Tahaan

Synopsis: A tender fable about childhood innocence amid the realities of war is set against the rugged landscape of Kashmir, so long a flash point for the territorial claims of neighboring India and Pakistan. The title character, an eight year old mountain boy, often hears distant gunfire. But it is not until he goes on a quest to reclaim his beloved donkey, which has been confiscated as payment of his poor family's debts, that he is drawn toward a violence he has no capacity to understand.
Genre: Drama
Director(s): Santosh Sivan
Production: Contentino
  1 win & 1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
7.2
NOT RATED
Year:
2008
97 min
53 Views


Birbala!

Birbala!

Birbala!

Birbala! Birbala, where are you hiding!?

Look the sun is about to set!

Then how could I search

you in the moonlight!?

Birbala!

Didn't I ask you not to go on that side?

I'm tired of explaining this to

Birbal. But he doesn't listen.

You wicked, you've

started talking a lot.

It's not safe to go there. Come.. come.

Birbal, you are here!

Birbal, do you just

have to wander here..

.. and there or learn

something in life as well?

Whatever I say you hear with this ear..

.. and let go with the other.

In this way you won't even

get admission in any school.

Grandpa, look what Birbal has found

Grandpa, is it dead;

won't it ever fly again?

Perhaps it's journey ended here.

- Journey means?

Means it's purpose must have got solved.

What is purpose, grandpa?

- Purpose?

Whatever we have to do in

life; consider it your purpose.

Without a purpose life has no identity.

Grandpa, what is my purpose?

One has to decide one's

own purpose, Tahaan.

Eating everything!

- Hey Tahaan, come here!

Do you teach this to your Birbal?

Look he nibbled my clothes.

Take these sheep to the mountains.

Then you'll come to know, Zoya!

- Come to know what?

That how difficult is the job of us men.

- You and man?

Do one thing; go and call mother.

Shouldn't I take Birbal?

- Leave him at least sometime!

Go; say grandpa has come, go!

Come, Birbal come.

All the time Birbal..

all the time Birbal!

You want to become

Birbal when you grow up!?

You could never catch me, Zoya!

Son of Birbal!

You know Birbal, mother

was crying even today.

Look mother has come;

now you'll get scolded.

Mother, you know I went

to look for Birbal..

.. then I heard tanks fire

from the mountain side.

And then Birbal spotted a dead bird.

I didn't bring him; he

came after me himself.

And then I went home and

grandpa went to police station.

Tahaan, Zoya, look carefully and say..

.. what all do you see here?

Nothing.

- You shut up; you don't know anything. I'll say.

I see colourful threads.

That depends on the

style of the onlooker.

Father weaved this with his hands, grandpa?

- Yes.

Let father come then I'll tell him to..

.. make a picture of

Birbal also in this.

Donkey in carpet; have

you gone mad or what?

Grandpa, Birbal is absolutely

ready to go to work.

We both.. -Tahaan, you are

just a kid; immature by brain.

Grandpa, don't pay

attention to her words.

This matter is between us men.

Birbal, I've convinced grandpa.

We'll start working tomorrow.

Now you don't make any mess.

So what if I fell asleep;

you could have woken me?

Is this donkey yours? He is very cute.

His name is Birbal.

When my father brought him from Sirhom..

.. he was this small.

You aren't coming to

school; going to work?

Tahaan walks like a donkey.

- come on, move!

Tahaan walks like a donkey..

Tahaan walks like a donkey.

Come on, move!

- Tahaan walks like a donkey.

Tahaan walks like a donkey.

Tahaan, look your

donkey is running away.

Birbal.

Hello? What? 1 0 rupees per kilo?

Sir, even if apples rot; they

won't sell at the price of potatoes.

Okay discount for you. Fifty..

fifty; but only this time

Uncle Yakub, only interest

is getting deposited in your..

.. account; have you thought

something about the capital?

I have kept the accounts

clear, sir; nothing to worry.

And your son Yusuf;

who'll repay his loan?

Well, we pay the interest on time, sir.

I'm worried about the capital.

