BEFORE ‘WAR AND PEACE’ THERE WAS ‘RAM KE NAAM’… Having read so much about Anand Patwardhan’s ‘War and Peace’ releasing in the theatres, I was very curious to see his films. I was pleasantly surprised to see his earlier controversial film, which ran into similar problems, ‘Ram Ke Naam’ (In the Name of God) at the neighbourhood Planet M. The film has won the Filmfare Award for Best Investigative Documentary (i didn’t know Filmfare awarded docus!) and many other awards incl. international ones according to the inlay. Seeing the film was a real eye-opener. Michael Moore go take a vacation.
Anand Patwardhan tells it like it is! I could understand why it took a court order to get the film to be screened on Doordarshan! And why our dear DD showed it at some obscure hour with the telecast being given any prior publicity. But of course now I have my own VCD to see when I want at my convenience. A bit steep at 199/- but understandable when one realises that the volumes this product will generate are not much... Also not much if it manages to change the thinking of all Indians to a saner logical path to communal harmony and focus on REAL issues. The film exposes the machinations of the politicians, layer by layer, following the Rath Yatra... exposing how issues were CREATED to suit political necessities. A real incisive and investigative film, the film deserves to be seen by all, especially nowadays with all the rethinking going on in the BJP.
It is hard to place the Advani of today talking about the secular Jinnah and the Advani one sees in the film espousing Hinduism. Really exposes the double face of politics! What is completely shocking is that the film was completed a year prior to the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid. One can only think that if only the film had been seen by more people, maybe the madness would have been nipped in the bud.
For someone who has seen the post Babri Bombay riots from up close, staying awake at nights, listening to educated people talking like madmen... it is really an eyeopener on why all that happened. The film also gives hope in the form of the statements of ordinary people who only want to get on with their lives and live in peace...
What also comes as a shock at the end is knowing that the brave Pujari Laldas of the Ram Janmabhoomi/Babri Masjid complex who always talked common sense, love and understanding was killed... But in the end the film gives us HOPE... See it so that this should not happen again... NEVER happen again... I think Rs.199/- is a small price to pay for a life changing film.