Khamosh Paani is a movie primarily set in 80’s, during Zia’s regime, in the Punjab region of Pakistan, briefly traveling between different time zones. It is about a community facing the oppression of a military dictator, communist-capitalist war of ideas, poverty and disorientation.The partition of Indian-subcontinent was indeed a tyranny for women. They were savaged, killed, raped, killed by their own family member to save honor, forced to do suicide again to save honor and traded. The central character is of a Sikh women later named Ayesha snatched from her family during the partition riots, had no choice but to marry a muslim in the Muslims-dominated Pakistan, had a child named Saleem and ironically she ends up teaching Quran to Muslim kids four decades after partition. Her kid grows up in love for a girl his mother is very fond of. Things are rosy till Zia-ul-Haq comes up with his brand of Islam in a country that is marred by a failing economy and a fairly young environment which turns from secular to so-called Islamic in the space of ten years of Jihad against Soviets. The life of Saleem follows the pattern of a typical lower middle class youth of a country struggling with religion and geo-politics. It was indeed no wonder when young Saleem who had fallen head over heels for Ayesha found solace in the extreme ideology of religion and a confused lifestyle. It is not only a look at personal lives of some individuals in difficult circumstances but it is also a commentary on the absurd government controlled religious propaganda radicalizing Pakistan It was interestingly part of the narrative how the young boy changed from a romantic lover to a radical cleric who was serving a higher purpose and had no space of love in his life. The same people with beards, the boy made fun of, gradually fascinated him with their lofty ideas. The flamboyance and energy of the youth turned a corner and started serving something which was beyond comprehension. A woman is forced to marry and a woman decides not to marry in a space of 60 years, from partition to one dictatorship and to another dictatorship, the movie was indeed ironic to begin with and to end up. It also shows hypocretic character of “chaudry “(land lord of certain area) . Movie shows that landlord is allowed to do his anti-islamic activities ; like watching mujra (girl dance show) at his place . The next day the Land lard addresses people and ask them that you people are deviating from Islam and there are some people sent by government to preach you, people are expected to follow their teachings.It shows that purpose of the Government was not to implement Islam in the whole country but purpose was to gather people. This movie also shows that the women were very much effected by new ruling. The movie beautiful portrays different basic human emotions like love, hate, anger, anxiety and confusion. It succeeds in touching upon a difficult time in the history of Pakistan.
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