Debut director Salim Ahamed presents a rare and poignant tale of Muslim community life in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Abu is coming to the end of his working life, and the traditional perfumes he hawks are no longer in fashion. His son has deserted him and his close friends are dying of old age around him. Alone with his wife Aisa, in their small country house, Abu decides to fulfill their lifetime ambition – to go on the Hajj, a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, for which he has been saving rupees for years. When he goes to the local travel agent, in town, Abu soon finds that he is hopelessly out of touch with the modern world; they don’t have passports and the costs are huge. The couple soon realise that this ambition will require severe sacrifices on many fronts. While doubting shopkeepers muse that he must have got a cheque from Osama Bin Laden to pay for the trip, their friends offer support, but in accordance with tradition, Abu must find his own way. Stunningly shot by DOP Madhu Ambat, this gentle tale of irrepressible hope and true companionship is one not to miss. –BFI
An older couple plan for the Hajj they have dreamed of most of their lives. They make sacrifices, selling off items precious to them like the jackfruit tree in front of their home to be cut up for… read review
