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Shoot at sight

The great divide A Wednesday takes a totally hardline view of the so-called Islamist terrorism

After 9/11 a new figure has appeared in international movies – he is young, Asian, speaks fluent Urdu and is willing to give up his life for a cause. Until then, brown skin in a Hollywood film was a rarity. The Asians were usually caricatures. Therefore, the sight of a brown man post 9/11 in TV and film should have been welcomed. But of course, our happiness died soon enough because the usual, though pivotal role given to these actors is that either of a terrorist or a corrupt cop. These images have a long lasting impact. Which is why the ‘terror films’ should be frequently re-evaluated and questions should be asked whether these are actually promoting more hate and stereotypes. It is this inability to empathise with the ‘other’ community which creates a wall of misunderstanding. From there it is but a small step towards a violent encounter of some kind.

The line between television reporting and cinema is also getting increasingly blurred. Due to intrusive, 24-hour television we are often subject to hourly haranguing about the activities of suspected ‘terrorists’.

This constant desire for ‘breaking news’ has also led to another character becoming quite popular in the movies – that of the journalist caught in the middle of a terrorist attack. Recent films being made in India and which deal with these terror attacks have frequently used the growing number of real life TV channels and their staff. And that, in fact, has become confusing, the film is no longer fictional, it appears ‘factional’ a mixture of fact and fiction; and there is no need for a suspension of disbelief – because the audience believes the drama unfolding in front of them. Well known faces and names of journalists form part of the story – so that whatever happens on screen gets a peculiar credibility. If we examine two films “Khuda Kay Liye” (In the name of God) made by Pakistani director Shoaib Mansoor and “A Wednesday” written and directed by Neeraj Pandey, we will find a very different use of the symbols of a community and terrorism. In one, the story construct diminishes the fear and loathing, whilst in the other the symbols of fear are played up. Both deal with terrorism – but in two completely different ways. “Khuda Kay Liye” is the explanatory film, which explores why educated young Pakistanis turn to terrorism, become jihadis and even part of the Al Qaeda. However, “A Wednesday”, takes a totally hard line view of the so-called ‘Islamist’ terrorism. It refuses to be sympathetic to the terrorists, because this is the story of a victim who decides to take revenge. It makes no effort to learn the back story of the four jail birds.All the four terrorists in the film have Muslim names, clearly spelt out, but the common man remains nameless. Even in a country where there are over 150 million Muslims, and where the film industry has a large Muslim population – the stereotypes are not forgotten primarily, perhaps, because most of them are seen to have been exported to India from Pakistan. The only good Muslim is the Indian born and bred police officer.

Both the films were well receivedbut both send out different messages. The Pakistani film is an apology of what has happened, portraying the fundamentalists as victims themselves. On the other hand the Indian film is unapologetically savage – and the brutality is directed towards the terrorists.It is fine to massacre them the way they have massacred the innocents.

This kind of mob justice, as advocated in the film, is exactly what civil society should resist as it leads to vigilantism of the worst kind. However, till our filmmakers understand that the film is a political tool and can be completely misunderstood, there will be no reversal of this trend. Unlike Pakistan which has a huge stake in this process – for the rest of the world the discovery of the Pakistani terrorist is just another element they can build into a crackling good tale, feeding off the collective hatred of the audience.

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