- Parzania
Infobox Film
name =Parzania
director =Rahul Dholakia
producer = Rahul Dholakia
Kamal Patel
writer =David N. Donihue ,Rahul Dholakia
starring =Naseeruddin Shah Sarika Corin Nemec
music = Zakir HussainTaufiq Qureshi
cinematography = Robert D. Eras
editing = Aarif Sheikh
distributor =
released =January 26 ,2007
runtime =122 min
language = English
imdb_id =0433425"Parzania" ('Heaven & Hell On Earth' in English)(2007) is an award-winning
India n filmdrama directed byRahul Dholakia , written byDavid N. Donihue ,Rahul Dholakia starringNaseeruddin Shah ,Sarika andCorin Nemec .The film is inspired by the true story of 10 year old Parsi boy, "Azhar Mody", known as Parzaan in the film, who disappeared during the communal riots in Gujarat [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/20/movies/20parz.html?_r=1&oref=slogin In India, Showing Sectarian Pain to Eyes That Are Closed]
New York Times ,February 20 ,2007 inAhmedabad . ] , on 28th February, 2002. It is based on and inspired by the true incidents that took place in Ahmedabad during the riots.Plot
Allan (
Corin Nemec ), an American, arrives in Ahmedabad searching for answers, praying to find internal peace and understand the world and his troubled life. Allan has chosen India as his school and Gandhi as his subject. It’s here that he meets Cyrus and his loving family. Cyrus (Naseeruddin Shah ) lives with his wife Shernaz (Sarika ), son Parzan (Parzan Dastur) and daughter Dilshad (Pearl Barsiwala). They areParsis or followers ofZoroastrianism . Through Cyrus's family, and the teachings of an old Indian scholar, Allan starts to find peace of mind, right before the rest of the country loses its sanity. One fine morning a train carrying 58 Hindus returning from a pilgrimage called "Karsevaks" is burnt allegedly by Muslim extremists [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/343140/Heaven-Hell-On-Earth/overview Heaven & Hell On Earth (2006) - Overview]New York Times .] .Within 24 hours of the incident, riots break up in Ahmedabad. Innocent men, women and children are killed in one of the largest acts of communal sectarian violence.In the midst of the murder, terror and violence, little Parzan who is mistaken for a
Muslim disappears.In the aftermath of the riots, Cyrus (Parzan's father) searches for his missing child while at the same time fighting for his own sanity. Allan who originally came on a soul searching mission now battles to uncover the reason behind the mass murder in an effort to try and make some sense of the incident. What he goes on to find find shocks him. Other people too start to question the 'official' explanations they are being given through the Indian news and consequently, a Human Rights Commission is formed. But will the truth finally be out? Will it remain concealed? Does the truth matter to those it did not happen to? Does any of this even matter to the distraught family that now just aims to find their lost child?
Release controversy
Because the film was about communal riots in Gujarat, the film was purposefully not released in
Gujarat . The film shows a Muslim locality being attacked by a Hindu mob.Awards
2006 National Film Awards (India )
* Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Actress -Sarika
* Won - Golden Lotus Award - Best Direction -Rahul Dholakia Cast
* Naseeruddin Shah
* Corin Nemec
* Sarika
* Parzan Dastur
* Pearl Barsiwalla
* Raj Zutshi
* Asif BasraReferences
External links
*imdb title|id=0433425|title=Parzania
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