RAMCHAND PAKISTANI is a story about a small boy aged 8 who accidentally crosses the border and after that life changes for him completely, not only his life but his parents lives also.
Champa and Shankar who are Hindu dalits from Koli tribe live on Indo-Pakistan border and make a living by working as land labourers.They have a son Ramchand who is a school dropout and after denied for a cup of tea one day by his mother, crosses over the border in child tantrum.He doesn’t know the technicalities of border and his father follows him to stop him from going there.Both are caught by Indian security forces and suspected as detectives.Both are put in jail.Life changes for them as they are beaten, illtreated and exposed to realities of jail life.
In Pakistan, Champa keeps waiting for her husband and son and she too faces the problems of being a single woman now.She goes away with her husband’s brother’s family to work as a agricultural labourer to end the debts her husband took.She also gives away her cattle to settle the debt.
In India, once Ramchand and Shankar’s release orders come but they are sent back to jail after a while saying that there was some mistake in preparing the release list and their names were written accidentally.A police woman is kept for Ramchand in jail so that he learns some basic education and assigned the job of mopping the floor.5 years go by and Ramchand loses all his innocence and loses hope of going back to his home on Pakistan.
But Champa returns to her home in hope of seeing her husband and son coming back one day and finally after 5 years , Ramchand is released from prison and is reunited to his mother in Pakistan.After a while, Shankar is also released.
Whole family suffers for 5 years and their lives are turned upside down from a happy family to a nightmare.
Nandita Das plays Champa and other actors are mostly Non-Indians.I think if more seasoned actors from India were taken, a lot better movie could be have been made.But I think there was a look and accent restriction, thatswhy those actors were taken.
Overall movie was just great.
Thanks for reading my review.