'Film will help trace boy lost in riots'

Bhaarati K Dubey / TNN / Dec 13, 2005, 01:07 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

It has been four years since Dara Modi's son Azar went missing from a Muslim colony of Ahmedabad.

'Film will help trace boy lost in riots'

MUMBAI: It has been four years since Dara Modi's son Azar went missing from a Muslim colony of Ahmedabad. A film on the lost boy is now set for release; the father of the 12-year-old is hopeful 'Parzania' may help him to trace Azar.
Rahul Dholakia, who's filmed this riveting story of a family torn apart by the Gujarat riots, says the Modis have refused to give up the search for their missing son.
"If Dara Modi learns of a new entrant to any rehab centre or orphanage, he immediately runs to check. He believes his son is alive.
Just recently they (Modis) heard of a boy, who has lost his mental balance, living in Mumbai with a Maharashtrian family. They want to come to Mumbai to meet him."

Incidentally, Dholakia was accused of taking a "pro-Muslim" stance in 'Parzania' at the recently held IFFI festival. He had to even face allegations that the film had been funded by Dawood Ibrahim and accused of being a "pseudo-secularist" by sections of the media.
"I really don't care what people have to say about it. My intention was to focus on the family and the pain they are going through. How can I rule out the fact that the backdrop was Godhra? I can't ignore that," Dholakia says.

According to Dholakia, the family is overwhelmed by guilt for having chosen their daughter over their son during the riots.
"It was a tough choice when the Muslim community was attacked that day. The panic-stricken family ran for their life, leaving behind Azar in the chaos.
The mother wanted to go back and get her son, but was stopped by others hiding along with them. Her daughter, two years younger to Azar, tugged at her and said, 'Bhailo aavi jasse, but mummy maara maate toh jeevo'."
Dholakia says it has been difficult to sell the story to distributors, some of whom asked him to highlight the more sensational aspects of the riots that rocked the state.
One even advised him to change the title of the film to Godhra��The Burning Train, which he thought was appalling. "Mine is a story of a family that is still suffering and they are showing me ways to sell it."
Dholakia made the film with Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika. He, however, hasn't gathered enough courage to show it to the Modi family though.
"I really don't have the courage to show them the film, but it will be the biggest day of my life if the film helps Azar to come back to his parents."

End of Article