Review: LOC - Kargil
Baradwaj Rangan
Lalit Rai, whose character is played in the film by Sudesh Berry and
who was the commanding officer of the 1/11 Gurkha Rifles. What Dutta
has portrayed is quite different from what the Col told me, and much
more vivid and moving than anything in the film.
LOC - Kargil
Baradwaj Rangan
(C) The Economic Times, Madras Plus - Jan 1, 2004
'Saving Private Ryan' grafted a visceral
you-are-in-the-midst-of-battle horror to an uplifting, patriotic
story. 'The Thin Red Line' employed dazzling imagery to delve into
Zen-meditations on the nature of conflict. ('LOC-Kargil' has one such
stunning moment, when soldiers walk out of a tent, into the night, and
appear to be swallowed by the darkness.) Such movies, however, are
rarities; the most popular template for war films is still dictated by
the likes of 'The Longest Day' or 'The Guns of Navarone' - military
stories with multistarrer fireworks, with an eye as much on bravery as
on the box-office.
That's the model that worked so well for JP Dutta in 'Border', his
biggest hit, and that's what he reuses in 'LOC-Kargil' - war as
cannily-packaged, larger-than-life entertainment, where soldiers die,
but not before clutching a letter from a girlfriend with bloody hands
and proclaiming, "I love you."
Subtle this isn't, but then neither is warfare, and my problem with
'LOC-Kargil' isn't that such emotions explode as frequently as the
bombs do. Some of this high-voltage drama, after all, does pack a
wallop, as when Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey (Ajay Devgan) reassures soldiers
who want to know if they'll ever return, "Hum mein se har ek waapas
aayenge, chaahe kisi bhi haalat mein."
My problem is that Dutta, in making an homage to the heroes of Kargil,
has forgotten that he's also making a film.
War, at its most basic, is this: one side fires at the enemy, the
enemy fires back, and this happens over and over till one conquers the
other. This is what happened at Kargil too, and this is what Dutta
shows us, over and over. Actor A goes up, fires at Pakis, gets killed.
Then Actor B goes up, fires at Pakis, gets killed. Considering the
size of the cast, this sort of thing gets deadeningly repetitive,
especially with nothing cinematically inventive to differentiate one
soldier's battle from another's.
After announcing that, even at four hours, not every Kargil hero's
story can be told, it's strange why Dutta felt the need to pack in the
exploits of so many soldiers. His focus is clearly on Capt Anuj Nayyar
(Saif Ali Khan), Capt Vikram Batra (Abhishek Bachchan) and Lt Pandey -
their characters are built the most, they have the biggest of heroines
as girlfriends (Kareena Kapoor, Esha Deol, Rani Mukerji), and they
accomplish the most significant wins during climactic portions. So why
didn't Dutta cut to their stories right from the beginning, flesh them
out some more, and spare us the hour-and-a-half of uninspired
filmmaking - the battle scenes evoke little tension or danger -
dealing with the others?
With so many characters and so little screen time for each, we hardly
invest in any of them and hardly summon up any emotion when they meet
their fates. Worse, the shifts from one segment to another are so
abrupt that cryptic subtitles - "1/11 GR enter Kargil sector," "18
grenadiers main party link up with 16 grenadiers" - are needed to
explain what's going on and where. You could call this episodic, but I
just found it disjointed.
Such choppy writing is why 'LOC-Kargil' becomes a muddled epic,
despite moving songs from the Anu Malik-Javed Akhtar combination,
despite good performances, despite unexpected insights into the
soldiers' psyche. (One moment, they're hurling BC/MC 'gaalis' at the
enemy, the next instant they're invoking the Mother Goddess with cries
of 'Durga Mata ki jai'.) I salute Dutta's commitment and passion for
enshrining the men who gave up their lives so we could live ours, but
instead of trying to fit his voluminous research within the
constraints of our commercial cinema, I wish he'd simply written a
book.
----------------------
The Interview -- published in The Economic Times, Madras Plus - Dec.
