Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that August 14 will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day in memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people for Independence.
The partition era in 1947 is known as one of the darkest periods in the history of India. The division had displaced hundreds of thousands of Hindus and Muslims. It was accompanied by religious riots and had also resulted in mass murders, rapes, loot and other horrifying memories.
Here is a look at seven films that take a look a part of history that displaced around1.5 crore people on religious lines:
Chhalia (1960)
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This black and white film, starring Raj Kapoor, Nutan, Pran, Rehman and Shobhna Samarth, takes its inspiration fromthe 1848 short story "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky but also focuses on the issue of estranged wives and children in the aftermath of Partition
Dharamputra (1961)
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Dharmputra is based on a novel by Acharya Chatursen. Directed by Yash Chopra, some say the film was the first in India depict the partition of India and issues of religious bigotry, fanaticism and communalism. The film stars Mala Sinha, Shashi Kapoor and Rehman.
Garm Hawa (1973)
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Garm Hava is directed by M. S. Sathyu and starring Balraj Sahni as lead is based on an unpublished short story by noted Urdu writer Ismat Chughtai. The film, written by Kaifi Azmi and Shama Zaidi, is set in Agra and deals with the plight of a Muslim businessman and his family, in the period after Partition.
Train to Pakistan (1998)
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Train to Pakistan is adapted from Khushwant Singh's novel and directed by Pamela Rooks. The film stars Nirmal Pandey, Rajit Kapur, Mohan Agashe, Smriti Mishra, Mangal Dhillon and Divya Dutta. The film depicts the love affair of small-time dacoit Juggut Singh (Nirmal Pandey) and a local Muslim girl, Nooran (Smriti Mishra) and brings a human dimension to the horrors of Partition.
1947: Earth (1999)
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Earth directed by Deepa Mehta is the second installment of the Elements trilogy, preceded by Fire (1996) and followed by Water (2005). The film is based on Bapsi Sidhwa's novel, Cracking India. Earth, starring Aamir Khan, Rahul Khanna and Nandita Das, was India's entry for the 1999 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001)
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Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, directed by Anil Sharma, is loosely based on the life of Boota Singh. The film stars Sunny Deol and Amisha Patel in lead roles alongside Amrish Puri and Lillete Dubey and tells the story of a Sikh truck driver, Tara Singh, who falls in love with a Muslim girl, Sakina Ali.
Pinjar (2003)
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Pinjar is directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi and based on a Punjabi novel by Amrita Pritam. Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpayee and Sanjay Suri are in the lead roles. The film won the National Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.
