Earth (1998 film)
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| Earth | |
|---|---|
 Cover to New Yorker Video release |
|
| Directed by | Deepa Mehta |
| Produced by | Anne Masson Deepa Mehta |
| Written by | Deepa Mehta (screenplay) Bapsi Sidhwa (novel) |
| Starring | Aamir Khan Maia Sethna Nandita Das Shabana Azmi |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Cinematography | Giles Nuttgens |
| Editing by | Barry Farrell |
| Distributed by | New Yorker Video |
| Release date(s) | 16 September 1998 (Toronto Film Festival) |
| Running time | 101 min. |
| Language | Hindi English |
| Preceded by | Fire (1996) |
| Followed by | Water (2005) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Earth (1947 in India) is a 1998 film directed by Deepa Mehta. It is based upon Bapsi Sidhwa's novel, Cracking India, (1991, U.S.; 1992, India; originally published as Ice Candy Man, 1988, England). Earth is the second part of a linked trilogy by Mehta; it was preceded by Fire (1996) and followed by Water (2005).
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The story is set in Lahore in the time period directly before and during the partition of India in 1947.
A young girl with polio, Lenny (Maia Sethna), narrates the story through the voice of her adult self (Shabana Azmi). She is from a wealthy Parsi family who hopes to remain neutral to the rising tensions between Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims in the area. She is cared for by her Ayah, the beautiful Hindu woman, Shanta (Nandita Das). Both Dil, the Ice-Candy Man (Aamir Khan) and Hassan, the Masseur (Rahul Khanna) are Muslim and in love with Shanta. Shanta, Dil, and Hassan are part of a larger multi-ethnic group of Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh friends (some of whom work for Lenny's family) who spend their days together in the park. With partition, however, this once unified group of friends becomes divided and tragedy ensues.
[edit] Release
[edit] Critical reception
Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and states that Earth, "is effective because it doesn't require much history from its viewers, explains what needs to be known, and has a universal message." [1] The New York Times described it as "a powerful and disturbing reminder of how a civilization can suddenly crack under certain pressures." [2] The New Yorker argues that, "Deepa Mehta handles her material convincingly, and the cast is so likable that they wear the larger themes like beautiful garments." [3]Rediff.com notes that, "Aamir Khan has probably given the best performance of his life. It is hard to imagine another actor bringing alive the nuances of the ice-candy man the way he does." [4] Planet Bollywood gave the film a 9.5 out of 10 and stated that, "Earth is strongly recommended to those who want to see a different type of Hindi film and who are tired of the usual boy meets girl stories and revenge dramas." [5]
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Filmfare Best Male Debut Award - Rahul Khanna
- Earth was the Indian nominee for the 2000 72nd Academy Award for Best Foreign film, but was not included among the final five nominees selected by the AMPAS.
[edit] Cast and crew
- Aamir Khan - Dil Navaz, the Ice Candy Man
- Nandita Das - Shanta, the Ayah
- Rahul Khanna - Hassan, the Masseur
- Maia Sethna - Lenny Sethna
- Shabana Azmi - voice of older Lenny
- Kitu Gidwani - Bunty Sethna
- Arif Zakaria - Rustom Sethna
- Kulbhushan Kharbanda - Imam Din
- Rajendra Kumar - Refugee Police
[edit] External links
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