25, 2003
A Soldier's Story
Baradwaj Rangan
Col Lalit Rai, VrC, who led the 1/11 Gurkha Rifles battalion during
the war at Kargil and was among the heroes invited to the audio launch
of JP Dutta's upcoming LOC - Kargil, recounts how everyone at the
function treated him with admiration and respect. The crew stayed and
shot the film in areas much lower than where the actual battles were
fought, yet the members found the going extremely rough. So the
admiration and the respect wasn't simply for a soldier who fought for
the country, but for a survivor who succeeded in the most hostile of
surroundings, where high-altitude sickness, frostbite and chilblains
were welcome alternatives to death by pulmonary oedema or the
Pakistani army.
The Colonel was in Chennai recently, and took the time to tell us
about a key military success during the war. This is his story, in his
words.
"Khalubar, in the Batalik sector, was one of the formidable enemy
positions and an important communications point. When we planned to
reclaim Khalubar, the immediate question was how this could be done.
If we tried a direct attack, we'd run into enemy camps along the way.
At every stage, we'd face attrition and lose time trying to regroup.
This is what the enemy wanted - to gain time. With each passing day,
the chances for cease-fire were greater and talks for peace would
bring in world opinion. So they, with the additional real estate,
would have the upper hand during negotiations, and even the LOC could
get renegotiated."
"To save time, therefore, we decided to go through the gaps and hit
them from behind. This was risky. There was the danger of getting cut
off completely, of the attacker becoming the victim, yet I volunteered
for this action with my battalion."
"It took us fourteen hours to ascend to the approach point, and we
were immediately hit by enemy fire. This intensified as we approached
within 800 yards of our target, and at 400 yards, it became extremely
difficult to move. The bullets, the rockets and the missile fire were
coming at us like rain. My communications officer was cut to ribbons.
A jawan was trying to stuff his entrails back in. In the midst of
these screams of pain, I called Captain Manoj Pandey and gave him the
task of capturing the bunkers."
"We thought there were one or two bunkers, but the actual number was
six. We managed to capture four, and with two bunkers to go, Captain
Pandey was hit. After fourteen hours of wearying travel, after this
blood loss, his reactions became slow, and he fell to a bullet through
his brain, though not before accomplishing his mission: the grenade in
his hand found its way into the bunker. He fought unmindful of pain
and discomfort to himself, in the highest traditions of the army, as
did hawaldar Bhim Bahadur Dewan, who destroyed another bunker at the
cost of his life."
"The rest of us were trapped. It was 1:30 or 2:00 am, and if we didn't
rush, we'd be exposed in the daylight. So - at a gradient of 80
degrees, at a temperature of -32, at about 18000 feet - we charged at
the enemy in close quarter battle, taking them by surprise. My
five-foot gurkhas began to jump up and chop off the heads of six-foot
Pathans. We thus forced our way through a stunned enemy and to the
top, thinking the major problem was over, but found it had just begun.
The enemy started counterattacking."
"From a unit of 600, just eight of us were left when we reached the
top - the position of advantage - and we couldn't understand why they
continued to attack so furiously instead of simply abandoning post. We
then discovered that this place was not only a supply route, for food
and arms, but also the retreat route. To escape, they had to kill us.
The battle carried on non-stop for three nights and four days. We were
wet, without food and water, and a sniper's bullet aimed at my heart
smashed by binoculars to pieces. I survived, but one of my boys who
targeted the sniper to help his commanding officer didn't. He fell
within yards of me, and his dying words were, "Saab bahut pyaas lagi
hai, thoda paani pila do." The sniper was around and I couldn't budge,
so I tried to toss snowballs into his mouth, but he died before I
could succeed."
"One of my boys had just died, and I couldn't even fulfil his last
request. I was shaking with anger and fear. I received an order to
evacuate but refused to obey - all these deaths would have then been
in vain. Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, a Captain
radioed me and said the enemy was approaching the top from just one
direction. That meant all of us could simply focus on that one area
instead of fanning out, trying to cover all bases."
