Hansal Mehta: ‘Faraaz’ is about standing tall in the face of adversity

The director talks about how religion is being used as a polarising influence and the disturbing silence of the liberals

February 02, 2023 02:50 pm | Updated 04:34 pm IST

Hansal Mehta

Hansal Mehta | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

When one met Hansal Mehta in the restroom of a Delhi multiplex after the screening of his latest film Faraaz, the theme song ‘Musafir Ko Bhatak Ke Ghar Hi Aana Hai’ (the wandering traveller must return home) was reverberating in the air. As we remarked that with the film — which is based on the terrorist attack in an upscale Dhaka café in 2016 — he is back to the space that made him a creative force to reckon with, the writer-director responds that the song very much defines him as well.

After unsuccessfully serenading Simran and taking a Chhalaang to nowhere, Hansal is once again probing what makes a young mind cross over to violent means in the name of religion. He describes Faraaz as “a companion piece” to Shahid (2012) and Omerta (2017) and perhaps his “tightest film” so far. “I know only one way to express concern about our times, and that is through chronicling stories of our times, and I will continue doing it. if Scam 1992 was about the beginning of the systemic rot, Faraaz is about the rot in the mental make-up of human beings,” he says.

Marking the debut of Zahan Kapoor (grandson of Shashi Kapoor) in the titular role, it is the story of a claustrophobic night that follows the macabre events of July 2016 when five militants opened fire and took hostages in the Holey Artisanal Café in Bangladesh’s capital. One of the victims was Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, who, being a Muslim, was not the target of the young militants, but he refused to abandon his two friends in the restaurant. He was awarded the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award in 2016. Faraaz, and the ceremony where his mother Simeen delivered a moving speech, became a catalyst for Hansal to chart his incredible story of fortitude. “For me, Faraaz is not necessarily a character. He is a metaphor for standing tall in the face of adversity.”

Edited excerpts from an interview:

How did you decide to make a film on this particular subject?

(Mahesh) Bhatt sahib attended the ceremony and suggested that a film could be made around it. In Faraaz, he did have an interesting character but to have an entire narrative, we started researching and digging into the details. In the process, we found the story of one tense night when an entire country was held hostage by five youngsters. Eventually, it became a story of my exploration of young minds. I realised that they were there inside the café but there was no demand; it was just to attract attention. The country was hostage to an amateurish attack. There is a line in the film that says, “You are just a bully with a gun who wants to feel special for one night.” They were brainwashed into doing it without knowing why.

Tell us about what went into the research for ‘Faraaz’?

We spent some time in Dhaka, and I took Zahan along. We met some survivors and there is a book in Bangla on the massacre that we got translated. We realised there were hours and hours of inactivity in between the killings, the rescue attempts, and the release of hostages in the morning. Faraaz came from an influential family and his mother tried to pull the strings, but the privilege helps you only up to a point. During a crisis, when you strip people of their privilege, they are just another human being. Faraaz had the opportunity to walk away... but he did not.

Hansal Mehta on the sets of ‘Faraaz’

Hansal Mehta on the sets of ‘Faraaz’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Was there a temptation to dramatise it a bit more with the backstories of the characters?

What happens in our films usually is that we set up things too much. After a small prologue, I wanted the audience to be inside the café and discover people in the moment of crisis.

Is it right to say that by making a film on a massacre — in the name of religion — in a neighbouring country, you are cautioning polarising forces in the country?

I think religion and religious identity have been muddled up in today’s world. We use religion as a polarising influence rather than as a unifying factor. You can replace Islam with any other religion. Using religion as a means of violence is wrong. Religion teaches us the righteous path to humanism, but we are justifying inhuman acts through religion. The idea is to open a conversation on good and bad.

The poster of ‘Faraaz’

The poster of ‘Faraaz’

Is ‘Faraaz’ a response to the shrinking liberal discourse?

As the liberal voices have withdrawn, it is important to know that the conversation about good Muslims vs bad Muslims has been taken over by rabid voices. The voices that endorsed Shahid have become a bit quiet, as, over the years, cynicism and fear have taken over. Coming from a liberal space, rather than shying away, I wanted to have that dialogue. When the leader of the terror group asks Faraaz why he does not see what is happening in Palestine or what the US is doing in West Asia, Faraaz doesn’t disagree with the issues. He says there is a lot that is wrong with this world, but asks them if this is the answer.

Tell us about the casting process. Juhi Babbar is a revelation as the mother...

The presence of casting director Mukesh Chhabra and the backing of producer Anubhav Sinha allowed me to cast fearlessly. Juhi has been doing theatre and we instinctively felt that she suited the part. The boys came through workshops. Aditya Rawal who plays the leader of the terror pack is Paresh Rawal’s son. He has done a film, but here he got a platform to showcase his incredible talent.

Zahan has that face that is instantly likeable, and yet has that look of privilege somewhere. He is a boy with incredible integrity. Coming from an illustrious family whose three generations worked in films, I told him that it is not a launch vehicle in the conventional sense, but he will be seen as an actor and will be appreciated for making a brave choice; I am glad that he did it.

Faraaz will premiere in theatres on February 3

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