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Journalism of Courage
1973. In darkened cinema halls across the country,a post-Partition pain was prised open. It was MS Sathyus Garam Hawa. And the cinematic moment that crystallised the howl of a bloodied nation was Salim Mirza (Balraj Sahni) staring vacantly at his young daughter Aminas body. The movie was powered as much by Sathyus direction as by Sahnis acting. Balraj had been through the suicide of his daughter Shabnam. I told him to react to Aminas body as if it was Shabnam lying lifeless in front of him. It was cruel but it was worth the effort, says Sathyu,79. The moving saga that dealt with the plight of Muslims in post-Partition India,however,was left to gather dust in archives,the film unavailable on television channels or home videos because of the bad quality of prints and soundtrack. Now 36 years after it was first released,the film will again hit theatres in August,thanks to the restoration work that is being undertaken,frame by frame,by 15 technicians at Cameo Studios in Pune.
I am happy that a generation that is untouched by the severity of Partition will finally be able to see the movie, says Sathyu over a telephone conversation from the first Ahmedabad International Film Festival,where he is busy with the screening of his latest film,The Incompatible.
Sathyu also laments the fact that most of his colleagues from the film are not around for the second release. I will miss Balraj immensely. His profundity sort of immortalised the film. Others have also left me,especially Jalal Agha and AK Hangal. I am still going strong, laughs Sathyu. But somewhere you sense an apprehension and he agrees about a Friday when Garam Hawa will be released,once again.
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