Earth

The story of Earth is true. Its effects are still reverberating throughout India and Pakistan today.

On August 15, 1947, India gained Independence from Britain. Gandhi's 'Quit India' movement and his relentless struggle for 'Home Rule' by all Indian communities had finally become a reality. Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, India's largest religious groups, who, under Gandhi's non-violent mantle had struggled together against the British, began to clamour for pieces of India for themselves, a Muslim Pakistan and a largely Hindu-Sikh India. The idea of a separate Muslim state, a Pakistan, gained favour despite opposition from Gandhi. As the Division of India became imminent, the euphoria over Independence turned into despair. Violence erupted between Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs in an atmosphere of unease about the future. What followed was a catastrophe brought about by politicians who failed to grasp the implications of dividing a country along religious lines. The British, before leaving India, determined the new boundaries between Independent India and the would-be Pakistan. Viceroy Mountbatten announced the new borders on the 13 August, 1947, just two days before India would become independent. This announcement escalated the brewing violence into a bloodbath. It is estimated that over one million people were killed in sectarian violence as up to six million Muslims moved towards Pakistan and up to five million Hindus and Sikhs moved towards India.

The province of Punjab, with its mixed religious populations, saw the worst of the migration and its beautiful city of Lahore became a focal point for the carnage. Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, who had lived together for centuries, became the bitterest of enemies, causing wounds that, fifty years later, have still not healed.

The story of Earth is told through the eyes of Lenny, an eight-year-old Parsee girl growing up in Lahore in a wealthy, loving family. Each day Lenny travels to the nearby Queens Gardens with her beautiful Hindu Ayah (nanny), Shanta, who attracts a great deal of male attention. The men in Shanta's circle include Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. Similarly the staff in Lenny's house are a harmonious group representing different religious groups in India.

When the film opens the British are finally preparing to quit their empire in India and the searing process of splitting British India into Independent India and Pakistan is about to begin.

Bitter words metamorphose into slogan shouting mobs and arson. Angry Hindus storm through Lahore one day, and angry Muslims the next. Still, it is all far enough away from Lenny's uneasy but untouched home where her mother teaches her to waltz and Ayah's crew of admirers continue to meet in the park as before.

Riots in Lahore	Ice Candy Man waits for his sisters' train

Then the serious killing begins. Hindus and Sikhs attack Muslims; Muslims attack Hindus and Sikhs.

The savagery is thrust into Lenny's idyllic world. Lenny is with Ayah and a group of Ayah's admirers outside the servant's quarters of her home when troubling reports of violence around Gurdaspur in India begin coming over the radio. Whilst the group, gripped by fear, listens to the radio, Ice Candy Man waits for his sisters at the Lahore Railway Station. The train from Gurdaspur finally arrives with all the Muslim men and children killed and four gunnysacks filled with women's breasts. The massacre sets into motion events that turn Lenny's world upside down. From the rooftop of Ice Candy Man's tenement, Ayah and Lenny see Sikhs slaughtering Muslims, Hindus butchering Muslims and Muslims burning Hindus alive.

Ayah and the Masseur	The Muslim mob come for Ayah

The once charming Ice Candy Man turns into a near madman, one of the many roaming the streets of Lahore with vengeance and murder on their minds. The Muslim Masseur, the only voice of reason amongst Ayah's admirers, implores the group of friends to "stand by each other". A love affair between him and Ayah blossoms amid the carnage and Lenny is privy to this fragile relationship between a Muslim and a Hindu.

Lenny's family is spared the slaughter because the neutral Parsees are not part of the politics and the bloodletting. But a Muslim mob arrives one day at their front gate. The family will not be touched, but the mob wants all the Hindu servants, including Ayah. The destruction of innocence by desire and greed wearing the garb of religion and nationalism was the price of this sectarian war.

DEEPA MEHTA

In 1990, Mehta produced and directed her first feature film 'Sam & Me', the story of two men, both outcasts of sorts, who form a deep and permanent bond despite the fact that neither is welcome in the other's world.

