Filmistaan (english version)

Cliquez ICI pour la version française.

Between the 4th - 10th of March, the international festival of Indian movies, "Extravagant India" took place in France at the Gaumont Champs Elysées cinema. There were no less than nine feature films on competition, one of which : FILMISTAAN (2012), Nitin Kakwas's first movie, who is known as a director of horror series for Indian television (Ssshhh... Phir Koi Hai).

Sharib Hashmi, who plays the main character, is famous in India for his participation in Slumdog Millionaire (by Dany Boyle), and for winning a National Award (Indian Oscar) for Kakkar's movie. The film received a mention for his scenario, instead of the great prize, won by Q (by Sanjeev Gupta).

Title : Filmistaan

Director : Nitin Kakkar

Scenario : Nitin Kakkar et Sharib Hashmi

Cast : Sharib Hashmi, Inaamulhaq, Kumud Mishra, Gopal Duttle

Release date : 6 June 2014 (India)

Genre : Comedy

Synopsis : Sunny, a failed wannabe Bollywood actor, escorts an American film team in a remote desert when terrorists capture him by mistake. The house where he is being kept as a hostage happens to belong to a Pakistani man crazy about Bollywood pirated DVDs.

My review : FILMISTAAN is a successful comedy. Nitin Kakkar begins with a simple idea, a misunderstanding to engages the story : Pakistanis' terrorists have inadvertently kidnapped an Indian actor, instead of the American film director he was collaborating with. Because of his Indian nationality, the hostage will be locked by terrorists who try to get a ransom. This simple idea allows Kakka to integrate various elements from classic comedy, like the theme of the hostage who became unbearable for the kidnappers and to explore others situations. Kakkar doesn't make his movie a simple comedy, only based on the overexcited interpretation of Sharib Hashmi. He makes the movie a lot deeper by successfully breaking the codes of widespread bollywood-singing movies through the imitations of the main character who knows all the classical movie dialogues...Sunny is truly a cinema lover since his childhood.

The wonder of cinema which is not perceived by the two religious fanatic Pakistani kidnappers. its at this moment that Kakkar adds to the mix, a religious aspect. However he does so without making the apology of either the Indian hostage or the Pakistani ravishers, thus evacuating any Manichean interpretation. Sunny's character learns whilst in Pakistan, that the people and the food are very much similar in the two countries. The true evil is obscurantism, a very deep issue in France as well as all over the world. In the same logic of not separating good from evil, Kakkar makes ambiguous links between his characters. One of the two kidnappers, who's extremism is explained by his childhood, will slowly get out of the 'dark side', an evolution that his extremist colleagues will conscientiously refuse.

Another judiciously added element, is the character of Aftaab, who sells pirated Indian and occidental movie DVDs, to Pakistani villagers. Even Pakistanis soldiers come to get pornographics movies ! The character is here as a proof that the two countries could come to an agreement, at least in a cultural way.

The movie is as fun as it is touching, especially in the treatment of its characters, for example, when Sunny faces violence with humor, always theatrical sort of way. He will play to his death, a harsh contrast but very well thought of. A voluntary and inoffensive obscurantism, to oppose a voluntary and dangerous one, dramatical art as an outlet of violence.

FILMISTAAN is a very clever movie, full of humanity which fulfills its two ambitions: make people laugh and sensitize them to a serious issue. a movie rich by its interpretations and technique; every character has its own consistency and we strongly admire the care taken towards the aesthetic aspect. The end of the movie is such as a cry of hope for Indian and Pakistani cinema, an understanding between the two countries and in a broader sense, for the love of cinema.

Written by LHmovies.
Translated by Laura J. and Julia C.

From left to right : Inaamulhaq, Gopal Dutt,

Sharib Hashmi et Kumud Mishra...