Drama
Germany,India,Netherlands,France
Qissa is a critically acclaimed Indian film written and directed by Anup Singh. The movie is set in the aftermath of the Partition of India in 1947 and follows the story of Umber Singh, a Sikh who is forced to leave his village in what is now Pakistan due to ethnic cleansing against Sikhs.
Umber moves his family, which includes his wife, two daughters, and a son, to a new home in the Punjab region of India. However, despite the family's attempts to start afresh, they soon stumble upon the harsh reality of their identities. Umber feels the burden of preserving his Sikh heritage, which leads him to choose a bride for his youngest child, Kanwar, based on her caste rather than her individual personality. Umber chooses Neeli, a girl from a lower caste, who he rescues from rape before taking her as a wife for his son.
As the family tries to make the best of their new life, they grapple with questions of identity, familial expectations, and belonging in a fast-changing, post-colonial India. The complex characters and layered plot of the movie make it a poignant and thought-provoking commentary on caste, gender, and the immigrant experience. The film stars Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Rasika Dugal, and Tillotama Shome in lead roles and was released in 2013 to critical acclaim in both India and the film festival circuit worldwide.
