Ramchand Pakistani
| Ramchand Pakistani رام چند پاکستانی |
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 Movie poster for Ramchand Pakistani |
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| Directed by | Mehreen Jabbar |
| Produced by | Javed Jabbar |
| Written by | Javed Jabbar |
| Screenplay by | Mohammad Ahmed |
| Starring | Nandita Das, Rashid Farooqi, Syed Fazel Hussain, Maria Wasti, Noman Ijaz |
| Music by | Debajyoti Mishra, Surya Mitra, Shiraj Hussain |
| Cinematography | Sofian Khan |
| Editing by | Aseem Sinha |
| Release date(s) | October 2, 2008 |
| Running time | 103 min |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Language | Urdu |
Ramchand Pakistani (Urdu: رام چند پاکستانی) is a Pakistani Urdu film that tells a true story[1] about a boy who inadvertently crosses the border between Pakistan and India and the following ordeal that his family has to go through.
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[edit] Synopsis
Nandita Das plays Champa, a Hindu woman who is left desolate when her young son and husband disappear one day from their village at the Pakistan-India border near Nagarparkar, in Tharparkar. Nandita Das is the only non-Pakistani actor in the large cast comprising well-known Pakistani TV and stage personalities including Rashid Farooqi, Noman Aijaz, Maria Wasti, Zhalay Sarhadi, Syed Fazal Ahmed, (who plays the title role) Farooq Pario, Shahood Alvi, Adarsh Ayaz, Salim Mairaj, Tipu, and Navaid Jabbar (no relation to the producer or director).
Ramchaal crossing of the Pakistan-India border during a period (June 2002) of extreme, war-like tension between the two countries by two members of a Pakistani Hindu family belonging to the 'untouchable' Dalit caste, and the extraordinary consequences of this unintended action upon the lives of a woman, a man, and their son.
The singular theme of the film is how a child from Pakistan aged eight years learns to cope with the trauma of forced separation from his mother while being held prisoner, along with his father in the jail of a country i.e. India, which is hostile to his own, while on the other side of the border, the wife-mother, devastated by their sudden disappearance builds a new chapter of her life, by her solitary struggle for sheer survival.
The film portrays a true picture of how the people living close to the border unknowingly cross border and how they are used by both the nations as pawns to negotiate and prove each others point.
[edit] Plot
This is a simple story, told very simply. Ramchand is a 8 year old Pakistani Hindu living near the border to India with his parents. He has a rather petulant anger, and on such occasion, crosses over the border inadvertently and is caught by Indian forces. His father sees him wander over and follows him, to be also captured. His mom realizes this the next day with the help of friends, but is powerless to do anything about it, other than spend her days waiting for them to return.
At first, the prisoner father-son duo find it tough to adjust, but they settle down eventually. The movie spans a period of 4 to 5 years before they are released. The strength of the movie is in the telling of the tale, aided by the power of the uniformly strong acting and delicate direction. With such an ominous premise, the fact that neither country is vilified is a huge relief, if slightly incredible.
[edit] Overview
The film was released in Pakistan and India in September 2008. Screenplay by Mohammad Ahmed and produced by Javed Jabbar. The music directors are Debojyoti Mishra, Surya Mitra, Shiraj Ahmed lyrics by Anwar Maqsood and the songs are sung by Shubha Mudgal and Shafqat Amanat Ali. The cinematographer is Sofian Khan, the associate producer is Mariam Mukaty, and the creative consultant is Sonia Rehman Qureshi.
Till March 2009, the film has won:
1. FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics at the Osian Film Festival, July, 2008
2. Honourable Mention by the 13th Annual Satyajit Ray Award at the 2008 London Film Festival.
3. Best Actor for Rashid Farooqi at the KaraFilm Festival, Pakistan, 2009
4. Audience Award at the Fribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland, March 2009.
5. Honourable Mention by the Eucumenical Jury at the Fribourg International Film Festival, March 2009.
6. Honourable Mention by the E Changer Award at the Fribourg Int'l Film Festival, March 2009
[edit] Cast
- Nandita Das as Champa
- Syed Fazal Hussain as Younger Ramchand
- Navaid Jabbar as Older Ramchand
- Rashid Farooqui as Shankar
- Maria Wasti as Kamla
- Nouman Ijaz as Abdullah
- Adnan Shah as Sharma
- Adarsh Ayaz as Moti
- Farooq Pario as Suresh
- Shahood Alvi as Asif Hussain
- Zhaley Sarhadi as Lakshmi
- Atif Badar as Lalu
- Saleem Mairaj as Vishesh
- Saif-e-Hasan as Murad
- Rao Saleem as Interrogator, Border Security Force, India
- Karim Bux Baloch as Baloch
- Master Yaqub as Baba Gul
- Hassan Niazi as Deepak
- Kazim Raza as Professor
- Muhammad Rafiq as Bengali
- Sajid Shah as Inspector, Border Security Force, India
- Iqbal Motilani as Maulvi
- Anis Chachar as Captain Saleem
The film has seven songs composed by Debojyoti mishra. Two guest composers were,surya mitra & shiraj hussain
[edit] SoundTrack
| Track | Song | Singers | Composer | Duration |
| 01 | Teri Meri Preet | Shubha Mudgal | Debojyoti Mishra | 5:34 |
| 02 | Allah Megh De | Shubha Mudgal & Shafqat Amanat Ali | Debojyoti Mishra | 4:41 |
| 03 | Phir Wahi Raste | Shafqat Amanat Ali | Debojyoti Mishra | 5:52 |
| 04 | Khari Neem Key Neechay | Shubha Mudgal | Debojyoti Mishra | 5:24 |
| 05 | Tarrin Paunda | Shafqat Amanat Ali | Debojyoti Mishra | 6:09 |
| 06 | Meri Maat | Instrumental | Debojyoti Mishra | 4:19 |
