Ramchand Pakistani
Encyclopedia
Ramchand Pakistani is a Pakistan
i Urdu
film that tells a true story about a boy who inadvertently crosses the border between Pakistan and India
and the following ordeal that his family has to go through.
plays Champa, a Hindu woman who is left desolate when her young son and husband disappear one day from their village at the Pakistan-India border near Nagarparkar, in Tharparkar
. Nandita Das is the only non-Pakistani actor in the large cast comprising well-known Pakistani TV and stage personalities including Rashid Farooqi, Noman Aijaz, Maria Wasti, Zhalay Sarhadi, Syed Fazal Ahmed, (who plays the title role) Farooq Pario, Shahood Alvi, Adarsh Ayaz, Salim Mairaj, Tipu, and Navaid Jabbar (no relation to the producer or director).
Ramchaal crossing of the Pakistan
-India
border during a period (June 2002) of extreme, 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 singular theme of the film is how a child from Pakistan
aged eight years learns to cope with the trauma of forced separation from his mother while being held prisoner, along with his father in the jail of a country i.e. India, which is hostile to his own, while on the other side of the border, the wife-mother, devastated by their sudden disappearance builds a new chapter of her life, by her solitary struggle for sheer survival.
The film portrays a true picture of how the people living close to the border unknowingly cross border and how they are used by both the nations as pawns to negotiate and prove each others point.
At first, the prisoner father-son duo find it tough to adjust, but they settle down eventually. The movie spans a period of 4 to 5 years before they are released. The strength of the movie is in the telling of the tale, aided by the power of the uniformly strong acting and delicate direction. With such an ominous premise, the fact that neither country is vilified is a huge relief, if slightly incredible.
. The music directors are Debojyoti Mishra
, Surya Mitra, Shiraj Ahmed lyrics by Anwar Maqsood
and the songs are sung by Shubha Mudgal
and Shafqat Amanat Ali
. The cinematographer is Sofian Khan, the associate producer is Mariam Mukaty, and the creative consultant is Sonia Rehman Qureshi.
Till March 2009, the film has won:
1. FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics at the Osian Film Festival, July, 2008
2. Honourable Mention by the 13th Annual Satyajit Ray Award at the 2008 London Film Festival.
3. Best Actor for Rashid Farooqi at the KaraFilm Festival, Pakistan, 2009
4. Audience Award at the Fribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland, March 2009.
5. Honourable Mention by the Eucumenical Jury at the Fribourg International Film Festival, March 2009.
6. Honourable Mention by the E Changer Award at the Fribourg Int'l Film Festival, March 2009
The film has seven songs composed by Debojyoti mishra
. Two guest composers were,surya mitra & shiraj hussain
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
film that tells a true story about a boy who inadvertently crosses the border between Pakistan and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the following ordeal that his family has to go through.
Synopsis
Nandita DasNandita Das
Nandita Das is an award-winning Indian film actress and director. As an actress, she is known for her performances in Fire , Earth , Bawandar , Kannathil Muthamittal and Aamaar Bhuvan . As a director, she is known for her directorial debut Firaaq , which has won a number of national and...
plays Champa, a Hindu woman who is left desolate when her young son and husband disappear one day from their village at the Pakistan-India border near Nagarparkar, in Tharparkar
Tharparkar
Tharparkar is one of twenty three districts of Sindh province in Pakistan. Its headquarter is Mithi. It is the only fertile desert in the world. The District derives its names from Thar and Parker...
. Nandita Das is the only non-Pakistani actor in the large cast comprising well-known Pakistani TV and stage personalities including Rashid Farooqi, Noman Aijaz, Maria Wasti, Zhalay Sarhadi, Syed Fazal Ahmed, (who plays the title role) Farooq Pario, Shahood Alvi, Adarsh Ayaz, Salim Mairaj, Tipu, and Navaid Jabbar (no relation to the producer or director).
Ramchaal crossing of the Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
-India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
border during a period (June 2002) of extreme, war-like tension between the two countries by two members of a Pakistani Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
family belonging to the 'untouchable
Untouchability
Untouchability is the social practice of ostracizing a minority group by segregating them from the mainstream by social custom or legal mandate. The excluded group could be one that did not accept the norms of the excluding group and historically included foreigners, nomadic tribes, law-breakers...
' Dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
, and the extraordinary consequences of this unintended action upon the lives of a woman, a man, and their son.
The singular theme of the film is how a child from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
aged eight years learns to cope with the trauma of forced separation from his mother while being held prisoner, along with his father in the jail of a country i.e. India, which is hostile to his own, while on the other side of the border, the wife-mother, devastated by their sudden disappearance builds a new chapter of her life, by her solitary struggle for sheer survival.
The film portrays a true picture of how the people living close to the border unknowingly cross border and how they are used by both the nations as pawns to negotiate and prove each others point.
Plot
This is a simple story, told very simply. Ramchand is a 8 year old Pakistani Hindu living near the border to India with his parents. He has a rather petulant anger, and on such occasion, crosses over the border inadvertently and is caught by Indian forces. His father sees him wander over and follows him, to be also captured. His mom realizes this the next day with the help of friends, but is powerless to do anything about it, other than spend her days waiting for them to return.At first, the prisoner father-son duo find it tough to adjust, but they settle down eventually. The movie spans a period of 4 to 5 years before they are released. The strength of the movie is in the telling of the tale, aided by the power of the uniformly strong acting and delicate direction. With such an ominous premise, the fact that neither country is vilified is a huge relief, if slightly incredible.
Overview
The film was released in Pakistan and India in September 2008. Screenplay by Mohammad Ahmed and produced by Javed JabbarJaved Jabbar
Javed Jabbar is a legend of advertising in Pakistan, a famous politician, former information minister and an intellectual. He is father of renowned producer Mehreen Jabbar...
. The music directors are Debojyoti Mishra
Debojyoti Mishra
Debojyoti Mishra is an Indian film composer. He became popular with his minimalist classical compositions for the film Raincoat. He also worked on a Bengali film, Chaturanga....
, Surya Mitra, Shiraj Ahmed lyrics by Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood Hameedi commonly known as Anwar Maqsood Urdu: انور مقصود) is a Pakistani playwright, poet, television host, satirist, humorist, infrequent actor and painter. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over 35 years.-Life and career:Anwar Maqsood studied at the Gulbarga trust...
and the songs are sung by Shubha Mudgal
Shubha Mudgal
Shubha Mudgal is a well-known Indian singer of Hindustani classical music, Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, and popular Indian Pop music.She has been awarded the 1996 National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction for 'Amrit Beej', the 1998 Gold Plaque Award for Special Achievement in Music,...
and Shafqat Amanat Ali
Shafqat Amanat Ali
Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan is a Pakistani classical singer belonging to Patiala Gharana lineage. He is the youngest brother of the late Asad Amanat Ali Khan. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani rock band Fuzön...
. The cinematographer is Sofian Khan, the associate producer is Mariam Mukaty, and the creative consultant is Sonia Rehman Qureshi.
Till March 2009, the film has won:
1. FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics at the Osian Film Festival, July, 2008
2. Honourable Mention by the 13th Annual Satyajit Ray Award at the 2008 London Film Festival.
3. Best Actor for Rashid Farooqi at the KaraFilm Festival, Pakistan, 2009
4. Audience Award at the Fribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland, March 2009.
5. Honourable Mention by the Eucumenical Jury at the Fribourg International Film Festival, March 2009.
6. Honourable Mention by the E Changer Award at the Fribourg Int'l Film Festival, March 2009
Cast
- Nandita DasNandita DasNandita Das is an award-winning Indian film actress and director. As an actress, she is known for her performances in Fire , Earth , Bawandar , Kannathil Muthamittal and Aamaar Bhuvan . As a director, she is known for her directorial debut Firaaq , which has won a number of national and...
as Champa - Syed Fazal Hussain as Younger Ramchand
- Navaid Jabbar as Older Ramchand
- Rashid Farooqui as Shankar
- Maria WastiMaria WastiMaria Wasti is a Pakistani film and television actress. Most of her roles in television serials portray her as a Pakistani woman going through difficult times and have landed her great respect in the eyes of critics and fans alike....
