Shikara

Dr. Shiv Kumar Dhar and his wife Shanti have spent 28 long years in a refugee camp having been a part of the Kashmiri Pandits' exodus from the valley in 1990. They had to abandon their beautiful dream home "Shikara" when friends turned foes and Hindus were mercilessly persecuted claiming that they belong to India, and Kashmir must be left to the Muslims. Shiv has patiently written to the consecutive US Presidents with the hope that one day, one of them will pay heed to his pleas and help restore his homeland to the thousands of displaced Pandits who still live in abject poverty and hardships.

Being a Vidhu Vinod Chopra film, I had my expectations from Shikara quite high. After intense films like Parinda, 1942...., Eklavya and Mission Kashmir that he directed, Shikara comes across as nothing more than a tender love story with the backdrop of the Kashmir problem and the associated Hindu exodus, completely lacking the intensity and sensitivity to the issue. Although there are a few poignant moments like when the Dhars have to leave behind their beloved home or when the entire refugee camp clamouring for a tomato to eat, the film steers clear of showcasing the hardships of living in the sad conditions or efforts needed to rebuild lives. Instead, it focuses on the soft personalities of Shiv and Shanti and to what extent the former shall go to fulfil the promise he made to his wife to take her to Taj Mahal. Shikara soft pedals the political and communal problems and in the process, loses an opportunity to rise above the ordinary. The histrionics aren't anything great to talk about, as the roles have been played by common people impacted by the exodus and not commercial actors. Shikara isn't in the same league as Vidhu Vinod Chopra's classics, in terms of overall filmmaking as well as storytelling.