Ramchand Pakistani (Urdu: رام چند پاکستانی) is a 2008 Urdu-language Pakistani drama film directed by Mehreen Jabbar and produced by Javed Jabbar.[2]
| Ramchand Pakistani | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mehreen Jabbar[1] |
| Written by | Javed Jabbar |
| Screenplay by | Mohammad Ahmed |
| Produced by | Javed Jabbar[1] |
| Starring | Rashid Farooqui Nandita Das Syed Fazal Hussain Maria Wasti Nouman Ijaz Hassan Niazi Adnan Shah Shahood Alvi Zhalay Sarhadi Saleem Mairaj Saife Hassan Sajid Shah |
| Cinematography | Sofian Khan |
| Edited by | Aseem Sinha |
| Music by | Debojyoti Mishra Moringo Nusrat Nigam Banerjee Sarthak Sarkar Shiraj Hussain |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Geo Films Museum of Modern Art |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Language | Urdu |
| Budget | Rs. 6.0 crore (US$210,000) [1] |
The film features Nandita Das, Rashid Farooqi, Syed Fazel Hussain, Maria Wasti and Noman Ijaz in lead roles. The film is based on a true story of a boy who inadvertently crosses the border between Pakistan and India and the following ordeal that his family has to go through.[3] Ramchand Pakistani was also released in India.[4][5][6]
Plot
editChampa (Nandita Das) is a Hindu woman who is left desolate when her young son and husband disappear one day from their village at the India-Pakistan border near Nagarparkar, in the Tharparkar district of the Sindh province. The film depicts the crossing of the India-Pakistan border, during a period (June 2002) of war-like tension between the two countries, by two members of a Pakistani Hindu family belonging to the 'untouchable' dalit caste, and the extraordinary consequences of this unintended action upon the lives of a woman, a man, and their son.
The film is about a Hindu Dalit family living in Pakistan peacefully. Ramchand, the main protagonist who is 8 years old, is the son of Shankar and Champa. One day, after an altercation with his mother, Ramchand runs away in anger and, accidentally, crosses the Indo-Pakistan border into India. His father follows him and, he too, crosses the border into India.
After being arrested by the border security personnel, they are sent to a prison in India and stay there for a long time. They get a release order soon, but later it turns out to be a mistake and they are sent back to the jail. Ramchand, the 8 years old boy, and his father Shankar are unregistered prisoners during much of their stay in India.[2] Meanwhile, Ramchand’s mother, Champa, leads a life of loneliness and although she takes a temporary job in a faraway place, she returns to her village.
Finally, after 5 years,[2] when Ramchand has grown a few years, he gets released. He returns home to his mother. His father, Shankar, also gets released soon after. They are united and there, the film ends.
Cast
edit- Nandita Das as Champa[1]
- Syed Fazal Hussain as Younger Ramchand[2]
- Navaid Jabbar as Older Ramchand[2]
- Rashid Farooqui as Shankar[2]
- Maria Wasti as Kamla[2]
- Nouman Ijaz as Abdullah[2]
- Adnan Shah as Sharma
- Adarsh Ayaz as Moti
- Farooq Pario as Suresh
- Shahood Alvi as Asif Hussain
- Zhalay Sarhadi as Lakshmi
- Atif Badar as Lalu
- Saleem Mairaj as Vishesh
- Saif-e-Hasan as Murad
- Tahiirz as VKS
- Rao Saleem as Interrogator
- Karim Bux Baloch as Baloch
- Master Yaqub as Baba Gul
- Hassan Niazi as Deepak
- Kazim Raza as Professor
- Muhammad Rafiq as Bengali
- Sajid Shah as Inspector
- Iqbal Motilani as Maulvi
- Anis Chachar as Captain Saleem
Film screenings overseas
editThis film had six screenings at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 2010.[2]
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack is composed by Debojyoti Mishra[2] and include the following songs:
| Track | Song | Singers | Composer | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Teri Meri Preet | Shubha Mudgal | Debojyoti Mishra | 5:34 |
| 02 | Allah Megh De | Shubha Mudgal & Shafqat Amanat Ali | Debojyoti Mishra | 4:41 |
| 03 | Phir Wahi Raste | Shafqat Amanat Ali | Debojyoti Mishra | 5:52 |
| 04 | Khari Neem Key Neechay | Mai Bhagi | Debojyoti Mishra | 5:24 |
| 05 | Tarrin Paunda | Allan Fakir | Debojyoti Mishra | 6:09 |
| 06 | Meri Maat | Instrumental | Debojyoti Mishra | 4:19 |
Awards
editThis film won the following awards:
- FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics at the Osian Film Festival, July, 2008[7]
- Winner of Honourable Mention by the 13th Annual Satyajit Ray Award at the 2008 London Film Festival.[7]
- Best Actor for Rashid Farooqi at the KaraFilm Festival, Pakistan, 2009
- Winner of Audience Award at the Fribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland, March 2009.[7]
- Winner of Special Mention by the Eucumenical Jury at the Fribourg International Film Festival March 2009.[7]
- Winner of Special Mention by the E-Changer Award at the Fribourg International Film Festival in March 2009[7]
- Ramchand Pakistani received a silver medal in the feature film category at the 2012 SAARC Film Awards.
- Rashid Farooqui received the award for best actor in the feature film at the 2012 SAARC Film Awards.
- Ramchand Pakistani won Best Film Award on Pakistan Media Award in 2010.
Lux Style Awards
edit| Ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8th Lux Style Awards | Best Film | Javed Jabbar | Won |
| Best Film Actor | Rashid Farooqui | Nominated | |
| Syed Fazal Hussain | Nominated | ||
| Best Film Actress | Nandita Das | Nominated | |
| Maria Wasti | Won |
See also
edit- Gori temple, the site of Meri Maati song.
- Nagarparkar Bhodesar temple: the site of Tarrin Paunda song.
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Pakistani movie to play in India". Dawn (newspaper). 19 July 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Stephen Holden (2014). "Ramchand-Pakistani - Directed by Mehreen Jabbar". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ "Ramchand Pakistani Movie Review". The Times of India. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ "Kolkata release of Pak film in limbo".
- ^ Ramchand Pakistani (2008 film), film review on Rotten Tomatoes website Retrieved 5 June 2019
- ^ Ramchand Pakistani (2008) on IMDb website Retrieved 5 June 2019
- ^ a b c d e Awards for Ramchand Pakistani (2008 film) on IMDb website Retrieved 5 June 2019