I have to say that I disagree with most of my friends who liked this movie. The fact is that there is so much trash in Indian Cinema that something mediocre is hailed as a masterpiece. Deepa Mehta is quite over-hyped yet again.
The movie is very well shot, and some good performances. But the dialogues display the same melodrama of other Indian movies. The script does not do any justice to the pain and devastation of the partition era. The scenes intended to elicit horror and sadness are diluted by frequent jokes that have a disgustingly feel-good quality. A lot of the story telling is naive, predictable and manipulative.
Looking at the movie, the partition period of India seems like just another riot, and nothing more. The partition is as painful a memory to indians as the holocaust is to jews. You wouldn't think so after watching this movie.
The movie is very well shot, and some good performances. But the dialogues display the same melodrama of other Indian movies. The script does not do any justice to the pain and devastation of the partition era. The scenes intended to elicit horror and sadness are diluted by frequent jokes that have a disgustingly feel-good quality. A lot of the story telling is naive, predictable and manipulative.
Looking at the movie, the partition period of India seems like just another riot, and nothing more. The partition is as painful a memory to indians as the holocaust is to jews. You wouldn't think so after watching this movie.