Faraaz

<p>The film commences with playful banter among the five in , ultimately leading them to . family discord unfolds, but he later joins his friends at the bakery, where they get taken . An unexpected attack on police officers near the bakery intensifies the situation. Inside, tensions rise as hostages are held captive. The police attempt a standoff but face challenges without a blueprint. advises mission cancellation for hostage safety, triggering global news coverage. Faraaz’s mother, Simeen, confronts , adding to the external pressure. Midnight arrives, tensions escalate, and a clash between Nibras and Faraaz occurs. Despite a brief truce, Rohan’s attempt to leave results in his death. Nibras announces freedom for hostages, except for Faraaz’s friends. A heated exchange leads to Faraaz’s declaration before his tragic end. Outside, reinforcements from , , , , and join for a final assault, ending the terrorists’ reign. Before that, Nibras kills Faraaz and his friends. Later in the aftermath of the attack, Faraaz’s mother, Simeen, presents him winning the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award. The rights of Bangladeshi crime reporter Nuruzzaman Labu’s 2017 book , about the , were acquired by and ‘s in 2020. was chosen as the film’s director and Vishesh included and as the producers. On 5 August 2021, the director Hansal Mehta revealed . A joint production, with and depicting the in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Newcomers Aditya Rawal, Zahan Kapoor, Jatin Sarin, Sachin Lalwani, Ninad Bhatt, Harshal Pawar, Palak Lalwani, and Reshham Sahaani were cast in the film. The filming, which took place in , began in June 2021 and ended on 15 August 2021. The in was recreated in Mumbai. Plans to shoot the film on location in Bangladesh were dropped due to the . The film premiered at the on 15 October 2022 in ‘Thrill’ section. It was released in India on 3 February 2023, after refused to grant stay for release in a suit filed by the mothers of two girls who died in the terrorist attack. The film has been criticized for allegedly “exploiting a horrifying tragedy for profit without asking the permission of victims family.” The film’s director Mehta defends against those remarks by referring to a opinion article that emphasizes ” ” and “being a target of .” Ruba Ahmed, the mother of Abinta Kabir, who was killed in the attack, filed a writ on 12 February 2023, seeking a ban on the film for misrepresenting her daughter and Bangladesh. After hearing that writ petition, the bench of and ordered the film to be banned from theatrical and streaming services for being misleading. Though the case is still ongoing in that country. A similar plea by families of the victims, at the , to ban the film in India did not succeed though the court ordered the addition of a disclaimer at the film’s beginning. The film is critical of the handling of the terror attack by the and Mehta later said that he was harassed by Bangladeshi and Indian government officials, the latter wary of straining relations with the government. He also claimed to have declined a pre-screening request by , the at the time of its release. Nuruzzaman Labu, on whose book the film is based, stated that plans to release by the terrorists, as depicted in the film, and Faraaz’s reluctance for want of saving his friends were false. He said that his book does not mention this and none of the witnesses or hostages at the attest this. He opined the change in the film was to find a heroic for the plot, and did not particularly object the depiction. The film has two songs, “Musafir Ko” written and composed by Sameer Rahat; and “Khairiyat Se” composed and produced by Sameer Rahat and written by Alok Ranjan Srivastava and Sameer Rahat. received mediocre reviews from critics and audiences. On the website , 67% of 12 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. Monika Rawal Kukreja reviewing for praised the performance of ensemble writing, “some fine performances such as: as Faraaz’s mother is terrific, Aditya Rawal, his brutal portrayal as the brainwashed youth that leaves you in awe, Zahan Kapoor delivers a restrained performance and emotes beautifully”. Kukreja praised the lyrics of the song “Musafir ko ghar he aana hai” saying, “[the] highlight of remains the soulful, moving lyrics.” Concluding, Kukreja wrote, ” doesn’t set out to send you home with a moral lesson yet puts across its point very subtly.” Dishya Sharma of rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, ” is a trademark Hansal Mehta film and is not for the weak-hearted. The film is bound to leave you disturbed and empty by the end of it.” Renuka Vyavahare writing for rated 3.5 out of 5 and wrote, “Hansal Mehta’s acclaimed body of work is testament to his sensibility”. Praising the performances of the ensemble she wrote, “every new actor gives a sincere performance”, she appreciated Aditya Rawal who, she said, “portrays every aspect of his character perfectly,” and Zahan Kapoor for, “his balanced and effective titular role.” For others, Vyavahare said, “Newcomers Sachin Lalwani and Reshham Sahaani along with Juhi Babbar play their parts with conviction.” Concluding, Vyavahare opined, “As a confined space hostage thriller, Faraaz is adequately gripping and impactful. It, however, isn’t as claustrophobic and gut-wrenching as a or .” Anuj Kumar writing in praised the performances of: Juhi Babbar writing, “Juhi brings out the guts and grace of the character with a deft performance”, Zahan Kapoor saying, “Zahan gets the tonality of Faraaz right” and Aditya Rawal stating, “Aditya is a revelation as Nibras.” Concluding, Kumar mentioned the present scenario of “religious chauvinism” and wrote, ” is an ache that will gradually grow on the discerning.” of gave the movie 2 out of 5 starts rating and states “At a time where rampant bigotry and muscular nationalism is on the rise, films which give us humans of all shades are more than welcome.”</p>