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notion for Vic Sarin's film Partition was sparked by the true and
tragic story of his father's friend -- a Sikh gentleman in love with a Muslim
woman. "It was a forbidden relationship. And rather than live in a world
that would not accept their love, they went to the local dam where they both
jumped." When Sarin began to hear more stories of couples torn apart by the Partition of India in 1947 when the nation was split into two countries on the basis of religion: Pakistan into an Islamic state and India into a secular state, he decided there was a story to be told. In Partition, Gian Singh (East is East's Jimi Mistry) is a disillusioned soldier in the British Indian Army trying to live a quiet existence as a farmer in a Sikh village in Northern India. His life is suddenly turned upside down when he becomes responsible for the life of Naseem (Kristin Kreuk), a 17-year-old girl traumatized by a massacre in the region that has separated her from her Muslim family. Although Kreuk's background was not the same as the character she played, the Canadian actress, best known for her role as Lana Lang on TV's Smallville, embraced the role immediately. Kreuk learned all of the intricacies of Muslim culture in India of the 1940's by working with cultural and dialogue coaches, attending a local mosque and immersing herself in the Indian community to perfect her performance. "There's a misconception about Muslim women in the western world," said Kreuk. "I really want to represent them in a positive, honest way." When love develops between Naseem and Gian, the girl eventually finds |
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acceptance in his village
while the search for her family goes on with the help of Margaret Stilwell (Neve
Campbell) a British woman who secretly loves Gian but is held back by the
cultural barriers of the time. |