A wound to heal many. Review on Zakhm

I found Zakhm(wound) to be a deeply moving experience and a deeply memorable one. It is set in the Hindu-Muslim riots and questions religious hypocrisy. Yet also educates that we are a secular people, that religion does not divide us; it unites us. Be it Christianity; Islam; Hinduism; Sikhs(the main religions depicted in Zakhm) We are a united nation, and as united citizens we make our motherland strong; we fight every evil that intends to disrupt our harmony; we live for our motherland that has sheltered us, nourished us and allowed us to sleep in its cradle. In times of trouble, we do not escape, we remain, even if that is for suffering.

Zakhm is not just based on religious riots. It is more than that. It is about patriotism; without being jingoistic. Its about loving one another; without being melodramatic. It is about being united; without being preaching.

Zakhm offers a very balanced and objective depiction of the Hindu-Muslim riots - leaving you, the viewer, to come to your own individual understanding and conclusions. In fact Zakhm does not lay the blame on anyone, neither Hindu's or Muslims, or on people to be so stupid to discriminate on racial backgrounds. But it exposes the political under currents of religious riots; that beyond a mob of religious fanatics that thirst for the blood of their counterparts, are seated powerful political powers, that incite these riots and provoke Hindu and Muslim brothers to destroy each other, for their own political milage.

Ajay(Ajay Devgan)'s mother is doused with petrol and set alight by a gang of Muslim youths as an act of religious terror. She is taken to the hospital, fighting for her life. With Ajay, and his friends, painfully waiting, for his Mother to live. Meanwhile, his brother, who is mixed up with a political party that are fuelling the fires of this religious war, manage to find one of the members of the gang members that doused his mother with the petrol. His brother punishes this person, beating him to a pulp, with his friends. However, Ajay, a man of honour and responsibility, stumbles onto them and saves the gang member from their clutches. The gang member is taken to the same hospital, where his mother lies fighting for her life, and provided police protection. With emotions on a pinnacle and with a undying thirst for vengeance, his brother cannot stop at anything, but to kill this person.

It is now a clash of two brothers, both who love their mother true with their hearts, both who are deeply grieved about what has happened. But it also a clash of ethics. A clash of the thirst for vengeance and blood against a good-hearted human, who does not want the blood of the man that doused his mom with petrol, but a stop to this religious terror, and he knows, that the shed of blood, cannot be stopped from shedding blood. Amidst these extreme tensions between two brothers, lies a politician, who does not want the blood of this gang member; who does not want an end of blood shed. He wants riots, he wants war, he wants to gain political milage to ensure he remains in power, and he has Ajay's brother firmly in his grasp!

This was Mahesh Bhatt's last film as a director, one of the more socially tuned directors of India. He makes movies based on his own life's experiences, his movies rarely fail to arouse emotions in the viewer, and Zakhm is certainly no exception. He has left with an unsung meditation on human emotions, religious and political dynamics, that deeply touches the soul. Within this drama of the war of ethics and religion, he interlaces a drama of religious prejudice in a family - a story he narrates with Ajay's flashbacks from his past, underlying his inner motivations for fighting this ethical war with his brother.

I deeply enjoyed the songs, they are beautifully expressed, melodiously composed, in particular the one where the child playfully teases his mother just charmed me out of my shoes.

I also deeply enjoyed the background scores; especially the ones that play in the Church.

Technical credits are sufficient for normal viewing. Although action could be more realistic. The scene where Ajay's brother is beating the muslim youth, is quite obviously false. We can see he is kicking the van behind him, and not him.

Ajay Devgan's performance is absolutely outstanding, delivering his dialogues with emotion; conveying his wounds with his eyes. Ashutosh Rana as the politician, also delivers an incredible performance; succeeding in portraying a selfish, destructive and calculating cold-blooded politician. Pooja Bhatt is charming. All other performances are realistic, and clearly show with how much passion Mahesh Bhatt has directed them.

Mahesh Bhatt may have left with a ''wound'', but if this was released during that time, it may have helped heal many wounds. I whole-heartedly recommend Zakhm to everyone.