By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Hansal Mehta
Starring: Kay Kay Menon | Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub | Pawan Kumar | Prabhleen Sandhu | Raj Kumar Yadav | Shalini Vatsa | Vinod Rawat | Vipin Sharma | Vivek Ghamande
Country: india
Year: 2012
Running time: 123
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2181831/
Bruce says: “The ticket for this film arrived in my Toronto Film Festival packet by mistake. Initially I planned to exchange it then decided to treat it as an omen. SHAHID, one of many films in a special City-to-City series involving films from Mumbai, is based on the true story of a man who by serendipity becomes a lawyer and the champion of many causes.
“Shahid Azmi is a member of a large Muslim family. His father dies when he is coming of age and he becomes a reluctant head of household. Shahid is influenced by jihadists and for a brief time in 1993 he joins their fundamentalist training program. He does not like what he sees: thousands of men living in tents, jumping to commands of their leaders. When a fellow recruit mutters, ‘There is no worse tyranny than forcing men into slavery,’ the statement resonates with Shahid. He escapes. Months later in 1994 the police raid his house and take him away to prison where he is beaten, debased and tortured. In prison he meets a professor who encourages intellectual pursuit. ‘Swim against the tide and you will find unknown shores.’ That phrase becomes Shahid’s guiding light. Shahid is forced to sign a confession with the threat, ‘Sign or you’ll be stuck here forever. You’ll get off legally, believe me.’ Shahid is in a no-win situation. In 2000 he is finally acquitted.
“Shahid studies law and briefly joins the firm of a very shady barrister. Disillusioned, Shahid opens his own office and immediately establishes his reputation as a champion of the poor. ‘We serve our clients, not the law. We collect the facts and manipulate them. No one cherry picks clients in my office,’ describes Shahid’s dedication. He defends a man who has lost an eye and his job, a woman who has problems claiming property that is rightfully hers, and a man who lent his laptop to a friend, unbeknownst to him a secret terrorist. The latter case creates a maelstrom of disapproval. His friends, family and wife become concerned over his dogged pursuit of justice. ‘Do you think you’re Gandhi?’ ‘You’ll die on the streets like a dog.’ ‘Drop the case.’ ‘Don’t try to play God.’ For his clients, Shahid gets 17 high profile acquittals in court in seven years of practice. Not everyone is pleased. In 2010 he is assassinated.
“Hansal Mehta is a documentary filmmaker who thought the story of such a remarkable man should be told in narrative format. Why he made that decision is unclear. Was there not enough archival footage to tell the story properly? I would have preferred to have a look at the bigger picture, the political and cultural aspects which create the need for a man like Shahid. 3.5 cats
“(SHAHID screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.)”