Half Widow,a film by Danish Renzu addresses the trauma of the marginalised section of women in Kashmir, whose husbands have gone missing or as they would say have been taken away from them.
Set in Kashmir, the film focuses on the plight of theseKashmiri half widows and the place’s beauty becomes an incidental element.
According to the director, the film is about the “the plightof a woman who lost her husband, herjourney as a half-widow not knowing whether he was dead or alive”.
“The film is alsoabout her survival and her empowerment,” Renzu said. He has also co-produced the film with GayaBhola. “It is a hard look at the harrowing and emotional trauma of half widowsin Kashmir”.
Neelofar Hamid, who was lead in the Sundance Award-winningfilm Valley of Saints, plays the role of the protagonist in Half Widow.
The film begins with Neela (Neelofar Hamid) penning herthoughts, as she writes that every age has its own dream. With this we stepback in time and into her world. Neela is an orphan and she and her youngerbrother Zakir (Shahnawaz Bhat) have been brought up by their loving Khala(Haseena Sofi). When she’s of marriageable age, like any other young woman, Neeladreams of a happy married life.
She even finds aloving husband in Khalid (Mir Sarwar), who is an artisan by profession and runsa small business of making paper mache handicrafts. However, one fateful nighther life takes a drastic turn when Khalid gets picked up from their home forinterrogation by the paramilitary forces. A violent fall during the arrestresults in Neela having a miscarriage. As she overcomes her grief of havinglost her unborn child, she sets out to search for her husband.