Movie - Khamosh Paani (Silent Waters; 2003)

 A beautiful, thought-provoking movie

        I just watched this gut-wrenching movie. Set in late 1970s in Charkhi, a small village in Pakistan, the movie seamlessly links two events: the religious radicalization, bigotry, and hatred simmering in Pakistan in the 1970s and horrors of India's partition in 1947.

        This was a debut feature by Sabiha Sumar (pic below), and it won a lot of accolades.

  

Sabiha Sumar

Some thoughts/points:

• The movie basically revolves around Ayesha (Kirron Kher), a widow living in Charkhi with her son, Saleem. Saleem is a typical village lad who is enjoying his youth, fooling around. He is in love with Zubeidaa (Shilpa Shukla).
• The period of 1970s in Pakistan was poisoned with radicalization. The process of radicalization and how it poisons young, noble minds is depicted in great detail.
• The arrival of a Sikh delegation to the village brings back old memories of Partition time for Ayesha. I won't put any spoilers here, but the story is very engaging. 
• The movie is beautifully shot, with great attention to detail regarding Punjab during the time of Partition and also the rural life of Pakistan. The movie has a feel of authenticity that one can't help but notice. 
• The movie brilliantly depicts the horrors of partition, especially the treatment given to women by men. The movie shows the resilience of women after undergoing these horrors.
• The lessons of history are soon forgotten by the people, it seems. That's the focal point of the movie I believe.
• All in all, this is a great movie to watch. Do give it a try, you'll love it! 

The movie is thankfully available for FREE on YouTube!

 

 If you are interested in learning more about this movie, check out this interview with Sabiha Sumar here.