No Land's Man starts like an old-school romantic comedy, but it slowly gets darker and more compelling as it continues. In this predominantly English-language film, Nawazuddin (as Sameer), though a born Muslim, prefers to be known as a Hindu originating from India. He creates a new Indian identity, naming himself “Naveen”, which helps him to migrate to the United States. His life changes after meeting the seemingly gorgeous Megan Mitchell (as Cathy) in the US. However, his destiny was nuanced, undercut by pre-existing connotations of racism, which culminated in his demise at the hands of hate crime in Sydney.
Led by acclaimed director and international filmmaker, Mustafa Sarwar Farooki, No Land’s Man is the second film in his identity trilogy—the first one being Saturday Afternoon which is currently banned in Bangladesh.
“People hate each other for who they are, not because of what they did,” Farooki said in an interview after the screening of his movie in Sydney. As for his inspiration, Farooki says that social injustice towards one of his childhood friends inspired him to direct this movie.
The 2022 Sydney Film Festival screened this movie on the 16th of June, 19th of June and 20th of June. After a few minutes into the movie, I see this frame, and am fully unsure about what to expect.
During the movie exists a scene of a homeless man holding a sign that expresses a thoughtful question, “Which religion cares the most about the homeless?” At that point, I started wondering if the movie was going to be about religious morality or belief. I later discovered that was not the story to be told.
The relation behind the imposition and the movie’s central character is that people decide what is good or great, bad or worse, negligible or risk factor and so on. In the movie, Nawazuddin (as Naveen) fits himself with the cultures of the foreign country and makes an average and presentable living. One fine day, during his commute by the city’s metro, a young girl expresses her fear, quite loudly and emotionally, as she was frightened by the South Asian appearance of Nawazuddin in New York.
The fear triggered panic among the people in the compartment of that metro and as follows, police were called. Police addressed the matter according to their definitions of terrorism and charged Nawazuddin. He was harmless when police arrested him, and he did not terrorise in any way. Yet, he still raised terrorism risks, according to police.
Nawazuddin did not hold any terroristic thoughts or intentions—let alone actions, but still had to wear an ankle bracelet for months while the police investigation was ongoing. Nawazuddin continues living with the tracking bracelet as he could not find an alternative to a police investigation of the alleged terrorism risk. The irony was that as Nawazuddin lived in a world shook by September 11, he changed his Pakistani-Muslim identity to an Indian national— so that any blame or allegation could not be linked to his name, as many might think if he is Muslim and originated from an Islamic country like Pakistan, then he might as well be a terrorist.
But Nawazuddin was not a terrorist, and he continued living his mediocre life. He found Megan (as Cathy) as his colleague and soon fell in love. Consequently, they both landed in Australia after clearing all investigations.
Nawazuddin wanted to start afresh after going through a lot. Wherever he lived, he had maintained the ability to love and smile. He also played the role of a charmer and crowd pleaser. He flirted and praised his partner Megan (as Cathy). Nawazuddin was a man with qualities and practices that let him win hearts.
In other words, Nawazuddin (as Naveen/Cheema), was not someone who should be receiving hate; simply for the fact that he did not do anything hateful. Despite this, he fled his hometown in Pakistan for true instances of violence against minority. In the US, he was investigated for suspicions of terrorism, and finally, when he thought he would find peace in Sydney, he instead faced death at the hands of a hate crime.
In conclusion, the message of the movie can be put into five words: do not judge others wrongly. But as much as people use the phrase, how much is really taken into consideration?
Although the characters were fictional, the movie is inspired by true events. Today, as I write a review piece for the festival film which is yet to be released, I followed the news and found "that there has been an increase in hate crimes against Indians in the United States", only bolstering the significant relevance of the film today.
Writer's Bio: Kabir Chisty is a student of Politics and journalism from Sydney. He is an International student from Bangladesh. Apart from studies, he loves to play cricket and does very low-key poetry. Chisty also writes for Tharunka!
