MoMA Closes RAMCHAND PAKISTANI 4/26

Based on a true story, Ramchand Pakistani (2008), directed by Mehreen Jabbar, illustrates the political tensions between India and Pakistani through one family's tragic story. The movie will end its run at the MoMA on April 26th.

The film screened at MoMA from April 21 through 26, 2010, as part of the monthly film series ContemporAsian, organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film, with William Phuan, independent curator, and the assistance of Laura Rugarber, Department Assistant, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art.

In Ramchand Pakistani, an eight-year-old Pakistani boy accidentally crosses the border into India, and both he and his father are apprehended and thrown into an Indian jail. As they languish in prison for five years, the boy's mother, unaware of their whereabouts, struggles to build a new life by herself. Based on actual events, Ramchand Pakistani portrays the absurd price exacted on an ordinary family who are haplessly caught in the political crossfire between India and Pakistan, while also exposing the religious and social discrimination faced by lower-caste families in Pakistan.

As part of the monthly exhibition ContemporAsian, MoMA showcases films that get little exposure outside of their home countries or on the international festival circuit, but which engage the various styles, histories, and changes in Asian cinema. Presented in special weeklong engagements, the films in the series include recent independent gems and little-seen classics.

Ramchand Pakistani. 2008. Pakistan. Directed by Mehreen Jabbar. With Nandita Das, Rashid Farooqi, Syed Fazal Hussain. In Urudu, Hindi; English subtitles. 103 min.