Saumyadeep Dutta What if you were the prisoner of desires? What if your construction was nothing but a quicksand of lies? All you gain is a house of cards. A ghost, so lonely by the defeat of his realism walks down the Punjab territory. Alas, the land gets bisected by a border, so violent! Such is the tale of Tillotama Shome's Kanwar being morally stabbed behind the curtain of sexuality. Anup Singh's Indian-German film 'Qissa-The Tale of a Lonely Ghost' is a cinematic sensation that goes down deep into your subconscious. In the hour of Partition, a Sikh resident of the now Pakistan seeks shelter in Punjab, India with his wife and three not so desired for daughters. Thus is what Irrfan Khan's Umber Singh, wishing for a boy out of Mehar's (Tisca Chopra) womb. When the fourth daughter is born, he persists on bringing her up as a son. Kanwar, in disguise of a son prepares herself as a boy. An adolescent love gets injected in the form of Neeli (Rasika Dugal) followed by a marriage. The beginning of a new relationship calls for the end of what was so far a sexual illusion.Director Anup Singh does true justice in maintaining the patience of being brave as he successfully makes the non-chronological phantasm work in a meter of realism as well as surrealism. The second half of the story takes a sudden realistic turn as it is revealed in the posters of the film. If realism is the false fall, surrealism gives the definite land in the plot.With the evergreen brilliance of Irrfan Khan, the acting has reached a summit of what one can hardly comment about. The soliloquy presented to the dead sands is like a perpetual cycle of fate that cries in the tone of,"Naa aadmi, naa aurat. Naa jeev, naa pret." Tillotama Shome, famous for her serious portrayals has once again nourished the excellence of her virtue. With an innocent boldness and an intense artistry, her character is like a flame, the delusion of which stays on even after it gets extinguished. Tisca Chopra and Rasika Dugal has also contributed their magnificence in sculpting this master class.A warm tone cinematography throughout the film along with the immaculate sound mixing has successfully provided for balancing the tension with the 'what happens next' feeling. A well edited synchronization with the proper synthesis of music has given the film a strong circumference.The audience leaves the theatres with some serious question marks haunting their grey scale. The well cooked delicacy of a sexually exposed Kanwar with the fog of Neeli's existence is the best abstract that gets nailed into your brain. The posters came out with a Mira Nair quote terming the film as a "masterpiece." 'Qissa-The Tale of a Lonely Ghost' is not a onetime watch. Watch, leave and watch again

bhatia-53726 The concept of the movie is quite different and the acting of Irfan Khan, Tisca Chpra and Tillotama Shome is commendable. The movie depicts a bitter truth of our society which is still prevalent in many regions, and that is the desire of a son and discrimination between sons and daughters. To desire is not a sin, but to go beyond reality to fulfill your desire is definitely a sin and a bane for the society and the people associated with it. The movie becomes quite confusing at some point and one is not able to decide whether Irfan Khan is really a ghost or not. Even though the movie went quite slow in between and lost the interest of audience in between, it is definitely a one time watch for people who like movies with different concepts.

Alex Deleon QISSA WITH IMRAN KHAN QISSA is a Punjabi language film of passing interest primarily because it features incredibly versatile Bollywood actor, Irfan Khan ("The Lunchbox") in a nearly unrecognizable transformation as a bearded turban clad traditional Sikh in rural Punjab speaking only Punjabi throughout. In this one Irfan plays a man obsessed with having a male offspring to carry on his name but is married to a beautiful wife who keeps pumping out girls. In desperate denial he decides to raise the latest female arrival as a boy in every respect, including the usual masculine Sikh rites of passage. However, when it comes time to marry the Pseudo-son off drastic problems emerge leading ultimately to disaster for all parties concerned. The premise is a little far-fetched -- at times ridiculous, but the sincere acting of all players makes the drama involving if not exactly credible, the presentation of rural life in the Punjab -- rarely seen on film with any kind of authenticity, is of documentary level accuracy, and watching modern urban Lunchbox Irfan take on the trappings of an old-fashioned rural Sikh is almost like watching Paul Muni become a Chinaman in The Good Earth.

richa-sri I had a chance to see the film "Qissa" while it screened at the South Asian Film Festival in New york. Not knowing the premise of the film, what struck me most was the depth of the different characters portrayed in the story. Actors Irfan Khan and Tillotama Shome displayed a beautiful and sensitive chemistry playing the father-daughter duo, replete with complex emotional struggles and seemingly unsurmountable conflicts. The interpersonal relationships between the characters were touching and real despite the darkness that surrounded them. Tillotama's gender-transcending portrayal of a complex and conflicted "Kanwar" was seamless and simply blew me away!