"When the coast was clear, we stripped the dead people - our men and
theirs - of their ammunition, but it wasn't enough. We began to
repulse the attack, but they kept coming - about 40 men, 20 yards and
closing - and I was soon down to two bullets. I decided one would be
for the enemy and one for me, when I remembered my artillery officer
was sitting in another mountain and could see us from there. I told
him to give me fire with all his artillery - with 18 guns and six
rounds from each, I asked for 108 huge bombs to be aimed directly at
us, while we scurried into cracks and crevices, waiting."
"Soon we heard the lovely screeching sound of shells coming at us, and
we could see the Pakis being lifted off the ground, splattered to
bits. The sheets of flame must have raised the temperature from -32 to
+20 degrees. We were shaking - we'd taken cover, but were still hit by
shrapnel. Fortunately, reinforcements arrived soon, Khalubar was truly
taken, and the tiranga was hoisted. Over the next eleven days, we
captured other formidable positions, but after losing Khalubar, the
enemy's will to fight was gone."
"My battalion was the first to push the infiltrators across the LOC.
Captain Manoj Pandey was awarded the Param Vir Chakra. There were 34
other gallantry awards for the battalion, which itself got a unit
citation as the Bravest of the Brave. There was more media attention
on Tiger Hill, but the hardest battles were fought in the Batalik
sector and in Kargil. It was once a most beautiful place, but it
became the highest battlefield in the world's military history - the
once-clear mountain streams became cordite-filled rivers of poison. It
pains us when we're asked sometimes if all this was necessary. My
answer: This question isn't as important as the fact that the army was
called to do a duty and lived up to it."
"It's every soldier's dream to fight for his country, but this fancy
passes away quickly during actual combat. After the first really bad
phase, I asked myself what we were doing and for whom. Will people
even remember how many of us were mutilated and killed? Are these
people even worth making these sacrifices for? It's good that folks
like JP Dutta are focussing attention on the sacrifices of the simple
soldier, telling the world that we got peace, yes, but at a terrible
price."
Habshi
the Indian soldiers didnt look exhausted when they had been climbing
for 14hrs at 14,000 ft with oxygen levels maybe a third at sea levels.
Used to live at 9,000 ft and even running 100 yards was tough.
This is a must see movie for all Indians and Pakistanis .
On 1 Jan 2004 03:36:22 -0800, b_ra...@hotmail.com (Baradwaj Rangan)
wrote:
Gregory Baker
> Now only if JP Dutta had talked to this officer . In the movie
> the Indian soldiers didnt look exhausted when they had been climbing
> for 14hrs at 14,000 ft with oxygen levels maybe a third at sea levels.
> Used to live at 9,000 ft and even running 100 yards was tough.
> This is a must see movie for all Indians and Pakistanis .
>
I've seen the movie three times in the US. As a former infantry
officer, I was impressed by how accurate the tactics were considering it
was a movie. I had followed the war by the press, but I hadn't seen the
terrain before. It gives me an appreciation of what GIs are doing in
the Hindu Kush fighting the Taliban and al-Queda.
If you notice, when the soldiers are doing forced marches, you can hear
them slightly out of breath. I understand the move was shot at 12000
feet, though the fighting was at 17000 feet. It explains why the
helicopters were lightly laden.
I would say the movie was remarkably realistic for a Bollywood flick.
Greg Baker
USA
Habshi
http://www.sulekha.com/movies/moviereviewlist.asp
Habshi
Habshi
Once Pakistanis become Hindu again friendship can blossom as their
culture is still Hindu as evidenced by the fact that Bollywood movies
are so popular there .
excerpt jang.com.pk
Welcome, Ataljee
Kamran Shafi
The writer is a retired army officer and a freelance columnist
A very warm welcome to you Prime Minister, from the bottom of my
heart, and may you have a great and productive stay in our country.
