History repeats

Georgia Lewis speaks to a director who takes an old idea and makes it new – with a couple of lovely leading ladies – in his film Partition.

Sixty years ago India and Pakistan didn’t exist as we know them today. It was 1947 and the British partitioned India into Muslim-controlled Pakistan and Hindu-controlled India. The transition to two separate nations was not without its problems, most notably violence between people of different religions. Most recently, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan has reminded the world how fragile political and religious stability can be in this part of the world.

Without delving too deeply in the partition-era politics and violence that went with this era, Canadian writer/director Vic Sarin has created a film which focuses on lovers who tried to be together in spite of religious differences.
“This is a film that cold be set anywhere in the world at any time,” says Sarin. “It is sad but the world has not changed that much.”

He is referring to the fact that even in 2007, in an era where many of us like to think we’re progressive and open-minded, there can still be barriers that prevent people from loving each other.

In the case of Partition, we have a classic story that is older than Romeo And Juliet – two lovers who come from different backgrounds and have to fight to be together – a Sikh man and a Muslim woman.

“It is not a new story, it is a very old story and it has been done many times,” Sarin freely acknowledges. “But I still feel it is an important story to be told – it could be in Rwanda, in Iraq, in Ireland.”

But Partition is set in 1940s India and Pakistan. Sarin, an Indian-Canadian, got the inspiration for the script from a tragic real life romance his father shared with him. It concerned a Sikh friend of his father’s and his lover, a Muslim woman and the opposition they faced when they tried to have a relationship. They attempted suicide together in a dam but while the woman died, the man survived but could not live without the love of his life so he attempted suicide again and this time he succeeded.

It’s heartbreaking stuff indeed and still a relevant cautionary tale today as far as Sarin is concerned. “In 60 years nothing has changed,” he says with a tinge of despair in his voice. “We have created all these fences that are not necessary.”

The fences he refers to are the fences between religions, the fences that prevent the world truly living in harmony – it is all pretty heavy stuff but when you consider the conflicts that are right on our doorsteps and often affect people close to us, Sarin was determined to make a film that transcended politics and religion, with his steadfast belief that there is good to be had in all religions at the forefront.

“The politics are too complex to cover in a two-hour film. I took a human stand instead - that was the right thing to do,” he says. The message that life is too short to create tensions over who we choose to love was paramount for Sarin. “We have a very small journey and whether we’re here for one year or 100 years, there is a footprint we leave behind.”

“The world is like one place and we are much closer with technology and knowledge but we should pause to reflect on our feelings and not point fingers at people,” he says.

He has taken on big ideas and brought it close to home by focusing on one couple’s troubled romance. The lead is played by British actor Jimi Mistry, who is better known for his comedic work but Sarin spotted a vulnerability beneath the joker exterior. Meanwhile, the female lead is played by the stunning Kristin Kreuk. It is her first feature film and she is best known for her work in the TV hit Smallville.

Providing further eye candy amid a serious story is Neve Campbell, who formerly steamed up our TV screens in Party Of Five and our cinema screens in schlock-horror flick Scream and the seriously saucy Wild Things.

Sarin has nothing but praise for his female leads. “”Kristin Kreuk is a very instinctive actor and Neve Campbell is more of a thinking actor,” he says. “But their very different styles worked well together – there’s an amazing scene with Neve Campbell that’s beautiful, very underplayed but you can feel her pain without her saying a word.”

Partition was filmed in Canada, India and London with the magic of movies playing a part in making Canada look like India. The scenes that were filmed in India were in the Punjab region, which was the scene of much unrest during partition. “There were extras who remembered the partition era so it gave the film authenticity,” says Sarin.

Sarin’s next project will also see him making locations look like other places, although it won’t quite be the same leap of imagination that was required to make Canada a convincing India. Currently in pre-production, Sarin’s next film is A Shine Of Rainbows, a film set in Scotland but filmed in Ireland. It’s a drama about an orphan who conquers grief through the magic of nature and he is currently knocking on the doors of some of the world’s hottest actresses to play the female lead and at the top of his wish list is Kate Winslet. With Partition already receiving strong early reviews, it looks like Sarin’s star is on the rise and with that might come some seriously A-list leading ladies.