Life in heaven and hell

Mehrzad Danesh

At first glance, “Widow of Silence” portrays the life of a woman, Aasiya, in the conflict ridden Kashmir where many face struggles of unemployment, livelihood, and occupation, yet are determined to find solutions in peace and silence. The tragic story, however, slowly but surely, enters an absurd situation. Aasiya finds herself, her 11-year-old daughter and sick mother- in-law in a crisis when her husband is picked up by army officers. He never returns, but seven years on, the government is unwilling to declare him dead. She tries to get her missing husband’s death certificate, but the government is not cooperating, as it is with Kashmir’s many half widows – women whose husbands were victims of alleged enforced disappearances during the armed struggle of the 1990s. Aasiya has to deal with dwindling finances and the unwelcome attention of
villagers and a simple employee who drags her to his office and keeps her husband’s death certificate in suspense to reach his malicious intent. The grotesque climax of the movie is when Aasiya is considered dead which leads to termination of her employment and bank account. She eventually takes her final action against the inefficient political and social system.