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Gujarat riots film raises hackles
By Saibal Chatterjee, Indo-Asian News Service

Panaji, Nov 27 (IANS) An English-language feature film about a Parsi family affected by the Gujarat riots, made by a US-based Indian director, has sent temperatures soaring at the 36th International Film Festival of India here.

As soon as the premiere screening of Rahul Dholakia's "Parzania" ended Saturday and the director faced the audience for a question and answer session, some erupted in anger against what they called was a "one-sided depiction of Hindu fundamentalism". Another section of the audience tried to shout them down.

Dholakia spiritedly defended his film, which stars Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika. 

"I made 'Parzania' because I had to take a position. The film depicts the plight of a single family, neither Hindu nor Muslim, and it is therefore bound to be one-sided," he said. 

"The family in the film lives in Ahmedabad. Had it been in Godhra I would definitely have looked at the other side of the picture," he added. 

Sarika watched in silence, probably shocked by the unruly scenes.

Actor Om Puri, who was in the audience throughout the screening, sprang to Dholakia's aid. 

"I appreciate your anger," he told a couple of shrill questioners. "There are fundamentalists in all religions and no particular community is always responsible for communal riots. 

"But when a state abdicates its responsibility of protecting the lives of people, communal riots become particularly horrid. That is what 'Parzania' is about."

But nothing could pacify the movie's critics. 

"Parzania" is the real life story of a couple whose son went missing during the Gujarat violence of 2002. 

"I met the father just a week ago," revealed Dholakia, "The missing boy hasn't been found yet."

Is Dholakia a little rattled by the behaviour of the audience? 

"Oh, not at all," he asserts. "If a film like this does not provoke strong reactions, its very purpose would be defeated." 

"Parzania", incidentally, has been granted a censor certificate with "minor audio cuts and no visual deletions".

The film was recently screened to critical applause at the Pusan Film Festival in South Korea and is scheduled to travel to Kerala after IFFI winds up. 

"I would want to close a distribution deal in India before I head back to the US," says the director, who made his debut a few years ago with a conventional Hindi film "Kehta Hai Dil Baar Baar".