In the middle of all this multi-crore movie club fracas there was a movie that won a Silver Crow Pheasant award and 60th National Film award in 2012 before it was released nationwide in 2014 for Indian audience. It didn't make much noise but it did provoke thoughts and touched hearts of millions of people. It's not about harmony across the borders, so to speak. But it's about different kind of people who live on both sides of the border. What they lacked was the absence of a superstar who could be allergic to acting, chiseled body with vacant expressions, some lame dance moves and a heroine as an arm candy to show off. Director Nitin Kakkar who also wrote the story of the movie I'm referring to here, stuck to the point minus all the glitter, glamour and soap like drama. He never released any franchise-able product to promote the movie (read mace like) or hashtagged the #top politicians of both the countries urging them to watch what a lovely movie he's made to spread Bhaichaara(harmony),claiming how unprecedented it was. Neither did he show other super stars coming out of premier shows wiping their eyes. But one thing I guarantee, if you decide to watch this movie you will realize how meaningful the movie is and surprisingly entertaining. But who will listen to me unless I become a super star over night.
You know our superstar bhaijaan, who thinks, with his one movie he is going to open the eyes of people living across the borders and make them unite like the two brothers who were separated in a crowded British mela, should first pause for a second and set things right about the events of that unfortunate night and then do penance for his little hunting stunts. After all that, if he calls himself 'the only man with a heart' then it might begin to make some sense. People on the other side never learnt even after watching the videos of what their men did on 26/11 , they never learnt after the massacre of shooting school kids and here he is with his bad acting, pathetic dancing and an average Bollywood movie but thinks he's going to change the hearts of all the people.
But the movie I'm referring to 'Filmistaan' actually shows that there are all kinds of people. There are people on that side of the border who are sympathetic, kind, helpless and scared just like how we are on this side of the border. It shows people on the other side are wiling to help victims and their police brigade is also doing their duty to catch the ones who are threat to the society across borders. It still goes unnoticed because it only has a bunch of extremely talented but not-famous-at-all people who have acted amazingly well to spread the message. Loved the speeches by Nehru and Jinnah being played in the background at the end of the movie. That was a better gimmick than recording a song for Eid from a devotee of Hanuman just to attract his targeted audience. I mean really???
I loved this dialogue from Filmistaan " Socho Bhaiji, agar Dhoni Sachin Afridi and Inzamam sab ek team me hote to kaun hamhe hara saktha tha?" ("Think about this brother,if Dhoni Sachin Afridi and Inzamam were all to play from the same team, who could defeat us?"). But still it's not a match against the dialogues like " Hum Munni ko Pakistan chod ke aayenge bina Passport aur Visa ke"......whistle whistle, hoot hoot....!
