A film made by 35-year-old Rahat Kazmi will create history on Saturday when his film `Mantostaan' will be premiered at Cannes film festival.
From the terror corridor of Surankote to the Cannes, Rahat Kazmi's Bollywood journey has come a full circle.
The 35-year-old filmmaker from Surankote in the border district of Poonch will create history on Saturday when his film `Mantostaan' will be premiered at Cannes film festival. Shot in Jammu, Poonch and Punjab, Mantostaan is based on the burning stories of the partition by noted Urdu writer Sadaat Hasan Manto.
Intertwined by a single screenplay, Mantostaan is based on the four of Manto's greatest stories, which will be screened at the Marche Du film in Cannes on Saturday. "Khol Do, Thanda Ghosh, Akhari Salute and Assignment are some of the greatest works of Manto. It is set in the backdrop of 1947 riots and depicts the tragedies of partition", Rahat told dna.
Akhari Salute is a story based on the Indo-Pak 1947 war in Kashmir. "It is a story of predicament of the soldiers of two countries who take on each other on the Kashmir border. Sometimes these soldiers feel that they were one unit and perhaps some of them were part of same regiment before the partition. Today they are fighting each other. There is a scene about the conversation of two soldiers who have been friends before they are pitted against each other," said Rahat.
With a powerful star cast, Mantostaan was extensively shot near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch, Jammu and Punjab. "Several top notch bollywood actors including Sonal Sehgal, Rughuvir Yadav of Peepli Live fame, Kashmiri actors Shoaib Naqash Shah and Tariq Khan are playing different characters in the film," said Rahat.
In fact Rahat's work has earned him name and fame nationally as well as internationally. "My film Identity Card was based on Kashmir issue. Recently the scenes of this film were showed in European Parliament while discussing Kashmir issue. I was awarded best director in America in 2014," he said.
It has been a fairytale journey of a small village boy from remote Surankote to Bollywood. Coming from a family of noted Sufi poet Vilayat Ali Shah Bukhari who had a tremendous influence in the area, Rahat's love for films took him to Mumbai.
Such was the passion for films that he shot a movie on a small camera and screened it in the video halls of the area to test his skills. Situation turned explosive in Surnakote with daily encounters become a routine in 1998.
From all sides there was chaos and violence. Body bags, encounters and destruction was visible everywhere. Rahat decided to shift to Jammu to hone his skills and started afresh with Doordarshan
Dreams however came crashing when Doordarshan metro channel was converted into a news channel. Life changed when he directed Dekh Bhai Dekh starring Gracy Singh, Siddharth Koirala (Manish Koirala's brother), and Raghuveer Yadav in 2009.
"It was a long struggle for me and my friend and co producer Tariq Khan. Situation was very bad in Surankote. But somewhere I had a fascination of Bollywood. But I did not lost hope", said Rahat.
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