In 1992 she directed a one hour episode of the 'Young Indiana Jones Chronicles' produced by George Lucas.

In 1993 Mehta directed her second feature film 'Camilla', a Canadian/UK co-production starring the late Jessica Tandy and Bridget Fonda.

'Fire', Mehta's third feature film, has won 14 international awards to date. Based on an original screenplay, she wrote, directed and produced it. 'Earth', based on Bapsi Sidhwa's critically acclaimed novel 'Cracking India', is the second film in Mehta's trilogy of the elements, Fire, Earth and Water.

On how the film 'Earth' came about, Deepa Mehta explains how she became fascinated with Bapsi Sidhwa's book 'Cracking India', set during the catastrophic period that followed Partition in 1947.

'I was hooked. The tumultuous period surrounding the British division of India into two separate countries, Independent India and a newly created Pakistan, had always held a sort of dark fascination for me. India, after years of struggle, finally gained its Independence from the British Empire in August of 1947. However, for most Indians, that 'Independence' is synonymous with its 'Division' or 'Partition', as it is known on the sub-continent. The announcement made by Viceroy Mountbatten, declaring the boundaries which would divide India into two, began a sectarian strife that would wreak havoc for the next fifty years.

My father and his family were some of the eleven million people that were uprooted from their homes during Partition. I grew up hearing stories about... the carnage, the rapes and the mindless acts of violence that people who had lived together in relative harmony for centuries, committed against each other - all in the name of religion and nationalism.Riots in Lahore

Bapsi's 'Cracking India' was a highly personal account of the Partition as seen through the eyes of an eight-year-old girl living in Lahore during that crucial time. What made it totally fascinating for me, was that Lenny, the protagonist, belonged to the minority sect of 'Parsees' a religious group that had remained neutral and non-aligned, while the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs single-mindedly massacred each other.

Lenny's was an entirely unique perspective. It came from within an impartial community, but was also the point of view of a child, who learnt about love, war, destruction and betrayal within a span of a few months.

Bapsi Sidhwa's novel 'Cracking India' is written in English, and although I wrote the screenplay in English as well, I decided to make the film in Hindi titled 'Earth'. Most of the characters in 'Earth' are working class people and the thought of them speaking English in 1947 felt ludicrous, though some relevant scenes remain in English.'

STAR BIOGRAPHIES

The Ice Candy Man, began his career with the blockbuster love story 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' (1988) which established him as one of the most prominent stars of Indian cinema today.

Aamir Khan proved his versatility in his following roles, which included a serious, intense lead in a small offbeat film 'Raakh' (1989), a rebel in 'Dil' (1990) the remake of Frank Capra's 'It Happened One Night', 'Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin' (1991) a conman in the comedy 'Andaz Apna Apna' (1994), a husband going through a divorce in 'Akele Hum Akele Tum' (1996), and his most celebrated role as a small town taxi driver in 'Raja Hindustani' (1996). Although the role of Ice Candy Man in 'Earth' is a departure from Khan's previous performances, the role appealed to him because of the various complex layers of the character which are shed as the story unfolds.

NANDITA DAS, the Ayah, has had a varied career including Street theatre, dance, puppetry, television series and film. Her previous film credits include 'Parinati' and 'Ek Thi Goonja', both of which were screened at the International film Festival of India. 'Earth' unites Nandita Das with Deepa Mehta after their successful collaboration in 'Fire'.

RAHUL KHANNA, the Masseur, is the son of Indian matinee idol Vinod Khanna and the brother of actor Akshay Khanna. Khanna has studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, and film and video at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Khanna was the first VJ for MTV Asia and has been on air since September 1994. Khanna's role as the Masseur in Earth is his film debut.

MAIA SETHNA, the young actress who plays Lenny, was born in 1988 and makes her debut feature appearance in 'Earth'. She is currently studying in Bombay where she lives with her father. Having enjoyed and learned from her experience on 'Earth' Maia would like to continue acting.