‘Dozakh’ depicts Hindus, Muslims in positive light: Zaigham Imam
A former media professional and award winning novelist , Zaigham Imam is all set to hit the silver screen with his film ‘ Dozakh- In Search Of Heaven’. The film was screened at many film festivals and it won a lot of accolades and appreciation across the globe. Based on a very sensitive topic of Hindu-Muslim rivalry, ‘Dozakh- In Search of Heaven’ promises to stimulate the thought process of the society. In an interview with Janjivan.com, Zaigham reveals his ideology behind making a film on the Hindu-Muslim divide and how Banaras, his hometown, still unites these two religions.
Janjivan: Tell us about your film ‘Dozakh- In search of Heaven’.
Zaigham Imam: It all started in 2009 when I wrote a novel by the same name Dozakh. Dozakh means ‘Jahannum’ or Hell. I used to work in Aaj Tak during that time. I left journalism in 2010 and shifted base to Mumbai and started working on a couple of TV serials. It was after this that I thought of bringing my book to life and make a film on it. The film is shot in Banaras and is based on a Muslim cleric and his 12-year old son Janu. Janu is friends with the son of the neighbouring temple’s Hindu priest. The cleric is against this friendship and he scolds and punishes Janu several times. But Janu is welcome in the Hindu household and is liked by the priest and his family. So much so, that the priest makes him participate in the Hindu mythological play Ram-Leela and gives him the role of Hanuman. This does not sit well with the Muslim cleric and he ends up beating his son. Janu gives in to the pressure of his father and runs away from his home. The cleric goes in search of his son and that forms the story of the film.
Janjivan: What inspired you to make a film on the burning topic of Hindu and Muslim rivalry?
Zaigham Imam: I’ve been born and brought up in Banaras. Banaras has a mixed culture of Hinduism and Islamism. There is this very popular phrase in my city ‘Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb’. Just like rivers Ganga and Yamuna collide in Allahbad, similarly Hindu and Muslims live cordially in the city of Banaras. I was born in such an atmosphere. And all this used to inspire me a lot. While people residing in other cities fuss about religion and casteism, this city is devoid of such discriminations. Here, Muslims and Hindus live together in peace. In fact, Ram Leela which takes place every year, comprises of many Muslims playing the roles of Raavan, Hanuman etc. Other than this, at the time of Hindu festivals a lot of murtis/idols of deities are created by the Muslims. Nowadays, people are using all this for their political agendas and personal motives. So I thought i should make a film by mixing and matching this and creating something on those lines.
Janjivan: ‘Dozakh’ has been screened in various film festivals. What has the response been like?
Zaigham Imam: Honestly, it is not a commercial film. It is an artistic film or an off-beat film. We were very sceptical about how people will perceive this film and whether they will be able to accept the film or not. But fortunately, wherever we went we had to organize extra screening for ‘Dozakh’. People were so keen to watch the film that we had to organize multiple screening of the film at almost all the film screenings. I remember hat in Delhi, the screening was held at the India Habitat Centre. The sitting capacity over there was 150 seats. But more than 450 people had turn up for the screening. Such was the response. We sold out all the tickets in less than an hour. I had to arrange a second screening. as it had created a lot of buzz. The response was fabulous. ‘Dozakh’ has created a lot of buzz on the social media circuit as well. It is just way of looking at the things or surroundings with a different view point. ‘Dozakh’ has been loved my many people across the globe. I received a lot of praise from all over. It was screened at many festivals including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Trivandrum, Bangalore and many other states of South India. Internationally, ‘Dozakh’ won special jury award at a film festival in Australia.
