Earth (1998)

Director:

Deepa Mehta

Writers:

Deepa Mehta (writer)
Bapsi Sidhwa (novel)

Release Date:

7 July 1999 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The movie opens in Lahore of 1947 before India and Pakistan became independent. It is a cosmopolitan city...

Plot Keywords:

Muslim | Hindu | India | Lahore | Friend

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Maia Sethna	...	Lenny Sethna
Nandita Das	...	Shanta, the Ayah
Kulbhushan Kharbanda	...	Imam Din
Babby Singh	...	Yousaf
Kitu Gidwani	...	Bunty Sethna
Raghuvir Yadav	...	Hariya / Himmat Ali
Kabir Chowdhury	...	Cousin Adi
Arif Zakaria	...	Rustom Sethna
Eric Peterson	...	Mr. Rogers (IG)
Gulshan Grover	...	Mr. Singh
Lauren Walker	...	Mrs. Rogers
Cinia Jain	...	Mrs. Singh
Rahul Khanna	...	Hassan, the Masseur
Navtej Singh Johar	...	Sher Singh
Pavan Malhotra	...	Butcher

Also Known As:

1947: Earth (India: English title) (alternative title)
Terre (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

India | Canada

Language:

Hindi | English | Parsee | Punjabi | Urdu

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | India:A | Australia:MA | New Zealand:M | USA:Unrated | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

New Delhi, Delhi, India

Company:

Cracking the Earth Films Inc.

Trivia:

Author Bapsi Sidhwa has a cameo at the end of the movie, as older Lenny.

Movie Connections:

Follows Fire (1996)

Soundtrack:

Theme Piece

How far have we come in 50 years?

This question resonated in my mind as the credits rolled. The release of this movie came at a high point in India's history - 50 years after independence from the British.

As an Indian-born American this film had an intense emotional impact on me, as it did with my best friends sitting to my right and left - a Muslim and a Sikh. It seems melodramatic but we sat in our seats, tears in our eyes, stunned.

One of the things I look forward to after every movie going experience is the inevitable discussion that follows. All three of us were silent for almost half an hour. It dawned on us that we could have been the group of friends who were so close at the beginning only to be divided by our demons in the name of religion at the end.

As an aspiring film-maker, I would like to congratulate Deepa Mehta for her courage and determination in presenting such amazing human stories. In an industry where Bollywood sachharine seems to prevail, it is reassuring to see a true artistic voice strike a lyrical chord with the world.

She makes me proud to be Indian first and foremost.