"Difference between Hindus and Muslims is not as vast as its assumed to be" - Zaigham Imam

Zaigham Imam comes from a Muslim family and through his debut film, ‘Dozakh’ he has portrayed the unity between Hindus and Muslims and the complexities of their families very well. Born and brought up in the city of Banaras wherein lies the core of the Hindu civilization, Zaigham Imam has aptly based the background of the story on Banaras itself.

Zaigham believes that it’s about time that the differences between Hindus and Muslims are resolved. The question that arises now is who will initiate this? “I believe that both the sides should come forward together. The condition of Muslim communities is surely not as pathetic as they portray in the movies, television and media. And neither is the gap between Hindus and Muslims so deep. I have personally witnessed an environment where both these communities are united with great love. If this wouldn’t have been true then no Saleem would ever play the role of Hanuman in Ramleela, no Muslim would play Holi and no Sameer Srivastava would celebrate Eid and give eidee to little kids. India is the result of mixed cultures. Neither the Hindu families have any problems with their maid being a Muslim nor does a Muslim family have any problem with their maids being a Hindu. People need to become sensible and understand that politicians say things for their own benefits, it should not be taken to heart!” Zaigham explained.

Dozakh is directed by Zaigham and it is a social drama inspired by religions. It’s a story about a Muslim father and his son. The father is a cleric and a true follower of Islam. He doesn’t like the fact that his son is friends with a Hindu priest. This results in him losing his son and realizing that he needs his son and not the religion. The film stars Lalit Mohan Tiwari, Nazim Khan, Pawan Tiwari, Garric Chaudhury, Ruby Saini, Irfaan Rizvi, Jugendra Singh and Khushboo Seth. Dozakh will release in the theaters in India on March 20th.