Whether it is a political storm brewing in one corner of our stunning north India, or in the rain-dazzled Northeast, or one that affects the lives of the migrant workers in the national capital or of the forest dwellers in the middle of the country, or the tribes of the coastal south, or the recent protests at the Indian consulates in the UK and the US for a separate land for the Sikhs, people, including artistes, with particular interests, have wanted to ally themselves with different causes.
Identity politics and cinema make strange bedfellows. The governments involved either clamp down severely on the release of these films, banning them and even arresting the makers in some countries (think Iran). Though more the suppression, more the dissent. Films and art will find a way to get made and reach the audience. And, in countries where freedom of expression is a given, the process is tad easier, albeit in varying degrees.
And then there are times when the governments have used cinema for propaganda, too. Love the films or hate them, what we need to know is how and why one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist?
Here is not-a-comprehensive list of eight Indian screen representations (seven films and one web-series), that have engaged with the subject of a common man caught in the cross-fire of separatist politics and militancy/terrorism:
Maachis (1996)
Gulzar directs a tale of how young men get disillusioned by the capture and torture of their friend who claims innocence.
The inimitable Tabu gave an award-winning performance, and her riveting struggle remains real even after all these years. Although details of Kirpal’s story may have faded from our memories, the radio still plays the songs (music given by none other than Vishal Bhardwaj) that have become an anthem or two for rebellion: Chhod aaye hum woh galiyan and Chappa chappa charkha chale.
Roja (1992)
An undercover operation gone wrong in Kashmir spells trouble for a young girl, fresh from her wedding to the man abducted by militants. Mani Ratnam weaves his magic by showing us the stark difference in the language. She doesn’t speak Kashmiri or Hindi and the militants don’t understand Tamil. The heartthrob Arvind Swamy and a very young Madhoo star in the film which was released in Tamil as well as in Hindi — my peeve with the movie is that the Tamil version worked better because the chasm in language Tamil/Hindi was starker in the Tamil version than the Hindi version where everyone spoke in Hindi and claimed not to understand her as she searches frantically for her husband.
AR Rahman’s music makes this film at once poignant and memorable. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime Video as well as on Zee5.
Amu (2005)
The year 1984 created a deep divide among people. The simmering tensions between the Sikhs and the Hindus boiled over and people suffered carnage on the streets. Operation Bluestar resulted in the assassination of the Prime Minister and then blood was spilt by riotous men egged on by politicians resulting in families being separated. Amu is the story of a young girl who realises that her past begins in one of the many camps after the genocide. Shonali Bose directed Konkona Sen Sharma in this wonderful film based on Bose’s book of the same name.
Militancy rips relationships and people. One can only hope that we don’t create more Amus. You can watch this film on Amazon Prime Video.
Dil Se.. (1998)
A boy meets a girl at a train station on a rainy evening and falls headlong in love. She looks at him, wide-eyed and hesitant. By the time he brings her a cup of tea, she is gone. She has secrets to keep and he has a job at the radio station. Will this chance encounter with a mysterious stranger put an end to his impending marriage? Will he help her?
Dil Se.. talks about the separatists in the beautiful Northeast. AR Rahman has squeezed his heart out and created magic in every song in this film. Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala and Preity Zinta made every moment of this Mani Ratnam film unforgettable. Watch it on Netflix.
Chauthi Koot (2015)
If you’ve been fortunate enough to have watched this brilliant gem during a film festival, then you are one of the lucky ones. This Punjabi film is again about the separatist movement in Punjab amid the rioting and how it affects two families.
You’d be lying if you say you empathise only with one side. This award-winning film compellingly written and directed by Gurvinder Singh will not leave you untouched. And yes, Tommy, the four-legged actor made for an unforgettable part of the story.
Anek (2022)
Ayushmann Khurrana has a knack for picking unusual stories. And it doesn’t get any more unusual than the story where a covert officer sent to the Northeast crosses paths with a boxer. This film by Anubhav Sinha left me with three questions: If you are from Telangana, people from Tamil Nadu should call you north Indian, isn't it? Should your enunciation of Hindi words decide whether or not you are a north Indian? When do you stop identifying yourself as a north Indian, south Indian, west Indian, east Indian and simply call yourself an Indian?
The film’s politics is mixed. There is racial injustice as well as separatist politics. Too many groups want too many different results and no one wants to back down. I loved the young girl who wanted to represent India in sports in spite of being derogatorily called "chinki" and "Chinese". You can decide what is right and what isn’t when you watch the film on Netflix.
Haider (2014)
Shakespeare’s Hamlet finds his madness in Vishal Bhardwaj’s tale set in the shadow of guns and Chinar leaves in Kashmir. One of Shahid Kapoor’s best performances, Haider is a story of a young lad who comes back home to a Kashmir that’s under the shadow of the military. There is a fear and the smell of death around him. His father is no more, and his mother is too close for comfort to his uncle.
The separatists are everywhere and Haider battles his own demons just as Hamlet did for Shakespeare. The metaphor is so brilliantly woven in these two seemingly different threads that you cannot but watch it again and again. You can watch Haider on Netflix.
CAT, OTT series, (2022)
Randeep Hooda deals with his troubled past as a separatist in Punjab in a series on Netflix. This Punjabi thriller series is so authentic that you ache when he does and you hate when he does. A lesson well chronicled teaches the audience one thing: People with an agenda will continue to use young impressionable minds and, in the end, the young pay a heavier price and the perpetrators get away literally and figuratively with murder.
The most amazing part of the series is watching Hooda’s acting chops. We need more of him in movies and shows.