Firaaq: A Study of Women Gulped in the Vortex of Gender, Community and Class

Abstract
Communalism has been a dominating factor of ‘secular’ India especially post-Partition and is often accompanied by deeply rooted religious prejudices resulting in vengeance and hatred. The communal violence at various times in the past half-a-century brings forward the barbarity exhibited in the name of religion. These incidents have captured the imagination of several filmmakers from time to time. One such film is Firaaq, which sheds light on the various contoursof Gujarat violence. The present paper analyses the women characters of the film to reveal the implications of communal disturbances on them and facilitate a discourse on the associated multi-layered ramifications. The focus is on how communal rampages shape or alter the experiences of women owing to their varied religions and class positions in the society.

Keywords: Communal consciousness, violence, patriarchy, silence, resistance, religion

https://doi.org/10.37948/ensemble-2021-0301-a014