Khamosh Pani, a labour of love

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="77.5%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><br /><a href="javascript:popUp(&quot1;photopop?msid=136132&type=0&quot1;)"> <img border="0" align="left" src="/cms.dll/thumb?height=174&width=174&photoID=136132" hspace="12"" /></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Click on image for more</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">MUMBAI: Art, as the cliche goes, knows no boundaries.This was held true yet again when <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Khamosh Pani </span>(Silent Water) won top honours at the 56th Locarno Film Festival. <br /><br />"This is a truly international film. Sabiha Sumar, the director and all other actors were Pakistani, while the crew was a mix of French and German. One of the co-producers, who is also Sabiha''s husband, is Sri Lankan and I was the Indian. The film is a labour of love by people of different nationalities who fought against amazing odds to complete the film," said an elated Kirron Kher, from London. <br /><br />While Kirron won the Silver Leopard for her performance in the movie, the 42-year-old director won the Golden Leopard.<br /><br />Kirron almost didn''t make it to the festival. "I was to shoot for <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Coffee</span>, a film, and another TV serial in Mumbai, but those got cancelled. I came to London to be with (husband) Anupam, who''s shooting for <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Bride and Prejudice</span>." <br /><br />She finally decided to hop across to Locarno to be with the crew "at almost the last moment... When we got to know that we''d won, we spent an hour screaming and shouting. The film is very powerful, in terms of its content and emotions. But there''s no technical wizardry. It was a little tough to believe that an eminent jury, with members like David Robbins, Stefania RoccaI and Jean-Luc Bideau, chose <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Khamosh Pani </span>for the honours, specially because this is Sabiha''s first feature film," Kirron said. <br /><br />Set in 1979, when Pakistan was under Gen Zia-ul-Haq''s martial law, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Khamosh Pani </span>is a story of a widow and her son, as the young man veers towards religious extremism. <br /><br />"Sabiha got in touch with me through some common friends in Delhi. I totally loved the script," said Kirron. Another factor that made her sign the film was a chance to shoot in Pakistan. "We shot in villages near Rawalpindi and Islamabad and it was absolutely incredible." <br /><br />She had a personal reason for wanting to visit Pakistan. "My mother is originally from Lalpur, in Pakistan. I wanted to meet one of her closest friends, Suraiya aunty, who was dying of cancer." <br /><br />The film was shot early last year when tensions between the two countries were soaring, but Kirron did not face any animosity. "People were very warm. It was like being in Punjab. The ordinary Pakistani is worried about the same things we worry about - inflation and lack of job opportunities."</div> </div>