War & Peace is a study by Indian filmmaker Anand Patwardhan about the phenomenon of nuclear rivalry between India and Pakistan. However, while other filmmakers take a journalistic line, to examine questions of strategy and technology, Anand is more interested in the attitudes behind the rivalry and here it turns out he has made a surprising film.

A Westerner looking at the film may from time to time be inclined to criticise the Indians and Pakistanis for their folly in diverting their precious resources into the nuclear race, but hold on - didn't we do the same?

By turn shocking and entertaining, the film has the quality of Gulliver's Travels. We may think we've all been there but we haven't. My particular favourite scene takes place in a Pakistani school where a collection of highly intelligent teenage girls answer questions about themselves, Pakistan, India and their bombs.