Film- Raazi And Book -Calling Sehmat

Harinder Sikka in conversation with Sanjoy. K. Roy discussed the powerful story of an unsung heroine of India, only brought to light by this novel, and now the major motion picture ‘Raazi’, which was a major success in the box office with raving critic reviews, and happens to be one of my favourite films. She was solely responsible for saving India from the 1971 Indio- Pak naval war.

He talked about how Sehmat was a Kashmiri woman who foregoes her already good life for the sake of the nation. She marries a Pakistani officer and acts as an informant for the Indian army. This life might be perceived as glorious and fascinating from a safe distance, but when we glance closer, the truth of leading such a life is as bitter as it gets.

Throughout this session, there were goose bumps running through my skin through the narration of small clips from Sehmat’s life. He spoke of how such a life becomes so overpowering, that sometimes death also feels like a sweet change.