Acclaimed actress Nandita Das after enthralling the audience with her power packed performances in off beat films like Earth and Fire is now ready with her directorial debut venture, a hard hitting film titled, Firaaq which is based on the infamous 2002 Gujarat riots.
Nandita reveals, “Firaaq basically deals with fear and prejudice that has entered into our mind. Firaaq is an Urdu word that means both separation and quest. I want to raise certain questions through this film. Some of them do not have easy answers. “But my Firaq is a way to peace. Actually I am just trying to depict what violence can bring about the destruction and the aftermath is so very distressful. Muneera the character in the film tries to gather the remnants of her life after having faced all the trauma. She tries to rejuvenate her and her family’s life in all. Her friendship with a Hindu girl turns to distrust and what happens, forms the story. I have portrayed how politics brings about distrust amongst friends and ordinary people in day to day life.â€
Nandita hopes that her directorial debut, which narrates stories of five different people, will touch a chord with all generations. “My film doesn’t come under any label. It is a very strong, emotional story which I wanted to tell for a long time. Labels affect our thoughts and create pre-conceived notions about a subject. That’s what I do not want for my film,” she said when asked whether the film will find success with regular Bollywood crowd.
About her direction experience Nandita says, “Directing, acting and editing is tiring but it is a great learning process. Nevertheless it was an enriching experience. It gave me pleasure to be able o relate my own story. I had never planned this film. However, this subject haunted me. As I traveled all over Gujarat it slowly turned into a film.â€
But Nandita has no regrets about not playing any role in the film because she relied totally on its cast. “It was my first film and just the way things were going I felt it’s a lot of work and a very big responsibility. In the middle of all that, I did not want to worry about my continuity. I do not regret it at all. In fact, I am a creative person and I am involved in so many things at different levels. I’ve not given up on acting, I will act as and when I get good scripts†concludes Nandita.
