Says Faruk, “The film got a lot of critical acclaim, was so tight budgeted that though no one lost money, for some reason, I did not get work easily even after being nominated in fourteen categories across all top awards at the time.”
In Allah Ke Banday Faruk Kabir displayed remarkable skills in creating a pastiche of mammoth crime and little punishment. The pace leaves meager space for grace. And yet Allah Ke Banday creates a world filled with acute aggression repression and damnation with a reasonable amount of paciness to the edgy narrative.
The world that Faruk Kabir’s characters inhabit is reminiscent of Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire. The gripping narrative takes us through the world of petty crime and underage lawlessness non-judgmentally. Faruk Kabir’s deeply-felt concern for children who dodder dangerously on the edge of society is never over-done. This is a hard and disturbing look-see at quicksand existence. The director creates a world of uncertainties with unwavering confidence.
Recalling the film fondly, “First feature films are always special. Learnt so much about myself and the craft on this film. Shot at a budget of 4.5 crores on 54 real locations in 48 days of shoot…. It still took a year to make as the hustle for money was hard. It’s only made me a stronger person over the years and that guerilla approach to filmmaking still comes handy to me. I’m proud of the film and thankful to the almighty that I’m still somehow in the business and will continue to strive for cinematic excellence always.”