Firdaws
Firdaws is the story of Aftab, who despite being surrounded by the most blissful things he had asked Ghazi Baba for, could not forget the memories from his past which were a part of the deal due to a glitch. In the presence of the most beautiful woman who is ready to submit herself to please him even though she herself is a virgin, the heavenly view from his window, and his favourite cricket match playing on the television, Aftab experiences the memories from the past playing in his mind impeding him from having the pleasures of the world he was promised.
A body carved out of marble, inviting eyes, dewy lips, and apple like red, firm, ripe, curvy breasts – these are some of the things Aftab imagines what a woman he desires should possess. And he just witnesses her for the first time when he enters a Château that has a view of the blissful scenery he wanted from a window. Aftab stutters in the presence of Noor, the amalgamation of his wildest dreams and sincere requests, out of amazement. But Noor who has been waiting for Aftab to arrive invites him in with a glass of water. Aftab who is still unclear about the things he might have had wanted goes on to deliver a soliloquy about the omniscience of Ghazi Baba who we infer from Aftab’s reverence towards him as a perspicacious saint.
Out of the blue, Noor asks Aftab if he wants to have sex with her – well she asks him brazenly if he wants to fuck – but we would rather leave those details out to not let our prejudices rule our perception of the film. But we must appreciate the boldness and the directness in the dialogue which is appropriate to this particular plot where there is an understanding between the characters of what they expect from one another. Not only does she asks him that, when he is taken aback by her unexpected proposal she starts to explain the process with euphemisms. Aftab complains about how the room is too bright, how he has just gotten there, and how he does not even know her, Noor takes his hand into hers and persuades him that she was what he wanted and then makes the room more intimate by closing the curtains and lighting the candles.
Aftab drops into a flashback where he was delivered an account of the situation he was in by the voice we believe is of Ghazi Baba. We are presented with a clear picture of what had happened to Aftab when he kisses Noor and clearer one when she asks how a situation in the cricket match he was watching is different from him refraining from running in a war. ‘Sometimes you reach your destiny faster by just standing still’, says Aftab. This film about how forgetfulness is sometimes more heavenly than the most beautiful things one could ask for is a beautiful reminder of how hard a person tries to undo some things and erase some others from his memory to have peace. The only peace he gets is when he is informed by Noor of happened to the kids whose memory was haunting him.
Mayur Puri succeeds in establishing the story of Firdaws with only two characters of Aftab and Noor. The cinematography is commendable in creating a setting which delivers a sense of heavenliness with soft light played onto the characters especially to enhance the beauty of Noor. The music stands indispensable to this genre of films and makes a beautiful addition to this film of deep meaning. Paula McGlynn portrayed Noor in the most convincing way possible and her graceful movements could not be substituted. Rahul Bhat’s unflinching delivery of dialogue and resolute nature helped this film move forward. With great conviction, this story stands as a representation of man’s deepest fear – unwelcome memories of his past actions.
