Credited cast: | |||
Victor Banerjee | ... | Grandfather | |
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Purav Bhandare | ... | Tahan |
Rahul Bose | ... | Zafar | |
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Ankush Dubey | ... | Idrees |
Rasika Dugal | ... | Nadira | |
Rahul Khanna | ... | Kuka Saab | |
Anupam Kher | ... | Subhan Daar | |
Fatima Sana Shaikh | |||
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Dheirya Sonecha | ... | Yaseen |
A tender fable about childhood innocence amid the realities of war is set against the rugged landscape of Kashmir, so long a flash point for the territorial claims of neighboring India and Pakistan. The title character, an eight year old mountain boy, often hears distant gunfire. But it is not until he goes on a quest to reclaim his beloved donkey, which has been confiscated as payment of his poor family's debts, that he is drawn toward a violence he has no capacity to understand. Written by Denver Film Festival
Santosh Sivan's Tahaan is a beautiful joy-ride down a child's psyche and his perception of the world around him that rotates on the give-and-take policy.
"Tahaan's meaning is different in different languages. In some languages it means 'Merciful', in Bengali it means 'Tolerance' while in some other languages it means 'Curse'. Actually here the boy is named Tahaan. " says Santosh Sivan, the director of this films. His films (Tahaan, Before the Rains, Prarambha (short), Navarasa, Anandabhadram, Theeviravaathi: The Terrorist, Malli, Halo, Asoka..) have always been something I look forward to..
The tranquil valley, reverberating with the constant shelling and army beats sets the perfect foil which paradise on earth witnesses everyday, the affection with which both the militants and the separatists handle Tahaan's inquisitiveness rather asserts the fact that irrespective of what one is , one's heart melts in front of something so innocent and beautiful. Santosh Sivan strikes the right chord with this film, one wonders why such a palpable insight into Kashmir was missing in films dealing with the same issues..
This movie will give you an experience you can't find a substitute for.. watch it for its effort..