Bollywood’s Take On Terrorism
Bollywood might have been levied with charges of being far-fetched and larger than life, but few of its films did broach the most potent reality of India: Terrorism. And with the terrorism emerges the scenic beauty of Kashmir which has been mired by this epidemic for ages now. But since this plague has not restricted itself to the Himalayan Kingdom only, our filmmakers have also smeared the silver screens with the bloody bomb blasts that ripped India so often. Filmnirvana brings to you a list of those movies, which convincingly brought alive the blood smeared picture of terrorism on celluloid.
Karma:
If a film has to be picked to define the real moment when terrorism emerged as a subject with prominence in the Hindi films, Subhash Ghai’s Karma would be the one. Shot in and around Kashmir, it was able to contextualize the issue of terrorism with bluntness. It’s a story of a commissioner (Dilip Kumar) who recruits three convicts (Nasseruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor) to avenge the massacre of his family. The character of Dr. Dan, played by Anupam Kher, for the first time gave a face to a terror mastermind.
The Terrorist:
A story of a female suicide bomber who’s handpicked to blow off an important VIP, The Terrorist was made by India’s most talented cinematographer Santosh Sivan. Quite obviously it has some of the stunning visuals of landscapes and the nature’s bounty. But the film lacked in premise as it was supposedly made on lines of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s gruesome assassination. Nevertheless, it was the first non-commercial venture on the topic, which was very close to reality.
Roja:
Roja was a grand film on many accounts. First time, a film was made keeping in mind the common man’s perception of a hostage situation. Based on true story, the film dealt with the hostage drama that was so rampant in the valleys of Kashmir. It’s a story of a wife’s earnest fight to free her husband from the clutches of a gruesome terrorist who has kidnapped him. Bollywood awakened to a genius filmmaker and music director with this film: Mani Ratnam and A R Rahman respectively. Originally made in Tamil, the film was later dubbed in Hindi and other languages due to the rise in its popularity.
Sarfarosh:
During this time, films on national concern flooded the celluloid with rapid frequency. But only a few could struck a chord with the audience. And one of the few was Sarfarosh. The story of an Assistant Chief of Police, Ajay Singh Rathod who’s only motto in life is to curb organized terrorism across the border. It also displayed a departure from the familiar surroundings of Kashmir to Rajasthan as another entry point of terrorists. The film won Aamir the Filmfare Best Actor Award.
Dil Se:
After basing his films on Kashmir and Bombay, Mani Ratnam shifted his attention towards a decade and a half old, insurgency infested region of Northeast India and made Dil Se. Veiled in an edgy love story, Dil Se showcased the deep roots of terrorism in the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. What makes the film a gem is the superb performances by Shah Rukh Khan. Manisha too looked convincing enough as a brainwashed terrorist who seems torn between love and her so-called mission, her humane side and her terrorist cause. Added to this, is the direction from Mani Ratnam and excellent scores from A.R.Rehman.
Maachis:
Maachis is the first film to broach the homegrown insurgency in Punjab that mired the state’s development as the most advanced states in India. The film deals with the tale of wronged Punjabi youth who takes to arms to avenge the injustices heaped onto him by the corrupt political set up. The movie is different in the sense that it looks inside the emotions, the joys and the insecurity and grievances of the terrorists. They are shown as a mixture of opposites – compassionate and caring at one time, insensitive and brutal at the other. The film is set against the backdrop of the Bluestar Operation and the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Maachis was Tabu’s one of her career’s best movie and performance.
Fiza:
Fiza was not a run of the mill terrorist story. In fact it had the traces of a lost and found saga. It’s a story of a sister’s frantic search for her brother whom she lost during the Babri Masjid riots. But when she finds him, she’s stunned at the identity of her brother who’s turned into a terrorist. The film managed to draw home the circumstances that turns many ordinary men into dreaded terrorists. Being a newbie, Hrithik Roshan’s performance was very mature and believable. Karisma Kapoor couldn’t have found a better film to close her first innings in Bollywood than Fiza. She was completely amazing in the film.
