!ns¡ght
Kitabon Se Kabhi Guzro To Yun Kirdaar Milte Hain
Gaye Waqton Ki Dyodhi Mein Khade Kuch Yaar Milte Hain
Jise Hum Dil Kaa Veeraana Samajh Kar Chhod Aaye The
Wahaan Ujde Hue Shahron Ke Kuch Aasaar Milte Hain
– Gulzar
With these deep soulful words, by the pen of Gulzaar, in the voice of Jagjit Singh, begins the 1993 television series, Kirdaar. A series of 13 episodes, Kirdaar is a beautiful portrayal of emotions, which fail not to touch.
Directed by Gulzaar and based on the stories of Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Malti Joshi and Samaresh Basu and with actors like Om Puri, Surekha Sikri, Irrfan Khan, Reema Lagoo, Neena Gupta, Nadira, etc. Kirdaar is a gem, praised for its rich literary content.
Each episode begins with a different story and a different theme.
Man Dhuan Dhuan voices out the emotions of a woman, whose husband married her unwillingly, under the pressure of his parents and society, when he wanted to marry someone else.
Sunset Boulevard is a really touching story of a faded actress who once was a star. It zooms into her lonely life with much literary and cinematic brilliance.
Alaan is a psychological beauty summed up with emotional excellence, where two characters feel attracted towards each other, like each other’s company, but at the same time, are equally conscious of their economically different worlds, of the boundaries made by the society.
Shikod is a search for roots, where an old man comes to India from Bangladesh, to pay a visit to the graves of his ancestors, graves which no longer are to be found. The story ends with the lines :
Jadein jagahon se nahi hotī, tehzeeb ki, sabhyata ki hotī hain. Jo jahaañ jaata hai, apni jadeiñ Saath lekar jaata hai. In bachhoñ ke liye dua Karo kī jahaañ jaae, achhi mitti aur achhi aab-o-hawa mein boe jaae. Achhi khaad mili, phir jad pakad lenge.
Shikod, Kirdaar
Khuda Hafiz again is a perfectly captured piece. Two men struggling to save their lives amid a riot, fear revealing their names, their religious identity to each other, when forced by situations to hide together in a garbage bin. They feel both relieved and frightened, with each other’s company.
Haath Peele Kardo, Baba Noor, Hisaab Kitaab, Bel Nimbu, etc, all are pieces of brilliant perfection, each promising a beautifully unique experience.