Actress Nandita Das's directorial debut Firaaq has already gained a lot of critical acclaim, audience appreciation and accolades on the festival circuit.

Firaaq has travelled to film festivals in Telluride (USA), Toronto, Pusan, London, Thessaloniki (Greece), Singapore, Dubai and then in India it was shown at the Kolkata Film Festival and the International Film Festival of Kerala.

The amazing cast of the film includes Naseeruddin Shah, includes Paresh Rawal, Dipti Naval, Raghubir Yadav, Sanjay Suri, Tisca Chopra, Shahana Goswami and Nowaz, among others.

Nandita is understandably super excited about the film. She tells us, "I am glad Firaaq has found a resonance among audiences around the world, from Toronto, London, Pusan to Kolkata and Trivandrum.

Human emotions are universal and I see that with the kind of feedback I have got in different parts of the world. Across the board people have been able to empathize with the journeys of the characters. And more so in India, where the film is most relatable and the nuances most understood.

Many have said that the film gave a voice to so much that remains silent" and that, "this film once seen, feels necessary".

While it has been great to win awards at every competitive festival we entered the film in, but truly, the audience reaction has been the high point of the journey so far. When Firaaq releases all over Indian end of Feb, I hope it continues to touch the hearts and minds of all those who watch it.

This film belongs to anyone who is troubled by violence and wants to be part of the solution. When I look back and think what compelled me to make this film, it is best said in Bertolt Brecht words, "Will there be singing in the dark times? Yes, there will be singing, of the dark times. "

Firaaq is about how different relationships unfold a month after a communal carnage, over a period of 24 hours.

There is hardly any violence in the film and as Nandita says, "Often films that critique violence are full of it themselves. Instead the story traces the emotional journeys of ordinary people - some who were victims, some perpetrators and some who chose to watch silently.

It is a mirror to our own prejudices, fears, anger and at the same time our collective desire for peace and hope. "