Subhash Ghai , well known for directing wholesome Bollywood entertainers, strays away from his usual style in 'Black And White' - a realistic, offbeat film with a very relevant social message.
Directed by Ghai himself, the film stars Anil Kapoor, Anurag Sinha, Shefali Shah, Aditi Sharma and theatre personality Habib Tanvir.
Character Sketches:
Anil Kapoor plays Rajan Mathur, a professor of Urdu literature at Dr. Zakir Hussain College in Delhi. He lives in Chandni Chowk along with his wife Roma Mathur (Shefali Shah), and commands a great respect in all communities.
Shefali Shah plays Roma, wife of professor Mathur. She is a social activist who fights for women's rights. She is a loving and caring person, but she doesn't hesitate to speak her mind even if it means disagreeing with her husband.
Anurag Sinha plays Numer Qazi, a young missionary who comes to Delhi with a deadly mission. He is a suicide bomber on a mission to blow himself up in a terror attack on 15th August at Red Fort. He believes in his mission and nothing can change his mind.
Aditi Sharma plays Shagufta, a local girl staying with her parents in Chandni Chowk. She falls in love with Numer Qazi at first sight. She offers a rose to the gunman.
Habib Tanvir plays Gaffar Miyan, an 85-year-old Muslim poet living in a 150-yr-old house in Chandni Chowk. He has one dream - to publish his poems on communal harmony.
Synopsis:
Set in Delhi's Chandni Chowk, 'Black And White' tells the story of a number of real and interesting characters.
An angst-filled guy named Numer Qazi comes to Delhi on a deadly mission and manages to take shelter in professor Mathur's house on a false pretext.
But during his stay in Chandni Chowk, Numer meets people who touch his life in many ways. Shagufta, a beautiful, college girl falls in love with him. The righteous professor Mathur and his sharp-tongued wife Roma give Numer a different perspective of things. An octogenarian poet teaches him the importance of communal harmony.
The D-Day draws closer. Numer must carry out his terrorizing mission. On the one hand are his love and the people who trust him. On the other is Numer's deep fundamentalist belief.
'Black and White' epitomizes the black and white psyche - a mindset that refuses to see beyond the two polarities. The film is an emotional drama that promises to entertain but also leave the audiences with a lofty message - a message to search for harmony amidst diversity. In that sense 'Black And White' seems like an idea whose time has come.
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