The fact that no one has written a review for this film gives an obvious indication that no one has seen it and the same can be said about its run in the theatres. Honestly I wouldn?t have gone to see it not because I am allergic to arty films but its just that I didn?t want to see another film on the partition. But on my way to some work in Churchgate I saw the poster of the film in Eros theatre screaming 30 rs for a stall ticket. that did it for me and I decided to spend the afternoon watching Khamosh Pani (released internationally as silent waters)
Khamosh Paani opens with a wide look at a remote village in Pakistan in the year 1979. it revolves around the central character of Veero (Kiron Kher) and her son saleem (Aamir Ali Malik ). General Zia-ul-Haq has imposed martial law and, within a few months, the country is decreed a Muslim state.
The film provides an insight into the rise of muslim fundamentalism in Pakistan and also portrays Pakistani people as broad minded , respectful people with hardly any care for politics. ?We are already muslims why the need to deem our nation as a muslim state, just provide us with wheat first ? a barber points out after hearing a speech from the General Zia.
A couple of Muslims enter the village to spread the ? good words of the Allah ? and start building walls around girls school (for protection of women), force people to shut their shops to pray in the mosque. That the film suggests that such works of a religion extremism is work of a handful of individuals seems a bit too easy. As Khalid Mohammed points out in his review ?Although the subject ? the rise of Muslim fundamentalism in Pakistan circa 1979 ? is mind-spinningly complex and far beyond the scope of a 95-minute film, Paromita Vohra?s screenplay is a brave effort in studying some of the after-effects of the Partition.? So we can ignore this aspect of the films; because the film on the whole has lots to offer.
A confused Saleem joins the growing party of the fundamentalists and soon becomes more and more detached from his mother and also leaves his love(played by Shilpa Shukla) for politics . Veero?s haunting past secrets comes back to her which I wont reveal. The growing hostile environment in the village and the rising violence all leads to a shattering climax.
One of the major assets of the film is its cinematography, which paints the village with an authentic rustic look and also the flashback are shown in a brownish tinge. Nothing too flashy or gory, keeping in with the mood of the film. The director has also filled the film with some charming and heart rendering moments: count the scenes of the marriage of the village chief?s daughter, a girl child cycling along the free roads as the party announces it plans to make laws for protecting women more stringent.
The climax does lack a emotional slap one would have expected from the film. Also whether Veero would take such a step after she refused the same earlier are some of the glitches of the film. But the film is still worth a watch. At least for the performances of all the lead actors which are as real as you can get.