I am a big fan of this movie and I would urge everyone to watch it.