EARTH (M). (Pinefilm/Beyond Films) Director: Deepa Mehta Stars: Aamir Khan, Nandita Das, Rahul Khanna, Maia Sethna, Kitu Gidwani, Kulbushan Kharbanda Running time: 110 minutes (Indian, with English subtitles).
The second film in Indian director Deepa Mehta's elements trilogy, the powerful drama Earth follows her widely acclaimed Fire. Based on Bapsi Sidhwa's semi-autobiographical novel Cracking India, this powerful drama is set against the background of the partition of India in 1947, when 250 years of British rule was cast aside amid terrible bloodshed. Long-standing friendships were also cast aside. Brutal atrocities, inspired by fanatics on either side of the religious divide, were committed.
The film largely unfolds from the perspective of eleven year old Lenny (newcomer Maia Sethna), crippled with childhood polio and raised in Lahore by her affluent, supposedly neutral parents. Lenny nonetheless watches as her family is gradually affected by the British decision to pull out of India, and her friends are destroyed by the spreading tide of senseless violence and religious hatred. Lenny's nanny is Shanta (Nandita Das), a beautiful young Hindu woman who moves easily amongst her friends of different religious persuasions.
Earth initially unfolds at a leisurely pace, although the tension surrounding the upcoming partition is palpable in the conversations in the marketplace and in Lenny's home. Earth is a story of innocence lost, but it's also a story of sweeping political and historical significance. Its powerful themes of religious intolerance and senseless violence are still quite relevant today, especially given recent events in central Europe.
Earth is a powerful enough drama as it is, but the always controversial Mehta also manages to work in a love affair between a Hindu and a Muslim which further inflames the tension of this tumultuous time, and leads to the film's devastating climax. Given the subject matter, Mehta directs with remarkable restraint, which makes some of the atrocities even more horrible.
However, Mehta also beautifully captures the colour, the passion, the music and rich culture of India that was partially destroyed. Giles Nuttgens' cinematography is rich and beautiful, while A R Rahman's evocative and haunting music further enriches the film.
Indian cinema normally comprises largely of vapid musicals and banal comedies, and hard hitting and politically sensitive dramas such as Earth are indeed rare.
*** greg king http://www.netau.com.au/gregking
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