Tamas (film)
Tamas | |
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Directed by | Tamas by Bhisham Sahni |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Narrated by | Bhisham Sahni |
Cinematography | V. K. Murthy Govind Nihalani |
Edited by | Sutanu Gupta |
Music by | Vanraj Bhatia |
Distributed by | Blaze Entertainment Pvt Ltd |
Release date | 1988 |
Running time | 298 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Tamas (lit. Darkness) is a
Plot
Nathu, a Chamar, is finishing his work in his shop when the thekedar (Pankaj Kapur) walks in and asks him to kill a pig for the Veterinary doctor who needs it for medical purposes. Nathu declines saying he has never killed a pig before and doesn't have the necessary skill for it, offering instead to tan the hide if required provided the people from the piggery kill it. Thekedar insists and gives Nathu 5 rupees and leaves the shop saying by morning the jamadar will come to take the carcass.
Early next morning Bakshiji (
Fearing unrest in the community, Bakshiji and Hayat Baksh (Manohar Singh), the spokesman of the Muslim League, visit the Deputy Commissioner Richard (Barry John) at his house and urge him to take preemptive measures to bring the situation under control. Richard declines the suggestions of Bakshiji and Hayat Baksh to deploy police or impose a curfew and instead tells the party members to urge their respective communities to maintain peace and order.
Nathu having seen the pig carcass at the mosque and having witnessed slight unrest in the town, wonders whether it was the same pig he had killed last night. While returning home in the evening he sees the thekedar in the street. Nathu tries to approach him but the thekedar rushes off hurriedly. Now sure that it was the same pig, Nathu feels terribly guilty and goes home and confesses it all to his pregnant wife Kammo (Deepa Sahi). Outside at a distance they see burning houses and Nathu blames himself for the erupting communal violence.
Sensing danger, Nathu decides to leave the city with his wife and mother. They start off on foot, Nathu carrying his old crippled mother on his back. During the travel Nathu's mother dies and has to be burned in the forest without proper funeral rites which further devastates the conscience-stricken Nathu who in his naivety holds himself responsible for the holocaust.
In a nearby village Harnam Singh (Bhisham Sahni) and his wife Banto (Dina Pathak) are the only Sikh family. They too are planning to go to their daughter Jasbir's (Uttara Baokar) house in a Sikh village. They travel on foot all night and the next morning reach a village and knock a door seeking shelter. The house belongs to a Muslim, Ehsan Ali (Iftekhar), who has been a friend of Harnam Singh since long. Harnam Singh and Banto hide at the house during the day, but at night are discovered by Ehsan's son and are asked to leave immediately. On their way the next morning they meet Nathu and his wife in the forest and they all go together to a gurudwara where Jasbir and several other Sikhs have taken shelter.
At the gurudwara Teja Singh (
Richard is later shown addressing prominent figures of the city where he informs the gathering about the relief measures taken by the government and proposes the leaders to form an Aman Committee to send out a message of peace. Bakshiji and Hayat Baksh are made vice presidents of Aman Committee. At the conclusion of the meeting the thekedar is seen shouting communal harmony slogans.
Harnam Singh, Banto, and Kammo are at the refugee camp. Harnam Singh requests a government employee to help find Nathu who hasn't been seen since he went with the junior granthi for negotiating with the Muslims. The employee suggests they inquire at the hospital tent where he might've been admitted had he been found in the city. Kammo looks through the dead bodies lying in a row on the ground and identifying Nathu's dead body among them, she collapses, crying. She goes into labor immediately and is taken into the hospital tent by nurses. Harnam Singh and Banto sitting outside the tent hear the newborn's cries from inside the tent mixed with slogans of "Allahu Akbar" and "Har Har Mahadev" coming from a distance.
Cast
- Om Puri as Nathu
- Deepa Sahi as Karmo
- Uttara Baokar as Jasbir
- Amrish Puri as Sardar Teja Singh
- A.K. Hangalas Bakshi ji
- Manohar Singh as Hayat Baksh
- Bhisham Sahni as Harnam Singh
- Dina Pathak as Banto
- K. K. Raina as Mirdad
- Iftekhar as Ehsan Ali
- Surekha Sikri as Rajo
- Pankaj Kapur as thekedaar
- Saeed Jaffrey as Karim Khan
- Barry John as Richard
- Karen Smith as Liza
- K.K. Rainaas Socialist Comrade
- Surendra Pal as Shah Nawaz
- Virendra Saxenaas Jarnail
- Pinchoo Kapoor as Dilawar
- Akash Khurana as Dr. Kapoor
- Harish Patel as Karada
Production
Development
The film was based on the namesake
Casting and filming
Bhisham Sahni gave an introduction to the film in addition to being cast in a pivotal role opposite Dina Pathak.[2] Subsequently, Nihalani hand-picked Amrish Puri, A. K. Hangal, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapur stating that almost all of these were young at the time of partition and had known very well about the event. Deepa Sahi, Surekha Sikri and Barry John were signed up for other important roles.[2] Om Puri who was cast in the lead role, was asked to lose weight and grow a beard for his character. There was a scene in the film where he had to kill a pig.[3]
Nihalani originally wanted to shoot the film in Punjab, Pakistan, but owing to terrorist attacks the film was shot in Mumbai.[3] Nihalani stated that he had a tough time to find the producers until he met Lalit Bijlani of Blaze Films, who immediately agreed upon to produce the film despite Nihalani warning him of the controversies that the story had.[2]
Release
The film was aired as a six-part
Awards
Award | Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|
National Film Awards | 1988 | Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration | Govind Nihalani | Won[7] |
Best Supporting Actress | Surekha Sikri | Won[8] | ||
Best Music Direction | Vanraj Bhatia | Won[9] |
References
- ^ "He was the finest writer in Hindi". Rediff.com. 12 July 2003. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "Directing 'Tamas' was an act of faith: Govind Nihalani". Mid-Day. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ a b c Unnikrishnan, Chaya (15 August 2013). "Tamas did not take any sides". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ Mini Anthikad Chhibber (16 August 2013). "A saga of separation". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ a b c "Fresh target". India Today. 15 February 1988. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ "'Tamas' is back". The Hindu. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ "35th National Film Festival – 1988". Directorate of Film Festivals. p. 18. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ "35th National Film Festival – 1988". Directorate of Film Festivals. p. 32. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ "35th National Film Festival – 1988". Directorate of Film Festivals. p. 52. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
External links
- Tamas at IMDb