 
 1-800-955-5566 
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VIEWS FROM THE NEWS Ramchand Pakistani
MEHREEN JABBAR
In Urdu and Hindi with English subtitles
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|
1-800-955-5566
|
|
VIEWS FROM THE NEWS Ramchand Pakistani
MEHREEN JABBAR
In Urdu and Hindi with English subtitles
|
First-time director Mehreen Jabbar's poignant drama reflects the complexity of Pakistani-Indian, Hindu-Muslim, and Hindu-Hindu relations. Willful 8-year-old Pakistani Ramchand (Syed Fazal Hussain) is forever getting into trouble, but he tops himself when he crosses the border into India during the 2002 confrontation over Kashmir. When the boy's father, Shankar (Rashid Farooqi), follows his son, both are arrested. They're sent to a nearby prison that's run by Hindu Indians. Because Ramchand and Shankar are Hindus themselves, there should be a bond, but they're Dalits, members of the "untouchable" caste that's officially abolished but still widely rejected. Ramchand is assigned to an Indian policewoman who initially is loathe to touch him. Meanwhile, across the border, Ramchand's mother (Fire and Earth's Nandita Das) waits for her son and husband's return. Based on an actual incident, the film shows how common humanity can sometimes conquer arbitrary barriers.—Mark Jenkins