Haider is a travesty, as much as Maachis was

Let us for a moment assume that Vishal Bhardwajrsquos latest movie Haider based on Shakespearersquos Hamlet is a fair depiction of life and events in the Kashmir Valley especially during the turbulent 1990s Let us also assume that it offers what is touted as the lsquoalternative narrativersquo the lsquoother versionrsquo the untold story of excesses committed by the Indian Army extensive violation of human rights by a ruthless state and suppression of democratic dissentBut first a few words about the film The script is taut and nearperfect we are not looking at factual accuracy but word craftsmanship It has been penned by Vishal Bhardwaj and journalistturnedwriterturnedJackofmanytrades Basharat Peer A disclosure would be in order at this point I have known or used to know Basharat Peer for long and have fond memories of conversations with him over coffee I find or found him warm and affectionate He has or had that rare human quality of being selfeffacingTelling the alternative narrative the other version is no doubt important But whom are you telling it to Who is Bhardwaj trying to reach out No he is not trying to entertain he is trying to inform his audienceThe film is hauntingly melancholic It captures the multihued colours of the Kashmir Valley Brooding depression to menacing rage the many emotions of a modern day Hamlet form the shades of the palette from which the colours have been dexterously used The cast excels itself In flashes theatrical in large measure understated and restrained the performance is laudable I hope I do not sound like movie critics mdash I am not and my knowledge of films is extremely limited These are merely impressions that should serve to bear witness to the fact that I mean no maliceWhich takes me to where I began Let us assume that Haider is the muchawaited other version of the truth about Jammu amp Kashmir a truth that as most critics have cawcawed Bollywood has not dared to confront till now The Indian Army picks up innocent men the men go missing they are never heard of again If found they are dead as it happened in reel life with Haiderrsquos father a good doctor and a caring soul There is a Hamletian twist to the story Haiderrsquos mother and uncle conspired to get rid of his father But thatrsquos a footnote that need not distract us We must rage against the ArmyTelling the alternative narrative the other version is no doubt important But whom are you telling it to Who is Bhardwaj trying to reach out No he is not trying to entertain he is trying to inform his audience But surely the film should also be watched by Kashmiris in the Valley the many Haiders after whom the character and role of Haider have been fashioned Surely they need to feel assuaged that their victimhood has not gone unnoticedSadly that wonrsquot be possible The cinemas in Srinagar and there were many in the city once upon a time as also the theatres in other places in the Valley have been dysfunctional for years now They were shut down after Islamists the alias of the Valleyrsquos Haiders decreed watching films as lsquounIslamicrsquo Some of the cinemas lie in ruins others are hollow shells a pathetic reminder of their glory days The properties are protected by who else the Indian ArmySo where do Kashmiris watch movies On their television sets on laptops behind closed doors away from the prying eyes of the Haiders who roam the streets waiting for an opportunity to demonstrate their hate towards India the despise they feel towards the Army for suppressing the urge for azadi what we Indians refer to in our callous ignorance as terrorismBut maybe I am wrong It is possible Haider was not meant for an allKashmiri audience in Kashmir It was meant for those who commend the Army those who do not take to separatism kindly and those who believe in the other lsquoother versionrsquo that version which includes the brutalities committed by Haiders wielding Kalashnikovs and grenades the hideous ethnic cleansing of the Valley the tragic exodus of Pandits who were given three choices much like those hounded by the Islamic State Convert leave or dieI guess the idea is to make us feel guilty Just as Maachis was meant to make us feel awful that Khalistanis were put down ruthlessly Haider like Maachis is meant to convince us that therersquos nothing called terrorism itrsquos all a figment of our imagination Itrsquos immaterial that therersquos a yawning gulf between real life and reel life So come letrsquos wring our hands in shame for not realising the truth all these yearsThe writer is a senior journalist based in the National Capital Region His Twitter handle is KanchanGupta