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Earth (1998 film)

About 1 pages (428 words)

Earth
Cover to New Yorker Video release
Directed by	Deepa Mehta
Produced by	Anne Masson Deepa Mehta
Written by	Deepa Mehta (screenplay) Bapsi Sidhwa (novel)
Starring	Aamir Khan Maia Sethna Nandita Das Shabana Azmi
Music by	A. R. Rahman
Cinematography	Giles Nuttgens
Editing by	Barry Farrell
Distributed by	New Yorker Video
Release date(s)	16 September 1998 (Toronto Film Festival)
Running time	101 min.
Language	Hindi English
Preceded by	Fire (1996)
Followed by	Water (2005)
IMDb profile

Bapsi Sidhwa's novel, Cracking India, (1991, U.S.; 1992, India; originally published as Ice Candy Man, 1988, England), was released as the 1998 film Earth (1947 in India), directed by Deepa Mehta.

1 Plot
2 Elements trilogy
3 Nominations
4 Cast and crew
5 External links

Plot

The story is set in Lahore in the time period directly before and during the partition of India in 1947. A young girl with polio, Lenny (Maia Sethna), narrates the story through the voice of her adult self (Shabana Azmi). She is from a wealthy Parsi family who hopes to remain neutral to the rising tensions between Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims in the area. She is cared for by her Ayah, the beautiful Hindu woman, Shanta (Nandita Das). Both Dil, the Ice-Candy Man (Aamir Khan) and Hassan, the Masseur (Rahul Khanna) are Muslim and in love with Shanta. Shanta, Dil, and Hassan are part of a larger multi-ethnic group of Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh friends (some of whom work for Lenny's family) who spend their days together in the park. With partition, however, this once unified group of friends becomes divided and tragedy ensues.

Elements trilogy

Earth is the second part of a linked trilogy by Mehta; it was preceded by Fire (1996) and followed by Water (2005).

Nominations

Earth was the Indian nominee for the 2000 72nd Academy Award for Best Foreign film, but was not included among the final five nominees selected by the AMPAS.