Widow of Silence

Aasiya works as a nurse at a hospital in Kashmir, raises her 11-year-old daughter, and takes care of her sick mother-in-law. She is a “half widow.” Her husband, like many others in her Muslim village, was arrested and never returned. Between work and keeping house, she scours after his death certificate—a Sisyphean struggle against the corrupt authorities. Praveen Morchhale’s film, based on infinite stories from the region where it was filmed, highlights the tormenting and painful socio-political situation in conflict-ridden Kashmir. Directed with an elegant and confident hand, and with strokes of absurd humor, this film tells the stories of many “half widows,” who live in isolation and face abuse, sexual harassment, and humiliation daily.