Earth (1998 film)
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| Earth | |
 Cover to New Yorker Video release |
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| 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 | Zeitgeist Films |
| Release date(s) | September 16, 1998 (Toronto Film Festival) |
| Running time | 101 min. |
| Country | India Canada |
| Language | Hindi English |
| Preceded by | Fire (1996) |
| Followed by | Water (2005) |
Earth (Hindi: अर्थ) 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).
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[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 adored and protected by her parents, Bunty (Kitu Gidwani) and Rustom (Arif Zakaria) and 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] Cast
- 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
- Pavan Malhotra - Butcher
[edit] Critical Reception
[edit] Reviews
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 India's official entry for the 2000 72nd Academy Award for Best Foreign film, but was not included among the final five nominees selected by the AMPAS.
[edit] Soundtrack
| 1947: Earth | |||||
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| Soundtrack by A. R. Rahman | |||||
| Released | 1998 (India) | ||||
| Recorded | Panchathan Record Inn | ||||
| Genre | Film soundtrack | ||||
| Label | T-Series | ||||
| Producer | A.R. Rahman | ||||
| A. R. Rahman chronology | |||||
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The soundtrack features 9 songs composed by A. R. Rahman and lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar.
| Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|
| Ruth Aa Gayee Re | Sukhwinder Singh |
| Banno Rani | Sadhana Sargam |
| Dheemi Dheemi | Hariharan |
| Raat Ki Daldal Hain | Sukhwinder Singh |
| Piano Theme | Instrumental |
| Yeh Jo Zindagi Hain | Srinivas, Sujata Trivedi |
| Ishwar Allah | Anuradha Sriram, Sujata Trivedi |
| Yeh Jo Zindagi Hain | Srinivas, Sukhwinder Singh |
| Theme Music | Instrumental |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Ebert, Roger (1999-10-15). "Earth". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19991015/REVIEWS/910150301/1023. Retrieved on 9 December 2008.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (1999-09-19). "'Earth': India Torn Apart, as a Child Sees It". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/091099earth-film-review.html. Retrieved on 9 December 2008.
- ^ Gustavson, Jeff (1999-09-27). "Earth". The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/earth. Retrieved on 9 December 2008.
- ^ Verma, Suparn (1999-09-10). "Breaking new ground". Rediff. http://www.rediff.com/entertai/1999/sep/10earth.htm. Retrieved on 9 December 2008.
- ^ Joshi, Aniket Joshi. "Earth". Planet Bollywood. http://www.planetbollywood.com/Film/earth.html. Retrieved on 9 December 2008.
[edit] External links
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