Caravan

Nineteen months after it was first reported in this blog, a Bollywood film based on a 1996 immigration tragedy in Maltese waters, will be released in the New Year. From AKI News:

A Hindi movie inspired by the 1996 Malta boat tragedy, which claimed the lives of nearly 300 South Asian illegal immigants on Christmas Day will be released in the New Year. The film entitled Kaafila (Caravan) deals with the subject of illegal immigration and human trafficking and is said to be the first such movie of its kind in Bollywood. "It's a real thing happening in India and the world," said the film's director Aamtoje Mann in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI). "So many people are suffering from this. I believe in meaningful cinema and having real issues," he said. The Malta boat tragedy occured on December 25 a decade ago, when hundreds of illegal immigrants from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh boarded the "Yiohan" in Malta to travel to Sicily from where they hoped to fan out across western Europe. But the ship sank in stormy waters, killing 289 of the around 450 people aboard.

"The film isn't only based on the Malta boat tragedy but all things related to this illegal activity," said Mann who read about the incident which made headlines both in Italy and in India.The movie, which has been described as a thriller, tells the tale of a group of people who make the journey to Europe illegally. The story focuses on how they fall prey to unscrupulous agents who force them to go into hiding in Eastern Europe for a period of time where they discover a new way of life. They continue to experience hardship along the way as they try to reach their final destination...