Having read all reviews, political statements,
appreciations, rejections, expert comments from many esteemed people I finally
decided to watch possibly the most politically tumultuous Bollywood movie made
in the recent times that made headlines for all the right and wrong reasons (
the reasons being based on different perspectives which differ all around) and
write my own thoughts towards it.
The movie ‘HAIDER’ an adaption of the iconic Shakespeare play
“Hamlet” and based on the city from where I actually belong to but have never
seen as an adult even though I am always told that I went to a heaven named Kashmir with my family when I was 6 months old
( obviously I don’t even have a faint sense of memory of that trip) has a cast
ensemble that probably brings together the most graceful actors of Bollywood and
a script that somehow brings out the better from the best.
As the expert reviewers have pointed out that the movie has
put the Indian Army in a bad light , some esteemed people have said that they
have only shown one side of the story neglecting the plight of Kashmiri Pandits
who were displaced from their homes , that the movie missed the bad conditions
in which the Indian Army had to face the wrath of the terrorists , also that they have not shown anything
about the 1995 kidnappings etc but in my viewpoint I believe that all this can
be summarized by the fact that “Haider is just a movie”. You read books which
depict and try to decipher what happened in the heaven on earth but it’s very
difficult to get your hands on some book which tells you the stories from all the ends. Our moon has blood clots, The
Curfewed night and The Meadow all tell
you stories and facts from only one or a couple of perspectives and never take into account all
the thoughts and perspectives all around which are important or not is
precisely based upon what you want to actually believe in.
I was brought up at a time when the daily newspaper
headlines in the Daily Excelsior in Jammu city had pictures of terrorists with
bloodied faces, the pictures of army officers with the arms and ammunition seized,
the stories of the Ikhwanis ( the terrorists turned counter insurgents) going
astray and betraying one side or the other , when encounters and bomb blasts
were such common news that it was a welcome sight to see something else as a front page news ,
the real time first hand account of all the close relatives who were displaced
from Kashmir and everything related to violence which usually breeds a revengeful
spirit in the inside of a human being. The revengeful spirit which on one side
tells you that all you have to do is to avenge for what all transpired against
you or your loved ones but on the other side brings in front of you many ways
by which vengeance can be avoided and yet help can be provided while
maintaining grace and peace all around. The spirit which makes the decision making such a
conundrum that many people are lead to do something which deep inside they
never wanted to.
In my view point whatever the Indian Army did in Kashmir or
has been doing even now is totally apt in the situation they have been in. Even
though there have been many cases of Human rights violations , fake encounters
which have been reported many a times in the national dailies it is a very
strong notion that every coin has two sides to it and every situation is bound
to have its pros and cons. It is upon us to see what side you want to look up
to. There might be many who strongly disagree to this but you need to listen
first hand to the stories and the plight of the Army soldiers as well , stories
of the valor they have to put up when their own families are attacked and they
are bound by their duties to first save the Nation’s borders and the other innocent
people who are in the same danger as their own families.
For the point of showing the plight of Kashmiri Pandits, I strongly
agree that it must be showcased someday but I also believe that what is more
important to be shown to the world is the impact the post migration struggle had
on the lives and careers of the Kashmiri Pandits who as a matter of fact are so
mighty successful right now that they wouldn't have ever dreamt about seeing
such huge acclaim in such tiring and painful
circumstances. The very same people who were distraught and destroyed when they
were forced to leave their homes to live a life of refugees in their own
country yet never gave up on the adversity and instead turned it upside down by
grabbing the life by its collar and turning into a success story staring deep
down into the dark tunnels that life had made them go through.
The emotions that swell up when you hear the stories of all
that happened some 24 years ago does bring tears to the eyes but these tears
never try to come out or dry up themselves for they shall remain there to build
up in the inside of us a tenacity to achieve something against all odds and to
make us never forget the fact ( quoting a line from Haider ) that revenge always
gives birth to revenge …!!!
P.S Viewpoints of a Kashmiri Pandit who has
never been to Kashmir !!!
Mistakes and conflict of interests/perspectives are strongly apologized
for !!!
