17 Years of Firaaq: Nandita Das on the legacy of her film; says, "Firaaq deserves a re-release"

There is something ineradicably moving about Firaaq, isn't there? Yes, Firaaq will always remain very special to me because it was my first film and because the subject is very close to my heart. It was one of the most challenging experiences of my life. You know, as a first-time filmmaker, handling five different stories with five sets of actors and five different locations was not easy.

Didn’t you feel that was too much on your plate for your first film? I didn't realize what I was getting into, but I was driven by the desire, the passion, and the intent to tell that story. Violence deeply disturbs me—physically, psychologically, and emotionally. I believe we can create empathy when we understand why people feel fear or are vulnerable. One of the most powerful things cinema can do is to invoke empathy for a more compassionate world. That’s my hope—that I can contribute, even if just a drop, to that ocean.

Shooting with so many accomplished actors, and that too in tough locations—how was the experience? The shooting was definitely quite challenging, but it also brought many cherished memories. I’m so grateful that so many actors had faith in me and agreed to be part of the film without knowing whether I could even direct. I also had a stellar crew. I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with such eminent actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Deepti Naval, and Raghubir Yadav, as well as younger actors at the time like Sanjay Suri, Tisca Chopra, and newcomers such as Shahana Goswami and Nawazuddin Siddiqui—some of his earliest work. Amrita Subhash too! Being an actor myself, it was such a delight to work with artists of that calibre.

Don’t you feel Firaaq should be re-released? In today’s wave of film releases, I really wish Firaaq could be re-released. That would be amazing, even though it’s available for free on YouTube in a good-quality copy and has been watched by many over the years. I’ve always believed that any art of true substance will survive, and time is the greatest judge of all art—cinema included. But there’s something so immersive and collective about watching a film in a theatre. I hope someday it will be re-released because, at the time, not many people could watch it in cinemas. Also, social media wasn’t as widespread back then, so spreading the word was much more difficult. I believe many would be interested in watching it today if it were re-released.

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