<p>Bindu Nair’s latest film is about the impact of cancer on patients and their loved ones. It is a document of patience, endurance, and the struggle to find meaning in suffering. Bindu lost her husband Khalled to cancer, and was suddenly thrust into the role of a sole provider for their two small sons, Zidane and Zahk.</p>.<p>Four years later, the filmmaker dwells on how she came to terms with loss. Towards the end of his life, her husband moved in with his brother and parents, causing a huge rift between sections of the family. Her sons recall that they were shut out of their uncle’s house, unable to be near their dying father. In hindsight, Bindu can see that cancer was making people scramble for answers — her husband’s folks probably concluded that his marriage to a Hindu was the problem.</p>.<p>Her mother-in-law Dilshad too features in the film, questioning why Allah would snatch away her sukoon (peace). In making this film, it appears like Bindu has woven her own family back together. ‘Forged in Fire’ is more than biographical — it brings together the accounts of at least five patients and their families. </p>.<p>“It’s not just another disease,” says young Pooja, who describes the trauma of being afflicted just as she settled into a love nest with the man she calls “my love”. Her romantic bond was formed in the face of stiff resistance from her parents. Yet, Pooja’s mother is the one who comes to her aid in the end. “When she fell in love, I told her she would have to choose between him and me — she just went headlong into it,” the mother recounts, wiping away tears and asserting she would do all in her power to help her child. Five months after the footage was captured, Pooja died.</p>.<p>As the camera takes in the narrative of Dinesh and Durva, a young couple with a daughter about five years of age, the love is palpable. As Durva goes through chemotherapy and finds it hard even to swallow water, Dinesh soldiers on, comforting his daughter and dutifully serving his wife. “We tried everything, met about 30 doctors, homeopaths, Ayurveds… we prayed, we hoped,” he says.</p>.<p>There are families that abandon loved ones when cancer becomes a losing battle. This film records the struggles of those that continue to love the cancer-stricken; the middle-aged Praful is especially worth listening to — his is the final story, of the sublimation of a union with his childhood sweetheart. Cheeru’s photographs adorn the walls, and in Praful’s memory, she remains alive and joyous. </p>.<p><em>Forged in Fire</em> was screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival, which concluded on December 12. </p>
<p>Bindu Nair’s latest film is about the impact of cancer on patients and their loved ones. It is a document of patience, endurance, and the struggle to find meaning in suffering. Bindu lost her husband Khalled to cancer, and was suddenly thrust into the role of a sole provider for their two small sons, Zidane and Zahk.</p>.<p>Four years later, the filmmaker dwells on how she came to terms with loss. Towards the end of his life, her husband moved in with his brother and parents, causing a huge rift between sections of the family. Her sons recall that they were shut out of their uncle’s house, unable to be near their dying father. In hindsight, Bindu can see that cancer was making people scramble for answers — her husband’s folks probably concluded that his marriage to a Hindu was the problem.</p>.<p>Her mother-in-law Dilshad too features in the film, questioning why Allah would snatch away her sukoon (peace). In making this film, it appears like Bindu has woven her own family back together. ‘Forged in Fire’ is more than biographical — it brings together the accounts of at least five patients and their families. </p>.<p>“It’s not just another disease,” says young Pooja, who describes the trauma of being afflicted just as she settled into a love nest with the man she calls “my love”. Her romantic bond was formed in the face of stiff resistance from her parents. Yet, Pooja’s mother is the one who comes to her aid in the end. “When she fell in love, I told her she would have to choose between him and me — she just went headlong into it,” the mother recounts, wiping away tears and asserting she would do all in her power to help her child. Five months after the footage was captured, Pooja died.</p>.<p>As the camera takes in the narrative of Dinesh and Durva, a young couple with a daughter about five years of age, the love is palpable. As Durva goes through chemotherapy and finds it hard even to swallow water, Dinesh soldiers on, comforting his daughter and dutifully serving his wife. “We tried everything, met about 30 doctors, homeopaths, Ayurveds… we prayed, we hoped,” he says.</p>.<p>There are families that abandon loved ones when cancer becomes a losing battle. This film records the struggles of those that continue to love the cancer-stricken; the middle-aged Praful is especially worth listening to — his is the final story, of the sublimation of a union with his childhood sweetheart. Cheeru’s photographs adorn the walls, and in Praful’s memory, she remains alive and joyous. </p>.<p><em>Forged in Fire</em> was screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival, which concluded on December 12. </p>