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''Partition'' is a 2007 English-language period film directed by Vic Sarin, written by Patricia Finn and Vic Sarin, and starring Jimi Mistry and Kristin Kreuk. The film is set in 1947, based on the
Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...
and was partially shot in
Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, w ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. Determined to leave the ravages of war behind, 38-year-old Gian Singh ( Jimi Mistry) resigns from the British Indian Army to a quiet life. His world is soon thrown in turmoil when he finds himself responsible for the life of a 17-year-old Muslim girl separated from her family and traumatised by the conflict of the Partition of India. Resisting all the taboos of religious divide, Gian finds himself slowly falling in love with the vulnerable Naseem ( Kristin Kreuk).


Plot

Gian Singh is a Sikh who goes off to war in the British Indian Army with his two best friends Andrew and Avtar. The three are being seen off by Andrew's sister Margaret and Walter. Gian promises to look after Andrew only to resign after Andrew is killed. Gian is tortured by the guilt of not being able to save Andrew. The young Muslim woman Naseem (Kristin Kreuk) is separated from her family in riots and unaware that her father has been killed, hides in hope that the Sikh mobs won't find her. Gian finds Naseem in the woods, having just returned to his home town near the Pakistani border. Their efforts to hide are foiled; Naseem and Gian are forced to bargain for Naseem's life with money. The townspeople, although initially resenting her presence, begin to accept Naseem, and it seems that the bad parts of their lives have faded away until night when both Naseem and Gian suffer from tortured visions of their past. These visions ultimately unite the two and they get married and have a son they call Vijay. In love, the world seems perfect until Margaret shows up on Gian's doorstep with news that Naseem's family has been found in Pakistan. Naseem leaves to see them in Pakistan. She is to return in a month but does not arrive. Her two brothers, discovering her marriage to a Sikh, lock her up in her room and forbid her to ever return to India. Akbar, the eldest, is particularly stubborn, and vows to keep her away from her husband at all costs. Gian, tired of waiting, sets off on a trip to Pakistan to retrieve Naseem. He disguises himself as a Muslim, cutting off his hair and donning a Kofi. Even with the disguise he has to sneak across the border as his papers are not sufficient. Gian meets with Walter and Margaret, who barely recognise him without his turban, and leaves Vijay with them while he goes to get Naseem. When he arrives, still dressed as a Muslim, Naseem immediately recognizes him. As they run toward one another they are stopped by her brothers and Akbar beats Gian. To explain himself to his neighbors he tells them that Gian is a Sikh. Meanwhile, Naseem has been locked up by her brother Zakir. Gian is hauled to jail and there he wallows in the darkness, refusing to return to India until he remembers that he has a son who needs him. Naseem's mother, realizing that the couple are truly in love, frees Naseem, who runs to the train. She recognizes Vijay immediately and hugs him, unaware that Gian is just on the other side of the tracks. When he calls her name, they begin to fight through the crowd to reach one another. Just as they meet Akbar pulls them apart and begins a struggle with Gian. Gian is pushed over the railing onto the tracks just as the train arrives and is killed. Naseem sobs hysterically as she slowly collapses to the ground. Naseem and Vijay escape on the train as the police arrive for Akbar. With the help of Margaret and Walter they move to England and Avtar spreads Gian's ashes given by Walter over a banyan tree.


Cast

* Jimi Mistry as Gian Singh / Mohammad Hassan * Kristin Kreuk as Naseem Khan * Neve Campbell as Margaret Stilwell * John Light as Walter Hankins * Irrfan Khan as Avtar Singh * Madhur Jaffrey as Shanti Singh *
Arya Babbar Aarya Babbar is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood and Punjabi films. In 2014, Aarya participated in the eighth season of ''Bigg Boss''. Career Aarya Babbar started his film career with Raj Kanwar's ''Ab Ke Baras'' alongside Amrita R ...
as Akbar Khan * Lushin Dubey as Mumtaz Khan *Chenier Hundal as Zakir Khan *Jesse Moss as Andrew Stilwell *Jaden Rain as Vijay Singh *
Lakha Lakhwinder Singh Lakhwinder Singh is an Indian actor who works in Hindi and Punjabi language films and television serials. Filmography Television And Web Series References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Lakha Lakhwinder Living people Male a ...
as Special Appearance


Nominations

*2008
Genie Award for Best Achievement in Cinematography The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Achievement in Cinematography, to honour the best Canadian film cinematography. The award was first presented in 1963 as part of the Canadian Film Awards, with separate ...
- Nominee *2007
Leo Award The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Held each May or June in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Leo Awards were founded by the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British C ...
for Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Drama - Nominated *2007 Leo Award for Best Direction in a Feature Length Drama - Nominated *2007 Leo Award for Best Screenwriting in a Feature Length Drama - Nominated (with Patricia Finn)


Release

''Partition'' is a co-production between Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The film was released to Canadian theatres on February 2, 2007, with a subsequent Region one (US and Canada) DVD release on June 26, 2007.


See also

*
List of Asian historical drama films Historical or period drama is a film genre in which stories are based on historical events and famous persons. Some historical dramas attempt to accurately portray a historical event or biography, to the degree that the available historical researc ...


External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, 1192846-1192846-partition, Partition 2007 films 2007 independent films 2007 romantic drama films British independent films British romantic drama films Canadian independent films Canadian romantic drama films South African drama films South African independent films English-language Canadian films English-language South African films Films scored by Brian Tyler Films directed by Vic Sarin Films set in the 1940s Films set in the partition of India Interfaith romance films Indian interfaith romance films 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films 2000s British films