Tamas

Tamas is a scarring movie set in the undivided India of 1947. Based on the novel by the famous Hindi author Bhisham Sahni, the story spotlights one of the bloodiest events of modern history: the partition of India. Directed by Govind Nihalani, it originally aired as a serial on the national broadcasting channel Doordarshan in 1987. Starring Om Puri and Amrish Puri, the film featured many other notable artists of Indian cinema.

In the early weeks of 1988, it found itself caught in a whirlpool of controversy over religious issues. The director also received multiple threats due to which he was even placed under police protection for 8 weeks. Numerous lawsuits were filed against it. Ultimately, it received a clean chit from the Bombay High Court but was later compiled and projected in theatres as a 4-hour film to avoid further problems. For some years, it completely disappeared from Indian television. Today one can watch it for free on online streaming platforms like YouTube, just as I did.

Religion has always been a multifaceted subject. While it provides solace to a person in distress, it has also been the cause of some of the most horrific events in history. I need not cite any examples. Innocent and ignorant individuals have always been brainwashed by clever and influential people. Faith inspires people to move forward. However, one must always exercise wisdom and common sense. One must not allow oneself to be used by powerful influencers.

This story unfolds in Rawalpindi (located in present-day Pakistan). Nathu (played by Om Puri), the protagonist of our tale, is a chamar, who was asked to slaughter a pig for some extra money. Though he didn't do it willingly, he could not have possibly anticipated what was about to happen. Later in the day, the carcass of that pig was thrown in front of a mosque, provoking the Muslim community. Before anyone could realise it, the whole city found itself engulfed by communal riots. Some social workers, led by Congress leader Bakshiji (played by AK Hangal) did try to mitigate the violence, but nothing stopped the mob. People began leaving the city in large numbers. Fearing for the safety of his disabled mother and pregnant wife (played by Deepa Sahi), Nathu was also forced to flee. Yet, this was merely the beginning of his misfortunes.

Overcome by fatigue, his mother passed away on the journey. He couldn't even perform a proper cremation for her and started blaming himself for everyone's suffering. Eventually, they found refuge in a Gurudwara where many Sikhs were sheltered with their families. Sardar Teja Singh (played by Amrish Puri) was the leader of all Sikh people congregating inside the Gurudwara. He sent a delegate on his behalf to go and talk to the opposite party along with Nathu as his guard. They were looking forward to a peaceful negotiation. Instead, a fight erupted between the two groups and many men, including Nathu, lost their lives. Women were compelled to commit jauhar to safeguard their honour. Nothing was left. It was a horrible sight. At the end of the film, we hear the cries of Nathu's newly born child with mixed sounds of slogans coming from Hindu and Muslim groups in the background.

This film was one of the most haunting films I've ever seen. It was a real eye-opener. While most of the people were celebrating the inception of a new independent country, many didn't even get the privilege to mourn their losses. History has always been the greatest teacher. It is our ignorance that makes us repeat the same mistakes. All we can do is try and avoid those mistakes now. I've chosen not to delve into the political factors this time.