This is probably the best Indian movie I?ve seen this year (since Rang de Basanti). Feel-good, warm with a strong ?western? tone to it ? particularly in the scenes while the main character is traveling across Himachal to Rajastan in search of the woman who could save her husband. It?s rare to find Indian movies where the central characters are female. It?s even more unusual to find ones where only they control destinies and the ability to achieve this control doesn?t at all hinge upon the alliance with the patriarchal structure.

The treatment of Muslim characters in Indian movies is one that I could never relate to despite being affiliated with the members of this faith. But I realized that it may not be so far-fetched after passing through some of Delhi?s Muslim ghettos ? areas where I felt a complete alien. I didn?t even want to be there. And hated it. But it is a reality. I suppose the edgy minority psyche plays into it. For example, while the Shias are a majority in Iran and one can comfortably interact with them, there isn?t that friction about faith, interacting with the minority Shias of Pakistan can at times prove tricky for those who are of the majority sect. Say like how it is with Whites and Blacks communicating in America. An over-conscious political correctness takes precedence and prevents a free-flowing communication. But there?s more to the roles of Muslims in Indian cinema. After the brief Delhi experience, I am not sure if the portrayal is one of mere stereotypes ? it may well be a portrayal of an ugly, uneasy reality. An always edgy community which feels securest in its isolationist cocoon. And the edginess keeps increasing in the aftermath of the Gujrat massacres where the pogrom gives way to legislated demonisation of a community.

So when watching Dor where Zeenat goes to seek Meera, it was great to see that the stereotypical realities weren?t something that were dwelled on and the women stood strong in their independence from religious sht and patriarchal dogmas. An India/Pakistan/Des freed from its self-perpetuating horrors. A movie with a message of tremendous hope.