Film: Qissa
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Director: Anup Singh
Rating: ***
What's it about:
Qissa is a performance heavy film with a story that will touch your heart and make you think. A departure from the traditional style of story telling, Anup Singh sets his film during the tumultuous time of partition. Dealing with issues of gender identity the story is of Irrfan Khan and his wife Tisca Chopra who gave three daughters. Irrfan yearns for a son and when his wife bears his another daughter he decides he will raise her as a boy. Hardly a simple task, Tillotama Shome who plays this androgynous character grows up confused not understanding why she was brought up this way. There are several other tracks in the film that add drama to the story.
What's hot:
Singh is effortless in his attempt to have his lead characters Irrfan and Tisca become the characters they set out to portray. The treatment and execution of the film is mature yet engaging. Dialogues speak from the heart to you as the tale progresses. Irrfan is brilliant as Umber the man caught in a two fold battle of protecting his family lineage and also dealing with the changing political situation. Tisca gives him the perfect support and breathes life into her part. Cinematography is excellent and fills up the canvass with rich landscape. Tillotama Shome's role is tricky and difficult yet she handles the task ahead of her with confidence.
What's not:
The pace is definitely a big dampener and you need to be really patient to experience what these characters are going through. It is a serious subject so don't go expecting a partition drama in the typical sense.
What to do:
Watch it for a moving story about human emotions and people grappling with changing times. Irrfan and Tisca are terrific in Qissa.
