Faraaz review: The film is a gut-wrenching tale coupled with some stellar performances. It’s gruesome in parts and emotional at some places.
Faraaz isn’t an easy film to watch, neither would it have been easy to make. This Hansal Mehta directorial is based on the 2016 Dhaka terror attack, when five armed young men stormed into the Holey Artisan Bakery, and killed as many as 20 people — most of which were foreign nationals — and took several others hostage which mostly included Bangladeshi Muslims. The film depicts the bigotry the system has been long fighting with. A gut-wrenching tale coupled with some stellar performances, Faraaz hits hard. It’s gruesome in parts and emotional at some places. Also read: Faraaz director Hansal Mehta says only way to counter bigotry is through stories: ‘I will keep fighting through cinema’
Faraaz narrates the story of Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain (debutant Zahan Kapoor), who put up a brave face and stood against the hate, without giving in to what the terrorists wanted. He refused to abandon his two female friends at the time of attack and was shot dead along with them. The scenes that have been recreated inside the cafe bring back the horror and fear, leaving a lump in your throat. Through a series of conversations between Faraaz and Nibris (debutant Aditya Rawal), we are told that they had attended college together and even played a friendly football match. That’s when you realise the amount of brainwashing involved, and how these men are forced into religious wars and violence without having any remorse in taking innocent lives.
While the tragedy shook Bangladesh and remains one of the deadliest Islamic attacks in the history of the country, Mehta ensures he handles this poignant subject with extreme sensitivity. The story, co-written by Ritesh Shah, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Kakkar grips you tight and keeps you engaged for most parts. Pratham Mehta’s cinematography is on-point the way it captures the shocking violence and shows how a high-end cafe got ravaged in a matter of minutes. The film shows just the right amount of bloodshed but has immense shock value with closeup shots of bullet wounds.
