1947 Earth [1999]

The second and the best movie of Deepa Mehta’s controversial “elements” trilogy (preceded by Fire, and followed by Water), 1947 Earth is a cinematically stunning portrayal of the ugly civil riots during partition in India. It is also a deeply disturbing exploration of the inherent blackness in human heart. Told through the eyes of a lovely, innocent and partially paralyzed young Parsi girl, the movie follows the lives of three individuals – the talented Nandita Das plays the role of the girl’s beautiful Hindu nanny; Rahul Khanna plays an idyllic young man and her love interest; the movie however belongs to the terrific Aamir Khan who is the anti-hero of the story. He plays the complex character of a Muslim guy with devastating effect. He is secretly in love with Nandita’s character, and his transformation from a liberal and humorous person to a frightening religious fanatic (due to various factors, the principal of which is the lady’s rejection of his love) propels the movie to a truly horrific climax. The polarizing and religiously charged movie has managed to alter the very idea of a love triangle, as it is completely antithetical to those shown in the run-of-the-mill trash “religiously” churned out by the Bombay film industry.








Director: Deepa Mehta
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Coming-of-Age/Romantic Drama/Religious Drama/Epic/Period Film
Language: Hndi
Country: India