as Kamla - Nouman Ijaz as Abdullah
- Adnan Shah as Sharma
- Adarsh Ayaz as Moti
- Farooq Pario as Suresh
- Shahood Alvi as Asif Hussain
- Zhaley Sarhadi as Lakshmi
- Atif Badar as Lalu
- Saleem Mairaj as Vishesh
- Saif-e-Hasan as Murad
- Rao Saleem as Interrogator, Border Security ForceBorder Security ForceThe Border Security Force is a border patrol agency of the Government of India. Established on December 1, 1965, it is one of the Central Armed Police Forces. Its primary role is to guard India's international borders during peacetime and also prevent transnational crime...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... - 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, Border Security ForceBorder Security ForceThe Border Security Force is a border patrol agency of the Government of India. Established on December 1, 1965, it is one of the Central Armed Police Forces. Its primary role is to guard India's international borders during peacetime and also prevent transnational crime...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... - Iqbal Motilani as Maulvi
- Anis Chachar as Captain Saleem
The film has seven songs composed by Debojyoti mishra
Debojyoti Mishra
Debojyoti Mishra is an Indian film composer. He became popular with his minimalist classical compositions for the film Raincoat. He also worked on a Bengali film, Chaturanga....
. Two guest composers were,surya mitra & shiraj hussain
SoundTrack
| Track | Song | Singers | Composer | Duration |
| 01 | Teri Meri Preet | Shubha Mudgal Shubha Mudgal Shubha Mudgal is a well-known Indian singer of Hindustani classical music, Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, and popular Indian Pop music.She has been awarded the 1996 National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction for 'Amrit Beej', the 1998 Gold Plaque Award for Special Achievement in Music,... |
Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra is an Indian film composer. He became popular with his minimalist classical compositions for the film Raincoat. He also worked on a Bengali film, Chaturanga.... |
5:34 |
| 02 | Allah Megh De | Shubha Mudgal Shubha Mudgal Shubha Mudgal is a well-known Indian singer of Hindustani classical music, Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, and popular Indian Pop music.She has been awarded the 1996 National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction for 'Amrit Beej', the 1998 Gold Plaque Award for Special Achievement in Music,... & Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan is a Pakistani classical singer belonging to Patiala Gharana lineage. He is the youngest brother of the late Asad Amanat Ali Khan. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani rock band Fuzön... |
Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra is an Indian film composer. He became popular with his minimalist classical compositions for the film Raincoat. He also worked on a Bengali film, Chaturanga.... |
4:41 |
| 03 | Phir Wahi Raste | Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan is a Pakistani classical singer belonging to Patiala Gharana lineage. He is the youngest brother of the late Asad Amanat Ali Khan. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani rock band Fuzön... |
Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra is an Indian film composer. He became popular with his minimalist classical compositions for the film Raincoat. He also worked on a Bengali film, Chaturanga.... |
5:52 |
| 04 | Khari Neem Key Neechay | Shubha Mudgal Shubha Mudgal Shubha Mudgal is a well-known Indian singer of Hindustani classical music, Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, and popular Indian Pop music.She has been awarded the 1996 National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction for 'Amrit Beej', the 1998 Gold Plaque Award for Special Achievement in Music,... |
Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra is an Indian film composer. He became popular with his minimalist classical compositions for the film Raincoat. He also worked on a Bengali film, Chaturanga.... |
5:24 |
| 05 | Tarrin Paunda | Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan is a Pakistani classical singer belonging to Patiala Gharana lineage. He is the youngest brother of the late Asad Amanat Ali Khan. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani rock band Fuzön... |
Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra is an Indian film composer. He became popular with his minimalist classical compositions for the film Raincoat. He also worked on a Bengali film, Chaturanga.... |
6:09 |
| 06 | Meri Maat | Instrumental Instrumental An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments.... |
Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra Debojyoti Mishra is an Indian film composer. He became popular with his minimalist classical compositions for the film Raincoat. He also worked on a Bengali film, Chaturanga.... |
4:19 |