Mumbai: Director Hansal Mehta is all set to release 'Faraaz', a thriller based on the real-life terrorist attack in a Dhaka cafe. The incident took place in 2016.
Faraaz is the story of our polarised times, said the director. "Through the one event that rocked Dhaka - the 2016 attack on the Holey Artisan cafe - I've tried to explore the broader theme of violence and what really drives young, vulnerable minds towards it." The film had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.
In July 2016, gunmen held up customers at the Holey Artisan Baker for 12 hours and killed 20 of them including two staff. In the following shootout, two police officers and five gunmen were killed.
"Designed as a nail-biting thriller that plays out over one tense night, my attempt with Faraaz has also been to shine a light on the immense courage and humanity that it takes to stand up against violence. Because standing up against bigotry and the carnage it triggers is the only way to defeat it," he added.
Producer Anubhav Sinha described Faraaz to be a story that needs to be told. He added that Hansal Mehta has done justice to the story of the "catastrophic event that shocked the world." Faraaz is a story about "a hero who made a brave choice and celebrates the spirit of a young boy who stood tall for his loved ones." Producer Bhushan Kumar said the story will surely strike a chord in your heart as it celebrates bravery, friendship, and humanity at its core. The film is jointly produced by T-Series, Benaras Media, and Mahana Films.
Faraaz stars Zahan Kapoor, Aditya Rawal, Juhi Babbar, Aamir Ali, Sachin Lalwani, Palak Lalwani, and Reshham Sahaani. It will hit theatres on February 3.
The grandson of veteran actor Shashi Kapoor Zahan Kapoor is debuting as the lead. He told Variety that it means the world to him to have the backing of stalwart filmmakers for his first film. "I think everyone really believed in Hansal Mehta’s vision and gave it their all to bring this story to the screen."
"I think the subject of the film speaks for itself, it’s about faith and youth and how the same ideas can be interpreted in drastically different ways. The writers [Raghav Kakkar, Kashyap Kapoor, Ritesh Shah] have done a great job at finding nuances and variety even within such a constrained narrative timeline," he added.