Mission Kashmir:
In a valley of astonishing beauty, a small family lives in an idyllic house; a father, a mother, a son. They are a picture of happiness and love. But appearances are deceptive. And that’s what Mission Kashmir was all about. The basic premise of the story of a 10-year-old’s hatred for his adopted father to the extent of eliminating him is the scoring point of Vinod Chopra Productions’ Mission Kashmir. It takes a closer look at terrorism in strife-torn Kashmir and the way the terrorists encash someone’s hatred for their own selfish gains. Hrithik Roshan once again brightens up the screen with his magnetic presence with Sanjay Dutt giving his career’s best act.
Fanaa:
Love can change anyone, even a cold-blooded maneuvering terrorist. This is what Yash Raj Films’ Fanaa tried to imbibe in the audience’s mind. A rebel meets a blind girl on his way to destroy India and makes a mistake; he falls in love with the girl who eventually becomes the cause of his death. Aamir Khan and Kajol superbly brought a beautiful love story with terrorism as the foundation alive. It was a handsome departure from how social misgivings lead an ordinary man to take up arms to how the sacred bond of love can compel even a dreaded rebel to derail from his life’s cause. It might not be a path-breaking film on the insurgency problem, but it definitely is one of those which convincingly displayed a different side of this oft-told story of terrorism in Hindi films.
Black & White:
After specializing in directing musicals, revenge sagas and love stories his entire career, showman of Bollywood, Subhash Ghai, decided to shift gears and experiment with a serious movie about a suicide bomber out to spread terrorism in the capital. Black & White is a story of a rebel who takes shelter in the house of a renowned and righteous history professor Anil Kapoor. How the loving and caring nature of the professor and his wife brings change in an otherwise unfeeling terrorist forms the premise. Though a bit far-fetched, Black & White managed to validate an old phrase that love can win over anyone.
A Wednesday:
One of those rare variety films, A Wednesday deals with terrorism is an all-new and different perspective from the eyes of a common man. The film stars as a basic edge-of-the-seat action-thriller, where an anonymous individual (Naseeruddin Shah) makes a call to the Commissioner of Police Rathod (Anupam Kher) and warns him of six bombs being planted in the city of Mumbai. In return, he asks for the emancipation of four hardcore anti-national terrorists. The film takes turn when he kills these four terrorists. Blessed with performances from Naseeruddin Shan & Anupam Kher, the film reminds of the prohibited path that the common man has to opt for to revolt against the system.
Black Friday:
Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday is a hard-hitting movie that revisits the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai in which more than three hundred people died and many were injured. Probing into the reasons behind this attack, it goes into the lives of key players like Tiger Memon (played by Pawan Malhotra), his henchman Badshah Khan (Aditya Srivastava) and ACP Rakesh Maria ( Kay Kay Menon ), who investigated the case. It was the first movie to deal with facts rather than fiction in its tale.
Aamir:
Again a story of a common man’s dilemma wherein he’s forced to unwillingly follow a terrorist’s whims and fancies, Aamir was one of the most distinguished film on the genre. It had no big name associated with the cast, but the story it enrolled made many people sit and take notice of it. Since it was a believable occurrence in Mumbai inflicted gravely by the underworld, Aamir struck a chord with audience. It was a perfect film for any debutante and it was for Rajeev Khandelwal too. He made a very successful transition from TV serials to films with Aamir.
New York:
New York, helmed by Kabir Khan, attempted to be as real as possible. A tale of friendship, with terrorism as the wallpaper, New York hits like a ton of bricks at several points in the narrative. In fact, there was a possibility that New York may turn out to be a dry experience, a documentary perhaps, but the drama is so well structured and so gripping that you get sucked into the world of Sam, Omar and Maya from its inception. It reflects the mood that’s prevalent across the globe, post 9/11. The world is divided today. No two opinions on that! New York is amongst the finest films produced by Yash Raj.
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