From every account, from your very countenance, you seem to be a good
human being, a sagacious man who has seen it all during your many
years in politics and diplomacy, indeed in life itself. Neither is
this all for someone who is a great believer in faces, for I see in
yours kindliness, coupled with great intellect, and a knowing and deep
understanding of the world. Welcome, Sir, to our country.
We are, the Indian and Pakistani people, so looking forward to what
you and your counterparts achieve in taking this huge land mass, this
great and heaving with humanity Subcontinent towards an enduring
peace; towards a brighter future than we have seen in more than the
half century since independence.
We are estranged brothers, one Hindu, one Muslim, estranged because we
have been torn apart by badly intentioned people, people who have
vested interests; those who are only intent upon seeing India and
Pakistan always at logger-heads; those who use this animosity to fuel
their own proclivities, none of them honourable, none of them of any
use to anyone but themselves.
You do realise, surely, that nature has placed both you, and our
President Musharraf, right smack in the middle of the stage with the
brightest of spotlights upon you; you do realise, surely, that if you,
the representative of the right-wing BJP, and General Musharraf, the
Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, cannot bring peace
to the Subcontinent no one can; you do realise, surely, that because
both countries are armed to the teeth with the very worst in
destructive weapons it is of the utmost import that a sustainable
peace process begin immediately if not sooner? More than anything
else, Sir, I hope you do realise that neither India which has done so
well economically, nor Pakistan which is only now embarking on that
course, will be able to achieve as much as they could, if this
posturing and striking of attitudes does not stop. I hope you realise,
Sir, that the world looks with wonderment at our two countries, which
whilst they are the inheritors of a rich and ancient culture were
hurtling towards certain destruction not too long ago. And that it
laughs up its sleeve at the sheer stupidity of it all.
Please realise too, that you are the bigger brother, that India is by
far the bigger country, that it will have to, therefore, give a little
bit more than the younger partner. It will have to help alleviate any
sense of fear on Pakistan’s part. Please, Ataljee, realise too, that
notwithstanding any support that Pakistan might have given to the
Kashmiris, India has hardly been fair or magnanimous in dealing with
them. That if there was not a home grown insurgency no amount of
foreign help would work.
So get on with it, please, Prime Minister. Let me add here that
despite the fact that one does not agree with General Musharraf on
everything he has done in domestic politics, he is ideally placed at
the present time to take Pakistan on the road to lasting peace; that
he too has an open face; that he too can be a sincere and a good
partner to you. More than anything, Sir, you have to give him credit
for going so far down the road by himself that he is now the target of
every variety of crazy there is in this part of the world. You must
help him negotiate the hard road ahead for he cannot do it alone.
Whilst it should be well within the abilities of men such as you and
General Musharraf, our common heritage, and the mutual respect, almost
affection that ordinary lay people of both countries have for each
other should help in going towards lasting peace. I, for one, have
seen this affection and respect first hand in 2001 when I was in India
as part of the Pakistani press party that visited Delhi and Agra
during General Musharraf’s visit there. I not only had the great
pleasure of attending the lunch you gave in the Pakistani President’s
honour, I also interacted with many Indians in their homes, and at
private gatherings. How I was made to feel at ease, how good it was to
interact with my Indian friends and their friends. It was as if I were
in my own country, among my own people. Incidentally Sir, what a
repast you laid out for us! I fancy myself to be a bit of a cook, but
what delicacies those were!
However, as in all things Subcontinental, while private contacts with
Indian friends were as friendly and warm as they could be, the
official part was fraught with suspicion and conspiracy. Whilst it was
such a body blow to see the Agra talks collapse in the way that they
did, it will do no one any good to recount here the causes and so on,
for the two countries must move on, much beyond Agra.