It's 5 years since

your son went missing.

What are you saying, sir; it's not..

.. even 3 years that Yusuf went away.

But.. but your money won't go anywhere.

I am the head of the family. I promise.

Grandpa, Birbal and I have come.

Come on, don't we've to go to work?

Who advised you to come

here? Go home immediately.

But last night..?

Hello?

- Go.. go.

What's the matter,

young man; you look lost?

Come on, let's hear a

story. About a little girl.

Very innocent; exactly like Zoya.

Her parents used to toil

in the sun whole day.

And only then they could

arrange meals twice a day.

On the other hand whole

day that small girl..

.. used to move here

and there in the house.

Absolutely upset.

One day.. it rained heavily!

And the roof of that

old tattered house..

.. was leaking from many places.

Water kept dropping inside from there.

For long she kept watching

this with petrified eyes.

Then for sometime.. she fell asleep.

Then, her house got drowned in water?

All the clouds disappeared somewhere.

Bright sun came out.

Through that hole light was coming in.

And fell on a dead

butterfly on her shirt.

Slowly that butterfly became alive.

What! Became truly alive?

- Became alive!

And then it came out of her

shirt and started flying..

.. here and there.. here

and there in the whole house.

The girl's happiness knew no bounds.

- Then?

Then that light kissed the

face of that small girl.

That's it! Since then

her life got changed.

She understood that life

is not for being upset.

It is like a pleasant dream.

It has to be lived to the full!

Say what?

- Could such light touch me also?

Yes, my child yes.

Birbal.. -Tahaan, why don't

you teach him properly?

I wonder who is teaching whom?

You're teaching the donkey

or the donkey is teaching you.

'It's not the question

of only your husband. '

'8 thousand men are missing here. '

'Now even no hope is left any more '

'We don't even know

if he's alive or not. '

'Shall I consider myself a widow?

'Oh Allah, to die is better than this. '

Mother, where are you taking all this?

Why are you taking of this carpet?

Birbala? Birbala?

'Everyone is gone; even

Birbal is not here!'

Mother, wait! Mother, wait!

Mother, where is Birbal!?

Mother, wait!

Wait!

Tahaan, wait! Where are you running!?

Hey wait. Don't run!

I'm getting late!

Why.. why you beat him!? Why!?

Why you beat him!? Why!?

This donkey kicked me twice

Leave.. Leave Leave.. Leave him!

Leave.. Leave!

- This donkey is not yours any more

This belongs to Lalaji. Go from here!

If you listen to me then your

problems will end forever.

If you listen to me then your

problems will end forever.

This is your solution. If

you sell this house to us..

.. then this loan will get

repaid. And then you just relax.

That is all right. But I

can't ruin my business..

.. waiting for some missing person.

Look, I kept this proposal

considering your feelings.

The rest is up to you.

But, mother Biral..?

Hello!? Hello!?

Hello, I am Moli speaking.

I've sent a money order

of rupees 5000, receive it.

There is no letter for

you. If it comes I'll send.

Well, policemen were looking for you.

You didn't get informed? Then go.

Mother, but what about Birbal?

Your husband is missing?

Boy, go home.

'Curfew is imposed

in the whole region. '

'This morning militants tried

to trespass near Karnal sector. '

'BSF restricted them. '

'6 militants got killed in

the firing and 3 wounded. '

Anyone among them?

Hey boy, come here.

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Santosh Sivan

Santosh Sivan ASC, ISC (born 8 February 1964) is an Indian cinematographer, film director, producer and actor known for his works in Malayalam cinema, Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema, Hindi cinema. Santosh graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and has to date completed 45 feature films and 41 documentaries. He is a founding member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC) and is the most awarded Director of Photography (DOP) in India. Santosh became the first Cinematographer in the Asia-Pacific region to be honored with American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) membership. As a cinematographer, he has won five National Film Awards – including four for Best Feature Film Cinematography. As of 2014, he has received eleven National Film Awards, and twenty one international awards for his works. In 2014, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to Indian cinema. more…

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