Parzania †Critical Review Essay

These words ar reminiscent of a Gandhian quote. The let of the Nation, a larger than life individual, who single-handedly stunned the world with his strange principles which millions believe, paved the way for the Indian Independence. However, his dedication and perseverance to free the Indians by non-violent means is being honored more than in theory, as of today, than in practice. The above quote is from a 2007 Rahul Dholakia depiction, namely, Parzania.Critic twoy acclaimed and thrown open to a global auditory grit, it attempts in the characteristic firearmner of all belles-lettres, to reiterate a bosh, in a way that will make multitude forge on it and see the events of the tale in a whole tender light, much like the concept of defamiliarization. The movie is about the horrific events that took get into in Godhra, Ahmedabad on Februray 28th 2002. Communal violence is a genial and political malign that has taken India by storm after Independence. Our countrified i s exemplary of the claim that cardinal predominant religious groups scum bag non co-exist.This very concomitant has been exquisitely portrayed in Parzania, which is unalike any piece of literature covering a similar issue. Firstly, the irony of the tale lies in the fact that the events of the Godhra riots which was primarily a Hindoo-Muslim discrepancy, has been depicted from the guide of view of a Parsi family as well as a formerly Protestant, Ameri tolerate man. This almost-objective narrative is the join of the story because it eliminates all cause for concern regarding any chassis of bias.The audience is free to display any feelings of sympathy and compassion for the protagonists, without the fear of being disloyal to their religious sentiments. Moreover, Muslims argon the minority in India. They account for or so 14% of the population of the nation as a result of which, they ar always the popular villains. Regardless of the mounting evidence condenseing their fittin g contri saveion to common violence in India, more often than not, they are blamed for having instigated any and all mayhem.Parzania, on the contrary has, in a very subtle manner, portrayed the Muslims as the grieving union. The movie concentrates generally on the events of February 28th, 2002, when thousands of Hindu rioters retaliated most violently to the burning of the Sabarmati Express, killing 59 Hindus the day before. Muslim inhabited areas were focused upon and several hundred Muslims were massacred in the most horrifying manner. Thus, Parzania tempers its objectivity by making a understated case for the innocent Muslim people who unwittingly fell eat to the hungry demon, that is communal violence.The greatest consequence of Communal violence is not the expression violence it is the creation of it. Parzania is the story of how a minority of non-violent, extremists are capable of such wide spread massacre. It depicts, most beautifully, a community of people who are as re ligiously diverse as they can get and yet chance a way to co-exist tranquilly. The Mansion as it is called, is a small community of middle class Hindu, Muslim and Parsi families who inseminate the seeds of warmth and friendship and hence reap the benefits of love and belongingness.The women indulge in good-natured gossip about each other but support each other unconditionally albeit worshipping a triad of Gods. This peaceful telescope is the prequel to how deep friendships are bust due to religious and political differences. It is tender tendency to want to avenge the wrongs do to you. Communal violence work on this principle. It is an infinite loop no one can delineate the origins of it, or know for sure as to who threw the first stone. unless with all(prenominal) incident of communal violence, a beast awakens in formerly peaceful people and they occupy their minds, bodies and souls with thoughts of revenge. This is the case of a Muslim lad, Asif who lived among the inhab itants of The Mansion. A gentle man, he is seen chiding members of his religious community for shaming Muslims as a group. He laughs and mingles with the Hindus, Muslims and Parsis alike, and shows no signs of revolt. However, being witness to the murder of her aging father changes the man he is. He rounds up other enraged Muslims and socio-economic classns to right the wrongs done to him.His extreme action is only a reaction to the injustices done to him, but that can be said about every riot, every compositors case of attack or violence. The blame game never ends it does not expect a solution. Hence, the violence festers and continues, creating new perpetuators of Communal violence in a vicious circle. The story begins with a young American man, Alan (Corin Nemec) who seeks to publish his dissertation about the life and trials of Mahatma Gandhi. Having traveled all the way to Ahmedabad, India, he lives among the locals in the state that bore the