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Mashood reviews Partition
Something that Separates or Divides
Partition is the title of a new film by renowned Canadian Director Vic Sarin. The film is set during the Partition of India in 1947. its about 2 characters who develop a love for each other, surrounded by hate and fear.
The 3 lead characters are played by Jimmy Mistry (Gian), and Candain born actresses Kristen Krueck (Naseem) and Neve Campbell ( Margaret). Jimmy has been in a number of movies including East is East, The Guru and a Touch of Pink to name a few. His role in Partition is quite a change from his previous films which were lighthearted comedies. In this film, Jimmy plays a very quiet but intense character whose actions and demeanor throughout the film convey a very powerful presence. When asked about the basis of Gian's character, director Vic Sarin responded "he was based on my own father and the name Gian was taken from my uncle. Both men were very well respected in their community and encouraged me to follow my dream of filmmaking."
The movie begins by focusing on Gian Singh, a Sikh soldier who has returned home from World War II in the late 1940's. The movie shows flashbacks of the war in Burma where Gian was in service for 5 years - fighting along side British and commonwealth countrymen including Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. Upon his return to India, Gian quickly heads home to his village in Punjab and secludes himself to a quite life as a farmer. Yet the unfortunate bloodshed between Muslims and Sikhs hits home as a young Muslim girl escapes an attack on her traveling caravan and is rescued by Gian who finds her hiding out in his field. His attempts to hide her falls short with angry villagers demanding Naseem's execution. Fortunately, Gian's high standing in the village buys him some time to figure out plans for this 'hostile' prisoner?. Eventually a love for each other blossoms and we are fast-forwarded a few
years to the couple living in harmony. Then news arrives that Naseem's family is alive and living in Pakistan, she is overjoyed and longs to see them. Naseem departs and weeks, turn into months, with no reply to letters Gian has sent Gian decides to cross the border and sets out on a remarkable journey knowing what his fate will be if he is discovered in Pakistan.
As for the lead female role, I questioned the director on why a non-South Asian actress was chosen? Sarin said, "I did a huge casting call in India and had narrowed down the field to 3-4 actresses. However the movie business is all based on financing and by the time the movie acquired the funding to begin shooting which was 2 years later, the actresses were committed to other projects." With very little time left to begin shooting, he decided on Kristen as she convinced him that she would do everything she could to prepare for the role of a Muslim girl living in India back in the 1940's. "Actors should be judged on their ability to play a character rather than on what character they are portraying." Vic further added that Kirsten began studying and researching the religion, attended local mosques and worked many hours with speech and cultural coaches. "She is Naseem" Her hard work
and dedication seemed to have paid off as she played the role very convincingly. Kristen is best known for her role as Lana Lang in Smallville which is based on the life of Clark Kent before he becomes Superman.
There have been other movies set during the Partition, such as Ghadar, Veer Zara, Khamosh Pani, and Pinjar. This one, as many of the others, stays clear of the political turmoil that was happening at the time and focuses in on the love story. Close to 1 million lives were lost in this period of division, when the country was split as an outcome of British rule. Millions were displaced and many thousands more were unaccounted for. I enjoyed the love story and felt the emotion of the couple, but I left the movie feeling a little confused. The lack of historical context was puzzling - there is little mention of the causes of the partition, namely British rule. Neve Campbell's presence introduced a benevolent colonial presence, where she brings logic and compassion to the mix. I think Sarin was being generous here. Sarin's extraordinary ability in cinematography was evident throughout the
film and should land him some well-deserved nominations. Gian's calm persona and resilience against his family, village and country shows the viewer that the partition was not just about horrors and atrocities, but also about courage, compassion and sacrifice.
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Reviewed by
Mashood Ali
Mashood with Jimi Mistry (left) and Vic Sarin (right)
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