Audience left numb as Osama comes alive (movie of women under the Taliban)

Express News Service ^ | September 9th, 2004 | Express News Service

[2banana]

Audience left numb as Osama comes alive

Express News Service

Pune, September 9: OPENING the week-long 2nd Asian Film Festival organised by the Aashay Film Club was the Siddiq Barmak directed film, Osama. The film portraying the suppression of women during the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, narrates the travails of a 12-year-old girl disguised as a boy by her mother to help them both survive. The film, the first feature film made in the post-Taliban era, left viewers numbness with the shocking details of life under Taliban rule.

The festival, coinciding with the 75th year of Prabhat Cinema, is organised by Aashay along with the National Film Archives of India, the Film and Television Institute of India and the Asian Film Foundation, Mumbai. Inaugurated by Vijaya Mehta, the festival was graced by Kiran Shantaram, Smita Talwalkar, Prachi Javdekar from Indira Institute of Management, Tripurari Sharan, director FTII and K Shashidharan, director, NFAI.

Inaugurating the festival Vijaya Mehta said, ‘‘Film festivals are different from other art festivals because the latter are presented live and the audience’s involvement is necessary for it’s enjoyment. Films require no great effort on the part of the audience.’’

Addressing the audience, Shantaram said, ‘‘Asian films get a raw deal in film festivals which are dominated by American and European film-makers. Thus the audience has very little or no exposure to Asian films.’’

THE SCHEDULE September 10 5 pm (NFAI) Chale Chalo (Documentary on Lagaan) 7 pm (NFAI) The Children of Heaven (Iran) 8 pm (FTII) Unnishe April, (Bengali)

September 11 5 pm (NFAI) Shwaas (Marathi) 9 pm (NFAI) The Postman in the Mountain (China)

September 12 5 pm (NFAI) Saatchya Aat Gharaat (Marathi) 6 pm (FTII) Danav (Hindi) 7 pm (NFAI) Colour of Paradise (Iran)

September 13 l 5 pm (NFAI) Memories of Murder (Korea) 8 pm (FTII) Devrai (Marathi)

September 14 8 pm (FTII) Not Only Mrs Raut (Marathi)

September 15 7 pm (NFAI) Travellers Magicians (Bhutan)

[sockmonkey]

Can you talk some details about the movie? What made the greatest impression? What still sticks in your mind?

There are so many things about this movie that overwhelmed me. Rent the DVD at Blockbuster, and you will see what I mean.

The Taliban denied women the most basic rights, and did it with such zeal, it's hard to think of one example from the movie that stands out in my mind.

When they pulled Osama out of the hole where she was hung and tortured, it became obvious she was not a male. You just knew she had bought the farm, and your heart, and stomach just dropped, hoping there would be a reprieve.

I was praying for a daisy cutter to fly over, and kill the Taliban, and put Osama out of her misery, but alas, it did not happen.

At the soccer stadium when the men all gather to watch the weekly entertainment of putting women in holes, and stoning them to death, Osama gets (rent the movie for the rest of the story).