Post-9/11 world is flavour of film fest

The interface of politics on personal life has been the catalyst for some gripping contemporary cinema that is currently being screened at the 10th Osian Film Festival. If Jagmohan Mundra's new film 'Shoot on Sight' and Sarah Gavron's 'Brick Lane' are thrilling ��� and sensitive ��� accounts of the Asian experience in post 9/11, '7/7 London', then Pakistani filmmaker Mehreen Jabbar's 'Ramchand Pakistani' is an extremely poignant account of the common man's suffering as he is caught in the crossfire of the border dispute between India and Pakistan.
Jabbar's film focuses on the trauma of a father and his eight-year-old son who end up languishing in an Indian jail, after they accidently cross the border and stray into Indian territory.The Pakistani is immediately branded as a spy and subjected to torture, only to be left to perish in prison, despite his vehement denials.
But it is the young boy, Ramchand who becomes the tragic face of millions of innocent Indians and Pakistanis languishing behind bars, with no hope from an insensitive state on either side of the divide. Ramchand grows into a teenager, pining for his mother (Nandita Das) and dodging prison abuse in this heartwarming tale of state apathy and human bonding.
According to Jabbar, "The story of the film rings true even today when hundreds of prisoners of either country languish in the jails of the other. The vast majority are victims of accidental and inadvertent border crossings and red tapism, and are subjected to the vagaries of Pakistan-India relations."
Jagmohan Mundra confesses the topical 'Shoot on Sight' is based on his personal experiences in London, where a beard made him a victim of racial discrimination. "After the 7/7 bombings in London, it became difficult for me to find a taxi. They would all pass by me, thinking me to be a Muslim. It was then I thought of making a film that posed the burning query: Is it a crime to be a Muslim today?" he says.
His film is an attempt to address the concerns of the moderate Muslims who "are caught between Islamic extremism on one hand and Islam-phobia of the west, on the other. The film's protagonist, Naseeruddin Shah, speaks for this silent majority."
Naseer brilliantly essays the role of Scotland Yard top cop Tariq Ali who is pulled out of anonymity for some firefighting when the cops shoot down an innocent Muslim, mistaking him for a terrorist. The moderate Muslim is brought face to face with the racism within his department, even as he is introduced to the vicious face of militant Islam that is giving rise to the frequently asked question: All Muslims may not be terrorists, but aren't all terrorists Muslims?
'Brick Lane', based on Monica Ali's much-accoladed book, is a deeply moving account of a simple Bangladeshi village girl who is forced to find her identity in a fast-changing London, after being married off to a pot-bellied, Chaucer-loving Bangladeshi immigrant. Both Tanishta Chatterjee and Satish Kaushik pitch in brilliant portrayals in the lead role, with their attempts to fit in, despite the politically charged post 9/11 scenario. For Kaushik, it has been a commendable attempt to prove himself as an actor. "I wanted to show that I am actually a trained actor even though I do all silly roles in big bad Bollywood," says Kaushik.