Ambassadors of Pakistan, Sri Lanka grace Des Pardes short film

It’s the working class who understands the pain and joy without any boundries, depicts short film by the Creative 9 Team, supported by UNIMONI EXCHANGE reports Vinod Raghavan

Des Pardes a short film created by The Creative 9 Team and supported by Unimoni Exchange was premiered at a private screening at a starred hotel in Ruwi, Muscat on Tuesday evening, in the presence of distinguished guests and dignitaries.

The Ambassador of Pakistan Imran Ali Chaudhary and Ambassador of Sri Lanka Ahamed Lebbe Sabarullah Khan, were the chief guests alongwith Boban M.P, CEO of Unimoni Exchange.

The 24 minute film directed by well known journalist and filmmaker Anirban Ray, portrays the blue-collared workers from different nationalities viz. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, work together, staying in a labour camp and also they play cricket, which is a major binding factor amongst the expats from the Asian countries in the Sultanate of Oman to share their joy and sorrow moments together.

The story by Kabeer Yousuf, another Journalist and actor, highlights the problems of these expat workers and their hope and belief in camaradiereship which brings them closer.

The story takes a twist, on a weekly off on Friday, when Akther (Sami Sarang) a Pakistani blue collar labour gets a call from his wife portrayed by the Mumbai girl – Pooja Ajwani as their little daughter Ayesha (Alankrita) is severely ill and is struggling for life and death.

The director got the best emotional scene from Ayesha, where she yells on her husband and says “Aapko kuch fikar hai hamari, Ayesha ki Tabiyat kharab hotey ja rahi hai” (are you aware of what we are facing back home and our little one’s condition is worsening). A moved Akther, tries to pacify her.

Being a holiday, all his colleagues are busy in cooking, washing, playing cricket and getting their weekly groceries from the nearby mall, which is about 5 km from the Pakistani Labour Camp in Wadi Kabir, as they go by cycle or walking.

The director with his skill and vision plays with the emotions of all four labourers who leave halfway their favourite game cricket on a Friday holiday on seeing the heart-broken Akther, weeping and pleading for his pending salary with the camp boss.

The camp boss played by (Ansar Abdul) was enjoying the world cup cricket match, gets irritated on seeing Akther coming after him for money.

The workers watching helpless Akther, Mohammed Jamal from Bangladesh lungs forward in full power with his bat towards the camp boss, but the kind-hearted Pakistani Akther, stops him, inspite of his little daughter struggling for life.

The small salaried workers felt, that this is the time to unite and stand and brilliantly captures all three of them with their eye contacts agrees to share Akther’s burden on their little shoulder.

Without villains, films cannot be completed, so, this film also has three villain characters from different shades. Arun’s father a retired school headmaster in Kerala, is harassed by local goondas headed by Sumesh Hariharan and his henchman Bittu a Dharavi-based side-kick. The veteran Sujathan Master, a well-known theatre personality from Kerala, who was in Muscat for a Malayalam drama, was roped in for a brief role, was stalked by these goondas, a shattered Master calls up his son Arun (Kabeer Yousuf) about the ordeal he faced in full public glare in a busy market.

The second goonda, Assistant camp boss, demanding Hafta or labourers contribution reminds the scene from the iconic Yash Chopra film Deewar, where Amitabh Bachchan as a coolie refuses to pay hafta to the goons. Here Jamal, refuses to pay for Birthday celebration of the camp boss and others too join the Bangladeshi.

Jamal, remembers how his brother alongwith others were shot while crossing borders in Mexico.

The infiltrators crossing the border scene was captured under the fading sunlights of Muscat. Sabitha Lijo Alex, with three others plays the role of infiltrators, as she was shot at by the officer, her brother and others leave her and runs with their lives in hand, she cries, “Dada, aamek Jeebo (brother I want to live) which reminds the iconic scene from Ritwik Ghatak’s Bengali film Megha Dhake Taaro.

The officer’s role was portrayed by Shan Hari.

Interestingly, the young Sinhala couple played by Samantha (Jordan Lesley) and Mallika (Salma), had their worries of getting married. In that time another local Romeo (Lahiru Saminda) bumps in and asks Mallika to marry him and he will keep her happy. As she asks him not to talk ill about her fiancée, he threatens her. Lahiru is in his natural best.

“This is a story that awakens our conscience and shed light on the goodness factor that is underlying in our hearts,” said Boban MP.

Pakistan Ambassador, was very much touched with the film and assured that he will be organizing the film show at Pakistan Embassy in Muscat very soon.

At the Haffa Hotel, after the film show, quiz related to the film was asked and five of them bagged prizes viz. Sajeeva Jayasuriya, Rizwana Kabeer Yousuf, Monty Navani, Alankrita Lijo Alex and Sajid, the prizes were sponsored by Al Saif Perfumes, Oman.

The event was anchored and compered by Joice Joy of Unimoni Exchange, Reeha Kabeer Yousuf and Piya Pawani.