Mahatma.His objective view of t he nation is a reality-check of sorts forcing us to reconsider our participation, polity and economy. Inspired by Gandhian principles, he attempts to pack about the Gandhi himself, so as to put his disorderly life into perspective. However, he is shocked to the point of disbelief as the Communal violence unravels almost him, in a place that prohibited the consumption of alcohol and largely meat, as a tribute to Gandhi, but nurtures and nourishes religious animosity and non-violence the two most important things that Gandhi tried to obliterate in the nation.The irony of the maculation does not fail to catch the audiences attention as they see the country in the eyes of a foreigner, who is driven to the point of helpless tears at the plight of the country. During his stay in Ahmedabad, he befriends several people, including a good-natured Parsi man, Cyrus (Naseeruddin Shah), his wife, Shahnaz (Sarika) and his two young children. They seem knowledgeable and intelligent, albeit mi ddle class, and welcome Alan into their lives and home.The young boy, 10 year old Parzaan (Parzan Dastur) is an inventive child, who creates a fantasy world for himself, much like the pre-Pandora world. He calls it Parzania and fills it with artlessness and beauty a place where he and his younger sister can retreat into, and can be guaranteed of happiness, love and comfort. In the larger sense of the movie, Parzania is an example of a time and place where the ugly, rearing head of communal violence can be slaughtered and Indians will be able to find unity in religious diversity. Parzaan is a typical 10 year old miscreant, with his love for cricket and lack of academic interest.But his harming parents have utmost faith in him and believe wholeheartedly in his potential to do great things. This almost fairy-tale like aura is shattered on the day the riots occur. In her attempt to escape angry Hindu mobs with swords and other killing weapons, Shahnaz scampers to protect her children but suddenly loses sight of Parzaan. In light of what was happening all around her, she realizes her daughter is in more danger and rushes to bring her to safety so that she can find her son. But she fails to do so, and this she has to live with for the rest of her life.During this time in the movie, another evil of the Indian sociopolitical condition is brilliantly depicted. The Godhra Riots and its aftermath saw widespread rotting chiefly among the Police Force and the Hindu Ruling society. Parzania is a admonition of this sad state of affairs when bribes were the order of the day as the protectors of society not only watched the gory events like voyeurs, but they laughed and cheered as they unraveled. In their undeterred search for their son, a sense of pathos is evident in the lives of Cyrus and Shahnaz.They are looted by corrupt policemen and manipulated by power-hungry Hindu Party workers as they go through the awful experiences of looking for their son among casualties an d the like. When all else fails, the couple begin to draw support from their faith, but in assorted ways. Cyrus turns to traditional Parsi rituals of cleansing and purifying himself in his quest for answers. Shanaz, on the other hand, as noticed by Alan, quietly prays, for her son, her daughter and her husband, to give them force-out to continue on.At this moment, one of the most powerful lines in the movie is delivered by Alan as he reflects quietly upon the irony of the situation. He says, never in my life would I have guessed that religion could be both the cause of the problem AND the solution. The victims testify at the National Human Rights direction despite the threats made anonymously. Shahnazs testimony serves as a sort of confession, an outburst. The audience realizes that she carries with her and will carry with her, for the rest of her life, the guilt of not having saved her son enough.She clearly blames herself and breaks down, in a heart wrenching excuse for forgi veness, even know she knows with certainty that she can never forgive herself. The story of Parzaan is surprisingly never revealed to the audience. This both frustrates and interests the audience, as we are left hanging, in anticipation for more. This may be due to the fact that the movie has been inspire from a real story of a boy who went missing during the Godhra Riots and hasnt been found yet, and thus, that side of the story may never be told.Parzania is unadulterated example of how an innocent bystander is at the greatest risk of being hurt. The vultures that cattle farm on the flesh of deceased Parsis, is a metaphor for Communal violence, and how it attacks and destroys people for selfish reasons without a care in the world. This poignant tale does not fail to break your heart with its magnificent rendition of real-life tragedies and events and how they lead to the sectionalization of human emotion and humanity in general.