Synopsis:
Set in an alternate post apocalyptic world, the story follows Asjad, a veteran wartime photojournalist. Traumatised by his past and living a life of scarcity, Asjad seeks to take care of his gravely wounded little sister, Sila, with rare medication. Medication which he has abused during his time on field in order to cope with the horrors of war time. Asjad is determined to make this difficult time for his bedridden sister better by giving her the only thing he can: a story with a happy ending. Yet he struggles to do so as demons from his past begin to resurface. Ultimately, Asjad resorts to taking the medication in order to escape the trauma in his mind, to find enough mental peace to create the perfect heartwarming story. But can this story truly provide him with the escape he needs? Or will his actions bring unbearable consequences?
Director’s Note
I was sitting at a cafe working on the story idea for ‘Firaaq’ back in March 2021 with two of my friends. Each of us would throw in an idea adding to the tale that was brewing. A pill? Oh that’s interesting. A post apocalyptic dystopian world? I think we’re on to something here. A war veteran? Yes and a child for him to take care of? Three hours of high energy brainstorming where every word that spill out of our mouths was dictated by pure passion. That energy did not falter till we had a working storyline in our hands and my heart was screaming out with a lot of exhaustion and a whole lot of joy. That is what the entire journey making this film has been like and it was nothing short of beautiful.
The word ‘Firaaq’ has so much emotion to it, the emotion of distance and longing and grief and abandonment. It defines the experience that the film brings so fully through the sound, cinematography, set design and of course the story. The growing chaos in Asjad’s mind and his evolving relationship with Sila shows that there can’t be grief or longing or a concept of abandonment without the presence of immense love. The pain we see Asjad and Sila going through is evidence of the love between them and the goodness within their hearts.
