Ramchand Pakistani Movie Review: It's the Heart that Matters, After All

Close on the heels of Khuda Key Liye comes Ramchand Pakistani from Pakistan. Directed by Mehreen Jabbar, the film is a gentle documentary on the fate of the countless who are languishing in jails in India and in Pakistan for offences as minor as crossing an imaginary line, which separates the two countries. The film is topical just like Khuda Key Liye was, but its tone is not as strident. Jabbar adopts a much more humane and gentle approach as she tells a story of one such victim, thus giving voice to a million other unheard, unseen voices.

The film documents the story of how a young Pakistani lad, Ramchand (a Pakistani Hindu), all of eight years old, strays into Indian territory by mistake, followed by his anxious father, who comes in search of him. The father and son are then captured by the security forces on this side of the border and sentenced to jail for five years. The hostilities and the mistrust between the two nations prompting moves such as these by both sides. As the two languish in jail, in heartless conditions, the helpless mother (Nandita Das) waits for them to come back. The film depicts the plight of this young boy, separated from his mother and thrust into the harsh world of the jail, forced to grow up before his time. However, his father tries his best to protect his son from the cruelties of the world. But it is the prisoners, the so called criminals of the world, who actually show true humanity, in the manner in which they rally around the two and support them, transcending all borders of caste, religion and nationality. The cold harsh face of authority too reveals its humane side in the form of one of the cops, who befriends Ramchand and starts tutoring him.

The film's highlight is its very moving and touching theme. It assumes a sensitive nature because of the relations between both countries and one must say that the director has done a very competent job in being able to bring out the pathos of the human condition without resorting to any kind of rhetoric. The story is simple and Jabbar manages to render it in an equally simple manner, without taking recourse to any kind of gimmicks.

The film is not outstanding but it is extremely moving and it is made even more so by the performance of the lead actor who enacts the role of the young Ramchand, Syed Fazal Hussian, as well as the acting of the slightly grown up Ramchand, Naviad Jabbar. Nandita Das as Ramchand's helpless mother is a treat to watch as well. She delivers another subtle but intense performance. Rashid Farooqui as Ramchand's father, Maria Wasti as the cop who befriends Ramchand, are also very effective. In fact, the entire ensemble cast, consisting of the prisoners and the cops, fit their roles perfectly and their performances are just right.

The film stays as true to life as it is possible, based as it is on a true story. Jabbar highlights the issue in a suitably sensitive manner. One feels though, that the film could have done with a more focused screenplay. Some of the shots of the desert are quite stunning in nature, in an otherwise stark landscape of the film. Technically, however, the film does not stand on strong ground but since it has its heart in the right place, it works and holds one's interest.