Cinema
Scorching Winds
गर्म हवा
M. S. Sathyu · 1973
Synopsis
In Agra, in the dark months that follow Partition and the assassination of Gandhi, Salim Mirza, a Muslim shoemaker, refuses to leave for Pakistan while his relatives go away one by one. His workers leave him, no bank will lend to him any more, his house is taken back from him and no one will rent to a Muslim; his daughter Amina watches the cousin she loved depart. He is accused of spying for Pakistan, and his hope wears away.
Context
The film is based on an unpublished story by Ismat Chughtai, whose hero was a station master; Kaifi Azmi, who had been a trade unionist among shoe workers, made him a manufacturer and wrote the screenplay with Shama Zaidi. Balraj Sahni plays his last major role in it: he died the day after the dubbing was finished. In Bombay, Bal Thackeray threatened to burn down any cinemas that showed it, then changed his mind after a special screening.
Who it is for
Nearly two and a half hours in Hindi and Urdu, with no French release. It is worth knowing about the Partition of 1947.
Prizes and reception
In competition at Cannes in 1974, chosen by India for the Oscars, National Integration award; regarded as its director's masterpiece.
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