Documentary brings alive ‘the unsung humanist’

Nagpur: It’s quite unfortunate that the revolutionary thinking of Hamid Dalwai did not reach and seep into the lives of many. To remedy this, and celebrate the life of Dalwai, Jyoti Subhash has directed and written a documentary, titled ‘Hamid Dalwai:

The unsung humanist’

, which was screened at Vanamati Auditorium on Sunday followed by an interaction.

A man of immense knowledge and humanity, Dalwai strived hard to spread his values of humanity. A man of letters, journalist and a social reformer, he was deprived of much deserved appreciation and acknowledgement. Many recognized writers, historians and thinkers have recently paid attention to the untouched subject about Dalwai’s life. His short-lived but lasting contribution has affected many, especially women of Muslim community, as he fought for the abolishment of triple talaq.

The documentary offered a glimpse into his life, always lived for others. “Dalwai left politics to devote himself to social reforms in the Muslim community, especially women’s rights. When most people were staunchly religious and orthodox, Dalwai was among the few religiously secular people. He strove for a uniform civil code, rather than religion specific laws, and fought to abolish triple talaq,” said Subhash.

The documentary has Naseeruddin Shah, Amruta Subash, Hameed Dabholkar, son of Narendra Dabholkar, and Kshitish Date. Subhash revealed many experiences and insights during the shooting. “I asked my daughter to be a part of the documentary, so the youth would relate to it. People have not read much about his works, but when I saw Mehrunnisa Dalwai (Hamid’s wife) receiving a lifetime achievement award on behalf of Dalwai, it affected me to the core, and I wanted to make this documentary for youngsters and audience at large,” said Subhash.

The documentary featured the beauty of working for mankind that Dalwai possessed, his friends, and family. Talking about gathering elements for the documentary, Subhash said, “Even Akashvani Pune did not have his recorded voice. I researched his life and work, and spoke to many people to understand him.”

Naseeruddin Shah’s contribution was extraordinary, as he narrated parts of Dalwai’s books, such as ‘The roof’ and ‘Fuel’, which went beautifully with the visuals. The 30 hour documentary was then edited to an hour.

The documentary tries to trace the revolutionary analysis and interpretation of Islam and politics of the community by Dalwai. “The film is a salute to this great man. He was so great, it is no exaggeration to say that filming about him was like embracing a new aspect of selfless humanity,” said Subhash.


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