When a movie is made based on real incident, an attempt should be made to make it as true as possible; little bit of artistic freedom is allowed to make it commercial, but since this movie was not supposed to be a commercial movie, the narration should have stick to truth.. That's not the case here. This is a completely dishonest movie. The 2002 Godhra riots happened and this movie is about the aftermath. But the director has projected that the Hindus were sole reason that this riot happened. The movie started from dead bodies being picked up and put in a truck with lotus on grill, trying to impart the idea who was behind it. In that case, they should have showed how the train was burnt and many families were locked inside by Muslims and they all died.There are also many stereotypes drawn to show common Gujarati participated in the riots and indulged in rape and arsonry instead of the fringe elements responsible. It also conveniently detaches itself from how Muslims were also equally involved in Hindu killings.The movie could have been made better had there been unbias in it.Acting by Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, his brother-in-law and Deepti Naval is worth mentioning. Couple of dialogues and scenes are touchy.

After watching this movie, I don't think anyone can justify that its the first movie of an actor turned director 'Nandita Das'. I heard combined views about this movie, however the movie was a fine piece of art. Although the whole movie juggled many different stories together but in the end it seemed like as if everything was being balanced and I am amazed how Nandita managed to conclude it unbiased. Marvellous cinematography, direction and bold dialogs. Hats of Nandita for daring to be so bold and straight to address the most critical issue and that too in such a beautiful package. Nasiruddin Shah's character had very few dialogs but his silence was much more powerful than words. I am surprised that none praised Raghuvir Yadav. Unfortunately, his hard-work remains unnoticed by many due to magnificence of actors such as Naseeruddin Shah. Overall, a great movie and a very courageous debut by Nandita.

I admit that I was quite interested about Firaaq, mainly because of the international felicitation that it has received. Yet I was a little hesitant in going for the movie – especially after a long week at work - I didn't want to watch a heavy movie about the Gujarat riots! I instead chose what I thought would be a light movie – Straight (and regretted it). But I couldn't be more wrong about Firaaq ...Yes its set amidst the Gujarat riots – a month after it, to be precise. But it doesn't have any of the violence or bloodshed of the riots. It instead follows a set of people who are struggling to come to terms with life in the aftermath of the riots. Nandita Das has taken some ordinary people and showed us how they react when faced with something extraordinary – it brings out the worst in some like Paresh Rawal while some like Sanjay Suri look to escape.It is a rare movie that can stir up a whirlpool of emotions inside the viewer – feelings as diverse as loathing, despair, hope and happiness and everything that is in between – all in a runtime of just 100 minutes. Nandita Das exceeds expectations in her directorial debut in Firaaq, taking on the Gujarat riots issue with a wonderful sensitivity. Sure, she has the advantage of having a stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah & Paresh Rawal in Firaaq - but the finesse with which the screenplay seamlessly weaves all the story together is completely to her creditFrom a slightly disturbing opening scene, we are introduced to the different characters and their dilemmas - the Hindu-Muslim urban couple who are leaving town, a Muslim couple who come back to their home to find it burnt down, the gujarati housewife struggling to come to terms with her guilt, a orphaned child looking for his family and an ageing singer oblivious to reality … Each of the actors' performance has been stellar – you cannot help but loath Paresh Rawal and equally you share Deepti Naval's agony and her wish for atonement. Naseeruddin Shah is in a league of his own, playing a musician from a forgotten generation who is disconnected from today's world.As if the multitude of stories were not enough, each of the stories tug at your heart in different directions. From the despair at finding her entire household in ashes to the suspecting her best friend, from the fear of the police to the anger at the bride's silly remarks about the riots, Muneera (Shahana Goswami) bares her thoughts to us. The sharing of the bindi between friends and the intermixing of the names Mohan and Mohsin – the movie is replete with such subtle subtexts.With its limited runtime, Firaaq doesn't conform to the traditional norms of giving a background to each story or taking each of them to a logical conclusion. So maybe it might feel a little abrupt at the start to some. But such trifling irritants are completely forgotten by the time you finish watching Firaaq as you would find yourself overwhelmed with conflicting emotions.I regularly review movies at http://bisprad.blogspot.com

This movie takes place in the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots between Hindus and Muslims in which the majority of the deaths were Muslim. I saw this movie at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.It is difficult to make a movie dealing with such topics which would not be so unpleasant that people would be unable to sit through it. This movie succeeds by creating a good story and a number of very distinctive and fascinating characters. It not only has a serious message it's a very absorbing drama.There are a few story lines being juggled effectively here. You are taken into the home of a Muslim man in a mixed marriage, the burnt-out home of a Muslim widow and even the home of a man who actively participated in the atrocities. You'll see a group of young Muslim men who become fired up seeking revenge, although ultimately fail in unexpected comedic fashion. And most tragically you see an orphaned boy walking alone through the city.The movie is also hopeful. Late in the movie the Muslim man married to a Hindu woman, who had already admitted to being a coward, decides stop hiding behind his Hindu sounding name and declares his true religious identity to a hassling police officer. There are other examples of this same kind of hope.However the movie finishes with a dramatic warning. It ends on the face of the young boy who had been wandering the city. His innocent face fills the screen. The face is so benign, but his eyes had seen so much violence. It forces you to wonder what type of man this child will become. Then the screen goes black. I must admit I found the ending rather chilling.