Was editing the 'mass-graves' section of my new film, when this morning's Express arrived : my film has an old-woman touching her son's face at APDPs protest meeting. This...
Blog
Mon 18 2011
I regret that the optimism I felt while filming Inshallah, football may have been misplaced. This morning I received two phone calls with bad news regarding all three main characters from my film Inshallah, football.
Bashir Baba, an ex-militant who's story about giving up the gun and joining the mainstream is the conscience of Inshallah, football, rang to confirm his presence for...
Mon 9 2011
Am advised, tomorrow can result in another ban or cuts for Inshallah, I have to pay (not small) money, tribunal has hostile reputation. Min year+ fighting in courts imminent. Seems, have the right to appeal, though time and money needed to exercise that right. Must pick battles. Wrote to Film Certification Appeals Tribunal, withdrawing my appeal. Tried to fight, system is skewed in our...
Thu 5 2011
I will appear before Indian censor board in Delhi on 10th of May, where my appeal against the unfair awarding of an "A" certificate to Inshallah, football will be heard by a jury - I am inviting anyone, friends, journalists, freedom of speech advocates to accompany me to this screening and the hearing that will then follow. Please join me to witness how the Indian censor board works.
Sun 6 2011
Soon after 'The Collaborator' by Mirza Waheed, here is a story about unmarked graves / disappeared people. Glad to say that at least now, after so many years, some voices are making themselves heard from that 'integral part of India', Kashmir.
Fri 11 2011
Superb Abhinav!
I am so happy that this was said not by a journalist but by a serving IPS officer. I hope other IPS officers who think the same but do not speak will join and support you; and even more so, those about to dive for some politician's feet will look over their shoulder.
Though some may say foolhardy, I...
Thu 2 2010
After months of wrestling with a feature film script about Kashmir and being disatisfied with the result, I travelled to the valley in August of 2009 after a gap of nearly twenty years (or more).
As kids we'd accompany our parents ritually to the Kashmir valley for summer holidays. My maternal grandparents lived in Amritsar. Our trips would begin in Calcutta (where I...
Fri 27 2010
The boys featured in this film, part of ISAT football team, are all the same age as those sixty teenagers (and counting) who died on Kashmir's streets.
"Sport is a dream...to turn boys away from stone pelting...terrorist activities" Juan Marco Troia, ISAT football coach.
Football is the metaphor of this film. It gives meaning to words like peace and hope, and tangible...
Wed 4 2009
This deceptively simple story of friendship between two teenage girls in a hostel in Romania burns through the screen for a 109 minutes. It is an assault on the senses by a director who's vocabulary is vast and who's ability to use images, sounds and performances to create a volcano of emotions in its audience seems as effortless as it is effective. Cristian Mungiu weaves a nuanced, pitch-...
Tue 29 2009
Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his...
