Dinesh Kamath's column 'Movie World: Dia Mirza’s 'Kaafir' is a must watch' that was published in Newsband

Movie World

Dia Mirza’s Kaafir is a must watch

By Dinesh Kamath

Actor Dia Mirza is promoting her upcoming web series Kaafir. The web series stars Dia Mirza and Mohit Raina. Directed by Sonam Nair, Kaafir will premiere on Zee5 on June 15.

Dia Mirza was blown away by the humanity of the storyline. The theme of the web series ‘Kaafir’ is so powerful that it will transcend all barriers. ‘Kaafir’ is based on the struggle of a Pakistani woman and her daughter who have crossed into India and are held prisoner. The Kashmir-set story is inspired by true events, there was a deep sense of curiosity to understand what this entire situation entailed for women and how they got their freedom.

When Dia first heard a one-line narration from Siddharth Malhotra [producer of the show], her instantaneous reaction was ‘you have to tell the story’. And then of course when she read the script that Bhavani Iyer had written, she was blown away by how much humanity there was in the story.

Dia found that the real challenge was to understand how prejudice works. Because it is such an inward journey and there is so much that one is representative of through the character and the narrative, within the storyline, the real challenge was to understand in depth what prejudice does to us as people. Prejudices create divisions among us. They fundamentally rob us of our true spirit — which is love.

Reasons why Dia Mirza’s Kaafir is a must watch are plenty. The series is about the journey of a young Pakistani mother who comes to India under a series of strange circumstances and is unable to go back home. The series revolves around the relationship between this accused militant and her lawyer who does her justice, his mission. In a film with such a challenging story, Mohit Raina and Dia Mirza makes his web debut with ZEE5 original series Kaafir. Kaafir has been written by Raazi fame Bhavani Iyer. Kaafir has been extensively shot in Himachal Pradesh. Swanand Kirkire has lent his voice for Kaafir. Kaafir revolves around a Pakistani girl in an Indian jail. Kaafir has been inspired by true events. It bothers me when identities are viewed through a religious lens.

Dia Mirza, who was born to a Christian father, a Bengali mother and raised in a Muslim home, says her identity has never been limited to religion, culture, caste or community. Art suffers at the hands of fear. As someone who grew up in a secular atmosphere, actor Dia Mirza says she is pained when people are viewed through a religious lens. Her identity has always been of a citizen of this planet and a human being.

If you go back to history, every time human beings have moved towards majoritarianism, they have gone away from inclusivity and they have suffered. They have suffered at the hands of fear. The actor said those who propagate singular ideologies are the ones “who want to control us.” People want to control us by driving or re-enforcing fear. The only thing which can free us from this fear is art. This is why art exists. This is why we tell stories. We tell stories to evoke human empathy, compassion and to navigate human compass.

Prejudices and labels limit us. We aren’t born with any understanding of what faith, religion, community or country we belong to. We are taught prejudices which have done nothing but harm us. We need to unlearn all of them. The series revolves around the relationship between the woman, who is accused of militancy, and her Indian lawyer (Mohit Raina) who makes her justice his sole objective.

Doing the show has been truly empowering for Dia. It is actually with a great sense of urgency that the story is told. It’s done in a manner that is inclusive. That’s the most powerful thing about ‘Kaafir’. While Dia’s character may belong to Pakistan and Mohit’s may belong to India, they are not limited to these demarcations. People in any part of the world will resonate with these characters.

The politics and conflict of Jammu and Kashmir serve as a reminder of how humanity has failed the region. We speak of peace, opportunity, equality and then you see what happens on the other end, where regions are torn and ravaged over a period of time. That have robbed children of their childhood, youth of the opportunities and have deprived them of basic human right. It’s not just heartbreaking, it’s deeply agonising.

The actor recalls how she was invited by the Indian army two years ago to Baramulla and what she saw there troubles her even today. Everytime, she looked outside the window, she saw the most pristine environment, beautiful mountains that surrounded them. But the windows of the people who lived there were shut. Dia hopes that when she returns once again, these windows and doors are open. We won’t think twice before opening our windows but these people can’t do that. This is what it means to live in conflict.

Dia plays an alleged militant who has been behind bars for many years. Her young daughter was born behind bars. Mohit Raina plays the journalist. He also happens to be a lawyer who starts his practice again, just for this case. It is the most compelling, heart-rending and beautiful story. Dia feels extremely lucky to play Kainaaz. The character and the places that it goes, she hasn’t done that before.

Thus Kaafir has been directed by Sonam Nair (Gippy) and written by Bhavani Iyer, who co-wrote the screenplay for Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi (2018). The series will be out on Zee5 on June 15. This project marks Dia’s debut in the digital space. She spoke about the rise of the digital platform. What was considered small budget films are doing phenomenal numbers. The content-driven films are no more just risk-taking projects. Also, credible talent is backing such films. The audience is not just evolving but appreciating good stories also.

As far as Mohit Raina is concerned, this story is so powerful, all the more so because it’s a true story, that there was a big responsibility on his shoulders to do it justice. He has been able to stay true to the deep, rich, compelling characters and all the turmoil they have gone through. This experience has been unforgettable, it has changed all. The series is very relevant and important for the times they live in. With ZEE5’s massive reach the show will penetrate across borders.

Kaafir is a compelling story and it is important for it to reach the larger spectrum of audiences. The story has been shown from the perspective of Mohit’s character, Vedant and each element of the film has been beautifully tied together. The show marks his digital debut and he could not have asked for a better platform than ZEE5. All have tirelessly worked on this and the series will surely make the audiences stop and ponder.

Kaafir is a story which will surely stay with both the actors together forever. Essaying the role of Kainaaz took an emotional toll on Dia specially and she cannot even imagine how the woman on which the story is based must have braved these incidents in her life. She hopes every Kainaaz finds her Vedant.

Talking about the child, Dia is playing mother to the little girl Dishita Jain. Dishita is a very special child. Dia had fun while shooting with her. Dishita brought a different side of Mohit. He is wonderful with children. Dishita and Mohit share a very special relationship on-screen and off-screen.

Dia’s character is so complex, she has not come out of the character yet. There have been so many scenes where even the camera had stop rolling. When she read the script, the only thing that she was conscious of and worked hard on was to become Kainaaz. I didn’t want to act. This story has empowered her unlike any other. The story just makes you feel and that is the power of Bhavani’s writing.