So, Mr. Prime Minister, for starters please say yes
habshi
few hundred were killed by the Islamic militants , Interestingly when 80,000 died in Iran , no one
fled , showing how effective terrorism is in ethnic cleansing.
www.asianage.com Jan 5
habshi
I rushed to my home where my mom told me what had happened. The day before yesterday -- on the night
of July 7-July 8 -- Captain Anuj Nayyar had led a counter attack against the Pakistanis. His
objective was to recapture a peak that was in the hands of the enemy. He killed nine enemy soldiers
and destroyed three medium machine gun bunkers before he was felled by an RPG shell. Thanks to his
bravery and inspired leadership -- he took over the command of company after the commander was
injured at the beginning of the attack -- the peak was captured by the Indian Army.
Mom told me they were waiting for Anuj's body, which was expected to arrive that evening. Dad and
she had already visited his parents to pay their condolences. I asked her how they were reacting to
the news. She said Anuj's mom was crying profusely but his dad looked composed.
I could understand that. His dad was his greatest motivator and the reason why Anuj joined the Army
in the first place. Anuj's father was a strong-willed man who was more Anuj's best friend than a
dad.
Anuj and I were friends since our school days. We continued to remain in touch till he joined the
National Defence Academy. After that, we'd bump into each other on those rare occasions when he was
back in town on a vacation.
In August of 1999, Anuj was planning to get engaged to his childhood sweetheart. His dad had even
brought him a new car and was planning to gift it to him on the occasion.
My mom insisted I should go and meet his parents but memories of Anuj filled my mind and I just
could not muster up the courage to do so.
Anuj's body was bought to his residence with full state honours the next day. It was kept in the
park below our apartment so that everyone could pay their final homage. His body was later taken to
the Army cantonment cremation ground where it was cremated with full state honours.
More diaries
The tale of my tailor
Oh, people!
Goodbyes hurt
For some time, Anuj lingered in my mind. Then, with the passage of time, the memories were covered
in dust. Yet, they were closer to the surface than I realised. As I watched J P Dutta's LOC Kargil,
the memories came back to life.
A straight-in-your-face reality film interspersed with a bare minimum of fictional moments, LOC
Kargil takes you into the field of action and recreates the Kargil war as authentically as it
happened.
The film's characters represent the Kargil martyrs and the other brave soldiers of the Indian Army.
So you have Captain Anuj Nayyar, Captain Vikram Batra, Lieutenant Manoj Pandey, Lieutenant Colonel Y
K Joshi and many of the other brave men who authored the script that made India the winner in the
Kargil war. It captures their valour in the field of battle; it documents how they led from the
front; how they motivated the soldiers under their command; how they dealt with each new challenge
and each new hardship; how they decimated their enemies. It encapsulates the soldier's quest for
victory in extremely hostile conditions.
LOC Kargil is based on authentic research and gives you the events as they took place. A lot of care
has been taken to see that the film is accurate even in its minutest detail.
LOC Kargil boasts of a huge starcast. I believe there are a total of 32 stars in the film. Well,
after seeing it, I can understand why Dutta needed so many stars. It took more than a few glorious
heroes to win the war and the four-hour movie tries to feature most of them.
All the stars have played their parts extremely well. It's very difficult to pinpoint any one actor
and say he was much better than the others. The story keeps moving from one character to another
without letting any particular character hog more than his fair share of screen time. LOC Kargil is
a podium where all characters stand on an equal platform. One character's bravery and glory doesn't
shade the exploits of the other characters.
Saif Ali Khan has played Captain Anuj. I can't think of any other actor who could have done a better
job. The manner in which he slipped into his character's skin is superb; he reminded me so much of
Anuj.
The background score and dialogues are gripping; the songs, too, are pretty intense and act as much
needed breathers in the film. I believe most of the movie was shot in Leh (I bumped into many of the
stars and even went to the place where the shooting was taking place when I had gone for a week's
adventure trip to Leh in 2002).
The war scenes are authentic; the ammunition, artillery, vehicles and many of the soldiers seen in
the film belong to the Indian Army.
One thing is for sure; you definitely get involved in the film. You swear in whispers as you see our
soldiers ambushed and killed and then punch the seat in victory and, perhaps, swear a bit louder as
our brave men retaliate by killing the enemy and driving them out.
