Widow of Silence
- Feature
- 2018
- 86 Minutes
- India
- Language: Urdu
In a conflict ridden Kashmir, a Muslim half-widow, viz a woman whose husband who has disappeared, finds herself, her 11 year old daughter and ill mother-in-law in a crisis when she attempts to get her missing husband’s death certificate from the government. Now she will have to find the strength to come out from an unthinkable and absurd situation. This leads family’s quite life into a mammoth turmoil.
Director: Praveen Morchhale
Screenwriter: Praveen Morchhale
Production Company: Barefoot Pictures
Premier Status: Regional premiere
Film Critic
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.
Photos


Awards
2018: Busan International Film Festival, Kim Ji-Seok Award Competition, Nominated, South Korea2018: Kolkata International Film Festival , Best Indian Film Competition, Won - Best Indian Film Award, India
2018: International Film Festival of Kerala, International Competition, Nominated, India
2019: International Film Festival Rotterdam, Official Selection, Official Selection, Netherlands
2019: Goteborg International Film Festival, Official Selection, Official Selection, Sweden
2019: International Film Festival of Asian Cinema, Vesoul, International Competition, Critics Award , Nominated, France
2019: Mooov Film Festival, International Competition, Nominated, Belgium
Cast and Crew
Screenwriter: Praveen Morchhale
Producer: Praveen Morchhale
DOP / Camera: Mohammad Reza Jahanpanah
Editor: Anthony Joseph
Sound: Sanal George, Shalini Agarwal
Production Designer: Nikita Shah
Cast: Ajay Chourey, Shilpi Marwaha, Bilal Ahmad, Noor Jahan
Director

Praveen Morchhale
Praveen Morchhale was born in Central India. After few years of making films and theatre working as a director, Praveen Morchhale achieved recognition with his feature film debut “Barefoot to Goa” (2013). Critics hail him as a new wave Indian cinema filmmaker. He is known for his simple, subtle, poetic cinema. “Walking With The Wind” (2017) was his second film which screened at the competition as Camerimage, Sao Paulo IFF, Fribourg IFF, Mumbai Film Fest and many more. He won ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal 2018 for his film Walking With The Wind.