TERROR ON SCREEN KOLLYWOOD'S TRYSTS WITH TERRORISM

Films can never fully show what terror means to those who face it, or fight it. But there have been attempts made that have made us think about what it might be like to be in the face of terror.

Uyire
Known more popularly by its Hindi title, Dil Se, Mani Ratnam once again plunged into the mind of a sympathetic terrorist. Stunning performances from Shah Ruk and Manisha Koirala with unforgettable music by Rahman. Mani also chose the lesser known issue of North East Naxalites and their cause. His theme here was not who was right or wrong but how a young couple is swept up in political events and causes larger than them. This happened in Mani’s Kannathil Muthamittal as well.

Terrorist
Santosh Sivan’s Theeviravathi (released worldwide as The Terrorist) is probably the most complex film made on the motives and mind of a terrorist. The suicide bomber is played effectively by Ayesha Darkar, and Sivan shows how torn she is between her humanity and her ideology. It won several international awards.

Aran
An authentic account of terror and the fight against it in the Kashmir valley by a man who has done it himself, Major Ravi. Aran focused more on the dangerous lives lead by the brave commandos countering and thwarting attempt after attempt made by terrorists from across the border. However, the movie also shows ways in which the terrorists operate, at times making use of unsuspecting locals.

Kuppi – Cyanide Story
Maybe the best that has ever come out in terms of depicting terrorist activities. The movie followed the events after the Rajeev Gandhi assassination, the terrorists behind it and their last few days spent under cover before consuming cyanide. The movie also showed the movements of the police forces that fell just short of catching the terrorists alive. Pity it did not do well.

Airport
Another attempt at a factual and hard hitting account about how terrorists function, putting a high security zone under siege. Though not a success at the box office, this remains one of the better attempts in Tamil cinema that have depicted terror.

Bombay
The mid-nineties, terror had now spread to other parts of India, Bombay to be precise. Serials blasts followed communal riots. It required a master like Mani Ratnam to execute such a sensitive subject: he was demonstrating how even communalism can lead to terrorism. The message of communal harmony has seldom been put across more effectively.

Kuruthippunal A cold and realistic look at naxalism, the way it operated and what it took on part of our policemen to counter them. It was a hard hitting account of the risks and sacrifices to maintain internal security and the forces that erode our country from within, without our knowledge.

Roja
Tamil cinema’s first look at terrorism. In the early 90s Kashmir was the only place associated with extremism. Though the movie focused more on the agony of separation of the couple, it also showed the tensions across the border and the compulsions of the people who guard the frontiers.