Hindi Cinema needs more films like HAMID! Here's Why?

A seven-year-old Kashmiri Muslim Boy, longing for the return of his lost father seeks to attain his answers from Allah. In his materialistic quest, he ends up dialling a Hindu Jawan of the armed forces who is originally from Bihar but stationed in Kashmir. Through this unconventional assimilation of two unlikely words, Aijaz Khan concocts an engaging congregation of the diverse polarities of the child’s optimism and soldier’s pessimism. Although the narrative culminates dispensing a shared sense of repulsive realism to both the protagonists, it is largely bereft of both politicisation and romanticizing of the larger elephant in the room, the conflict in Kashmir. 

At the outset, the premise of Hamid might seem juvenile, however, the leisurely pace of the narrative gradually builds on and at no point decelerates the spirit of the content. I was particularly impressed with the quotidian essence of the conversation between, Hamid and the soldier. While it furnished a sense of familiarity with the disposition of the person on the other end of the line, it also tacitly accorded both of them the acumen to come to terms with the unsavouriness of their respective worlds. 

Talha Arshad Reshi playing the little boy Hamid, is a revelation. He effortlessly exhibits an array of emotions in a world where his innocent is marred by continual turbulence. Typifying his chastity as a metaphor for the innocence of Kashmir, his journey manifests mutilation of his ideals, courtesy external forces. However, unlike most Hindi Films highlighting a child in a lead role, the film isn’t just about Hamid coming off-age. Vikash Kumar playing Abhay the soldier, successfully switches sides from a non-sympathetic “alien” to the insides of the world he is at loggerheads with, towards soliciting enhanced benevolence and compassion. His character is a perfect embodiment of a blissfully oblivious outsider, with a limited sense of empathy at their dispense for Kashmir. 

Rasika Duggal, playing Hamid’s mother furthers the perilous helplessness as she attempts to resolve contradictions in her own demeanour. With diminishing hopes of retracing her missing husband, she carries the onerous mantle of shielding her son from every potential wrath. As glaring vulnerabilities are seamlessly juxtaposed with a tangible sense of denial, hers is a journey from within. 

There cannot be a mention of any film about Kashmir without reference to the cinematography. John Wilmor doesn’t provide you with an escape into the snow-clad mountains, rather projects the valley through the perspective of a native inhabitant. Yet the beauty lingers, not just of the visuals but of the distinctive emotions brought to life through bonafide characters in an authentic setting.

HAMID is a must watch.