The dialogues especially during the war scenes are peppered with the choicest of abuses, which is
quite understandable and realistic. To quote a friend who was sitting next to me in the theatre: you
hurl the choicest abuses when you are watching a cricket match and this, after all, is a real war,
man!
Normally, when we come out of a movie theatre, the first question we ask those who are with us is
whether they enjoyed the movie. As far as I am concerned, LOC Kargil is not meant to entertain the
viewer. I don't even know if you can say you liked the film because LOC Kargil a gripping real-life
tale that has been recreated on the big screen. It is a medium through which you will -- for at
least four hours, if not longer -- remember the martyrs and soldiers of Kargil and pay them the
tribute they so richly deserve.
Image: Uttam Ghosh
Virendra Verma
> The only thing that separates India and Pakistan is Islam .
> Once Pakistanis become Hindu again friendship can blossom as their
> culture is still Hindu as evidenced by the fact that Bollywood movies
> are so popular there .
>
> excerpt jang.com.pk
> Welcome, Ataljee
>
>
> Kamran Shafi
>
> The writer is a retired army officer and a freelance columnist
So, what you want Ataljee to do? Give up Kashmir? Does Mushy still
have Kashmir in his blood?
How do you know the attacks on Mushy were by Terrorists and not
stage-managed by him? He must be the most beloved darling of Allah to
survive these attacks. This is mind boggling. Can we trust Mushy, the
architect of Kargil war? It will take a long time for India to trust
the rogue army of Pakiland.
The only issue with Pakiland is the problem of cross-border terrorism
and one-third Kashmir on which Pakis are sitting. That's where the
talks should concentrate.
habshi
being built between the two countries.
excerpt rediff.com
Nihal Chauhan
http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jan/09diary.htm
Part I: The road to Pakistan
Part II: Visiting a hostile country
Part III: Assalamu Alikum
I knew there were Pakistanis in the crowd around me. The same Pakistanis I had heard so much about
on television, in newspapers and magazines and on the Internet. They hated India and wished every
possible ill on my country and my people. They supported the ongoing terrorist activity in Kashmir
and the rest of India.
I checked again to make sure my passport could not be seen. It was the only document that proved I
was Indian. My ever-cautious parents had taken away every other identity card that linked me with
India.
On closer examination, I realised I could not spot a single Pakistani; everyone looked so Indian!
Where were the tall, large men with stern faces, long beards and Pathani salwar kameezes?
As we got down from the bus, we were surrounded; greetings flew at us from every direction, making
us feel very much at home. The girls were wearing tracks and trendy pyjamas; some even wore
sleeveless outfits. As for the boys, there was not a single billowing Pathan salwar in sight! One
guy, who smiled almost all the time, introduced himself as Hamza. I could see he too was sorting out
some preconceptions in his mind. He took my bag and told me we would be sharing a room.
Too tired to change my clothes or brush my teeth, I dumped my stuff in a corner and dropped into
bed. The journey, with its excitement and tension, had worn me out. I must have dozed off because
the next thing I remember is my new Pakistani friends waking me up so I could join in the fun and
interaction going on in the hall below.
There was general horsing around and suggestions of Antachiri, the Pakistani version of our very own
Antakshari. Eventually the game Kho was decided on and we made our way to the lawn. The large lake
beside it was home to a gaggle of ducks. One of the Pakistani participants, Currim, loved the ducks
and would keep trying to get as near to them as possible. Another, Mustapha Raja, was eager to
discuss the Kashmir issue and the highs and lows in the Indo-Pak relationship. These discussions
were friendly and filled with curiosity. We could have been a bunch of students anywhere.
It was all so surreal. Was this the same Karachi that our Navy would attempt to blockade if war
broke out between our two countries? Was this the hostile country I was worried about?
We began playing Kho, but it was not Pakistan against India. We were just two teams, Ducks and
Quacks, trying to best the other and having fun while at it.
