Provocative drama ‘Kaafiron Ki Namaaz’ takes the online route

Ram Ramesh Sharma’s provocative Kaafiron Ki Namaaz opens in the troubled Kashmir valley before retiring indoors into a lodge somewhere in Srinagar. A court-martialled Army soldier (Alok Chaturvedi) engages in lengthy polemical debates with a writer (Chandrahas Tiwari) on various ethical and philosophical questions, which are recorded by a mostly unseen camera assistant. For much of its running length (2 hours 30 mins), Kaafiron Ki Namaaz behaves like a play. The dialogue covers a range of issues, mostly suggested by the cynical and spiritually wounded soldier. He expresses his hatred for Mahatma Gandhi (non-violence is for the impotent, he thunders) before moving on to other provocations – sexual intercourse, patriotism, the relationship between the state and citizens, rape by the armed forces, fake encounters, the joys of smoking and masculinity. Not surprisingly, the movie has been released on the internet. The full film is here.