Half Widow (film)

Half Widow
Directed by Danish Renzu
Produced by Gaya Bhola
Danish Renzu
Written by Danish Renzu
Gaya Bhola
Starring Neelofar Hamid
Shahnawaz Bhat
Mir Sarwar
Haseena Sofi
Music by Alokananda Dasgupta
Jaan Nissar Lone
Cinematography Antonio Cisneros
Edited by Nitin Baid
Production
company
Renzu Film
Gaya Art Films
Distributed by Rock On Motion Pictures
Release date
 2017
Running time
 91 minutes
Country India
Language Urdu
Kashmiri

Half Widow is a 2017 Indian drama film directed by debutant Danish Renzu and written by Renzu and Gaya Bhola. The film tells the story of a women from Srinagar, who tries to find her husband who is abducted by armed men.[1] Jointly produced by Bhola and Renzu, the film stars Neelofar Hamid, Shahnawaz Bhat, Mir Sarwar and Haseena Sofi in the lead roles.[2] Since there are no theaters in Kashmir, the film was screened at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre.[2] The title of the film refers to the namesake term used for Kashmiri women whose husbands have disappeared mostly in custody of security forces in the Kashmir conflict.[3] The film's official trailer was released on May, 2017.[3] The characters in the film talk in Urdu, with some Kashmiri.[4]

Cast

  • Neelofar Hamid as Neela
  • Shahnawaz Bhat as Zakir
  • Mir Sarwar as Khalid
  • Haseena Sofi as Khala
  • Rhonda Leal as Eva

Production

Director Danish Renzu was doing a job at AT&T in the United States.[5] He quit his job and came back to India in 2015 as he wanted to "tell stories from my world and the place I grew up in" that need attention and platform.[1] The film was shot in the valleys of Kashmir with local cast and crew.[2][5] The story is inspired by the life of activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Parveena Ahanger.[5] Due to the local people involved Renzu was able to shoot the film in several unexplored locations.[5] The last schedule of filming was delayed due to the 2016 conflicts in the valley.[6] The film's dialogue writer Sunayana Kachroo, who is a poet, said that she felt the need to tell this story as "men in conflict zones are celebrated, decorated, and revered for their heroism", but the women and children are referred to as "the bystanders of the discord". She further said: "The first and the last victims of war are always the women and the children and, due to this, they are also the torchbearers of change and progress."[4] Renzu was inspired to make the film from the female's perspective after meeting Ahanger and attending some protests with her organisation, which he described as "heart-wrenching".[4]

Awards

Half Widow won the Audience Choice-Best Feature Film award at the 2017 South Asian International Film Festival.[2] It was also screened at the 2018 Asian Film Festival of Dallas.[7] The film also won the Best Film award and Best Director award at the 2018 New Jersey Indian & International Film Festival.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 Sarkar, Sonia (5 November 2017). "If there is paradise on earth, it is not here". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Khan, M Aamir (30 January 2018). "Shot in Valley, award-winning film set for release". The Tribune. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 Hussain, Ashiq (27 August 2017). "Tracing the life of a 'half widow': Muslim director, Kashmiri pandit writer join hands for a film". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Bhat, Niyati (27 August 2017). "In Kashmiri film 'Half Widow', the journey from disappearance to death to hope". Scroll.in. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ali Khan, Murtaza (8 August 2017). "A Kashmiri Filmmaker Returns For the Love of Kashmir & Cinema". The Quint. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  6. ↑ Bhat, Adil (19 September 2017). "A window to the Valley - Danish Renzu talks about reviving cinema in Kashmir". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "Half Widow". Asian Film Festival of Dallas. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  8. ↑ "New Jersey Indian & International Film Festival: 2018 Winners". New Jersey Indian & International Film Festival. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.