The next day, I got to know the Pakistani participants better. They had the same fears and concerns
as young people anywhere. They too wanted lasting peace in the region. The commonalities were an
eye-opener.
The workshop began after the group from Mumbai arrived. We were to make a 15 minute film focusing on
the cultural richness of the two countries while weaving in the beliefs that were creating deep,
uncompromising fissures between its people. It would be a unique experience because, for the first
time, youngsters from India and Pakistan were getting together to make a film. Internationally
renowned individuals, who had volunteered their time and expertise, would guide us.
The first task belonged to the script-writing team, comprising of five Pakistanis and two Indians
(including me). We had two days to come up with a script. So off we went into the library with
well-known writer Shandana Minhas, who had volunteered to guide us. Besides working with theatre
groups and writing scripts for theatrical productions and television, Shandana is a regular
contributor to The Friday Times and the web-based portal, Chowk.
Before we could even figure out a connecting thread in the maelstrom created by our brainstorming
session, Shandana had started using our abstract thoughts to create a tangible picture. A day and
half later, after working night and day and downing gallons of the local soft drink, Pakola, a
concrete story began unfolding, complete with scenes, characters and dialogue.
Then, director Pavitra Challam from Bangalore took charge and assigned characters to all of us. The
art and props team were busy creating the sets while the team in charge of the music mulled over the
soundtrack.
The film revolved around a stranded group of Pakistanis and Indians. During the time it took for
their bus to be repaired, the differences between the two groups took an ugly turn. Their bickering
was not based on fact but on 'the history' the two nations had 'imparted' to their people over time.
The accusations get more and more chilling as each group tries to prove the other is 'worse.'
We hired a local bus and chugged to a deserted spot on the Sindh Highway night after night. The
irony made me laugh! I had been so wary of coming to Pakistan and now, here I was, hobnobbing with a
group of Pakistanis on a dark highway in an isolated corner of the country. This was something I
definitely didn't want my parents to know. Their worry, heightened by the article in Time magazine,
would have taken a new dimension.
As the momentum of the shoot increased, so did our fatigue. But sheer motivation and camaraderie
kept us going. After three nights of filming, our project was complete thanks to seamless
co-operation between individuals who had met for the first time a few days ago; many of whom had to
work at putting their preconceived notions to put to rest. All of us cheered and celebrated a job
well done as the sun rose against the orange-hued sky.
Yet, a feeling of sadness lingered because this also meant the end of the workshop and of our visit.
The thought that we may never see our new buddies again made it all the more painful.
For the next two days, we shifted to a hotel in Karachi. We toured the city, which has a Mumbai-like
flavour, and experienced its culture. Karachi, too, has a Sadar Bazaar very much like its namesake
in Delhi and in cantonment towns all over India. There were smaller versions of Delhi's Pallika
Bazaar that went by the name of Rainbow Centre.
The visit to Karachi Beach revived nostalgic memories of Chowpatty in Mumbai, where I had spent part
of my childhood. Karachi -- with cricket matches in the sprawling parks, football matches in the
maidan, local ice cream amidst salty breezes blowing in from the sea, chaat at a familiar-looking
chaatwallah… -- was very similar to Mumbai. Even Ayub, the kababwallah, could have been beamed up
from Cuffe Parade.
On our final day in Karachi, our film, aptly titled Bus (meaning enough), was screened for the media
and some members of the public. It was well received. At the presentation after the viewing, we
participants got to speak on our collective experience that had helped create deep personal bonds.
Besides, the workshop had given us skills to facilitate further movements for peace and practical
initiatives when we returned home.
Before we knew it, it was our last night in Pakistan. Everyone was teary-eyed as we exchanged home
and email addresses and telephone numbers. It was heart-wrenching to say good-bye to new-found
friends who, in the last 12 days, had become so much a part of us. At the airport, when the
loudspeakers announced our flight was ready to board, I dragged my feet; I wanted to spend a few
moments longer in this 'friendly' country.