Khamosh Pani: Silent Waters (2003)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Sabiha Sumar

Writers:

Sabiha Sumar (screenplay)
Paromita Vohra (writer)

Release Date:

25 February 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

1979. A village in Pakistan. A widow sees her 17 years old son being attracted to Islamist militants. It brings her past back...

Plot Keywords:

Village | Pakistan | Widow | Islam | Fundamentalism

Awards:

7 wins

Cast

Kiron Kher	...	Veero or Ayesha (as Kirron Kher)
Aamir Ali Malik	...	Saleem
Arsad Mahmud
Salman Shahid
Shilpa Shukla
Sarfaraz Ansari
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tanveer Ahmad	...	Sikh Pilgrim 4
Zaheer Ahmed	...	Tea Boy
Quratul Ain	...	Shanno
Abid Ali	...	Choudhary
Safdar Ali	...	Sikh Pilgrim 5
Shazim Ashraf	...	Zubair
Ejaz Baig	...	Bhatti
Tasleem Bibi	...	Allabi
Madan Gopal Singh	...	Sikh Pilgrim 1
Anjum Habibi	...	Maulana
Yousuf Jimmi	...	Tabla Player
Navtej Singh Johar	...	Jaswant
Fahim Khan	...	Muslim Man (1947)
Mubbashir Ali Khan	...	Labourer
Suhair Fariha Khan	...	Young Veero
Nadia Malik	...	Hina
Saba Malik	...	Courtesan
Gurjot Singh Mann	...	Sikh Pilgrim 2
Taj Mohammad	...	Village Maulvi
Afaq Mushtaq	...	Asif
Master Mushtaq	...	Harmonium Player
Nisar Qadri	...	Haji Munnavar
Aslam Rana	...	Vendor
K.M. Rana	...	Sikh Priest
S.A. Rehman	...	Professor
Abdul Saboor	...	Maulvi on TV
Rehan Sheikh	...	Veero / Ayesh'a Husband
Shams Uddin	...	Teashop Owner
Barkat Ullah	...	Mubarak Bhai
Aftab Zubari	...	Show Host on TV
Z.A. Zulfi	...	Expert on TV

Also Known As:

Silent Waters (Europe: English title) (International: English title)
Eau dormante (France)
Ewig fremd (Germany)
Le puits (France) (TV title)
Silent Water (International: English title)
Veeru (Pakistan: Urdu title) (working title)

Runtime:

Switzerland:99 min | Switzerland:105 min (Locarno Film Festival)

Country:

Pakistan | France | Germany

Language:

Punjabi | Urdu

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

UK:12 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Pakistan

Company:

Vidhi Films

Soundtrack:

Alif Allah

A crucible brimming over with the reality of Pakistani existence

Khamosh Pani will go down in Pakistani history as the most important work of art and politic since the country's inception. The story documents the era (1979) of the CIA-assisted killing of the democratically elected prime minister Bhutto and the installation of fundamentalist dictator General Zia ul-Haq. The film chronicles the death of love and the birth of hate as part of a continuing cycle of violence that has besieged that part of the world. Religious intolerance, bigotry and ignorance are the fierce villains of the movie. The film has managed to humanize the tragedy of the Pakistani people's struggle with fanaticism and imported agendas. What I particularly love about this film, besides the fact that it is technically remarkable, is the fact that it does not glorify death or killing. This is not a Bollywood or Lollywood melodrama. Beautiful punjabi language script adds to the authenticity of this true-to-life cinema representation of the people of the land. This film is brave to acknowledge the atrocities of displacement; of the violence against Sikhs and against women that was part of the partition of India and Pakistan. Well acted, well written and extremely well directed. Bravo!