Harud (2012)

Set in strife-torn Kashmir, Harud is the story of a frayed family, struggling to stay together as they deal with the loss of a son.

Stifled by a sense of raging impotence, Rafiq, a young man attempts to escape Kashmir by crossing the border into Pakistan. His endeavour fails and he is forced to return home to the haunting deadweight mood of his family. Rafiq 's brother, Tauqir, has been missing for four years. He is possibly dead. Fatima, their mother has faced excruciating years of uncertainty about her missing son's fate, she relentlessly presses on in her search, even if only to find succour in burying him.

Rafiq returns home dispirited, to a listless existence with no plans or prospects for the future. He spends his days in a haze - unmotivated and unfocussed. He finds occasional solace in the company of his friends, especially lshaq, who dreams of making it big as a singer in a reality television show.

Life continues on in this way, until one day, during another routine military search at the .house, Rafiq discovers his brother's old camera. The camera contains a half used roll of film.

His curiosity piqued, Rafiq develops the film. Along with photographs of tourists, he finds pictures of a brother and sister. He learns the sister Shaheen too has a missing brother. Goaded by a desire to connect with Shaheen, in an unexpected turnabout Rafiq agrees to accompany his mother to the monthly meeting of The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP). Here, he catches sight of Shaheen and instantly forms a distant, unspoken empathy with her. Meanwhile, a series of chance encounters has resulted in a new job for Rafiq. As the office boy to a dare- devil Press photographer, Rafiq steps into his brother's shoes and finally begins to make peace with his absence.

As his son's life does a long awaited volte-face, back home, the father Yusuf sinks into a vortex of darkness. A traffic policeman, Yusuf is suffocated by the inefficacy of his job, on the one hand, and the ceaseless violence on the streets of Kashmir on the other. Yusuf's sanity reaches breaking point.

One night, late, there is a knock on Rafiq's door. Rafiq's parents are suspicious - at that late hour, a visit can only mean a militant looking for shelter. Rafiq assures them it is a friend. It is indeed Ashraf, one of the group of friends who made it across the border. He has returned a militant. Unconvinced by his son's assurances, fearing the loss of another son, Yusuf wanders out in search of help. His delirious, unpredictable behavior invites suspicion. There is a' shoot out. A bullet finds its mark.