Scorching Winds (1974)
"Garm Hava" (original title)

In post-partition India, a Muslim businessman and his family struggle for their rights in a country which was once their own.

Director:

M.S. Sathyu

Writers:

Kaifi Azmi (story), Shama Zaidi (story),

Stars:

Balraj Sahni, A.K. Hangal, Gita Siddharth

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Balraj Sahni	...	Salim Mirza
A.K. Hangal
Gita Siddharth	...	Amina (as Gita)
Jamal Hashmi	...	Kazim
Yunus Parvez	...	Fakruddin
Jalal Agha	...	Shamshad
Shaukat Azmi	...	(as Shaukat Kaifi)
Vikas Anand
Farooq Shaikh	...	Sikandar (as Farooque Shaikh)
Rajendra Raghuvanshi
Abu Siwani
C.M. Nagar
Shanta Agarwal
Ramma Bans
Rajan Verma	...	(as Raj Verma)

Storyline

In post-partition India, a Muslim businessman and his family struggle for their rights in a country which was once their own.

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Plot Keywords:

muslim | india | dark hero | character repeating someone else's dialogue | injustice | 

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Taglines:

Every pain of mine, I hid even from myself

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Urdu Hindi

Release Date:

November 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scorching Winds

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Finance Corporation (FFC), Unit 3 mm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

146 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in And the Show Goes on: Indian Chapter (1996)

User Reviews

Exceptional film set in 1947 and about the partition of India.

This is an outstanding film and should be considered a landmark in Indian cinema. The subject matter is the 1947 partition of British India, into India and Pakistan. The story is about a Muslim family in Agra, and the central figure is that of Salim Mirza (Balraj Sahni in his memorable last role). The film deals with the state of Muslims in the Hindu India immediately after the partition, when the situation is full of anger and passion (hence the name Garam Hawa, meaning Hot Winds) resulting from people uprooted out of the political decision to divide the land based on religion. While his brother, sister and the older son decide to move on to Pakistan, Salim Mirza stays in India to live and fight for his rights as a citizen. Along with him is his younger son, who had just finished college at the time of the partition and he joins the activists demanding proper & just government of this new born democracy. The film is no doubt influenced by Satyajit Ray's work (and of De Sica) in use of actual locales, using many non-professional actors and staying away from the trade mark Hindi-film song and dance numbers. Balraj Sahni is the main stay and delivers a superb performance, although the supporting performances are equally wonderful. M.S. Sathyu as the director deserves to be remembered just on the basis on this single effort. Color cinematography is very good and the background of Taj Mahal in Agra and the old Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri has been well used. Music by Sarode maestro Ustad Bahadur Khan adds to the value of this production. This film, with English sub-titles, is now available on DVD in US and Canada. Definitely a must-see.