We have many great stories, novels and poems written on the bloody tale of India’s partition. There are many magnificent films on the same too that will leave you looking for tissues. Here is a list of some selected films on Partition that you can watch this weekend.
Garm Hava (1973) – Youtube
‘Garm Hava’ is directed by M.S Sathyu and has Balraj Sahani as the lead. It was written by Kaifi Azmi and Shama Zaidi based on a story by Ismat Chugtai. It tells the story of a rich and accomplished Muslim businessman who has to struggle for survival and has to find a place for himself and his family in the country that was once his own. The film has some of the best performances of the last century and has wonderful music too. If you have not seen Garm Hava, you will love it. If you have seen it before, you will love it even more.
Begum Jaan (2017) – Disney+Hotstar
‘Begum Jaan’ is the official remake of the Bengali film Rajkahini, directed by Srijit Mukherjee. Begum Jaan too is directed by Srijit and stars actors like Vidya Balan, Gauhar Khan, Nasruddin Shah, Chunky Pandey, Ila Arun and Rajit Kapoor. It tells the story of a brothel that falls along the Radcliffe line. And during the partition, there is a problem regarding which country the village and the brothel will go in. Begum Jaan and the team of her prostitutes try to regain their business and they do not want to go away from the place and part from each other.
1947: Earth (1999) – Voot
Based on the novel, ‘The Ice-candy Man’ by famous writer Bapsi Sidhwa, ‘1947: Earth’ is a tragic tale directed by Deepa Mehta. It is a part of the director’s ‘Elements’ trilogy and stars Aamir Khan and Nandita Das in lead roles. It also has Arif Zakaria, Gulshan Grover, Rahul Khanna in important roles. It is told through the perspective of a young Parsi girl. Her nanny, played by Nandita Das is desired by two men simultaneously and one of them does something terrible to her after the partition. It tells the story of how the partition affected the lives of normal people and how their peace of mind was gone.
‘Toba Tek Singh’ is directed by Ketan Mehta and is a heart breaking film adapted from the famous short story of the same name written by Saadat Hasan Manto. It is the story of a Sikh inmate in a mental asylum, Bishan Singh. During the partition, he is compelled to go away from his country and his home and it is not very soothing to him. It depicts the harsh aftermath of the partition and how it affected the so-called mad and insane. It has great performances from Pankaj Kapoor and other supporting actors. You should not miss this movie.