Earth (released in India as 1947: Earth) is a 1998 Indo-Canadian period romance drama film directed by Deepa Mehta. It is based upon Bapsi Sidhwa's novel, Cracking India (1991, US; 1992, India; originally published as Ice Candy Man, 1988, UK), set during the 1947 partition of India. Earth is the second instalment of Mehta's Elements trilogy, preceded by Fire (1996) and followed by Water (2005). It was India's entry for the 1999 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
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Plot
The story is set in Lahore (now the capital of Pakistani Punjab) in the period directly before and during the partition of India in 1947 at the time of Indian independence.
A young girl with polio, Lenny, narrates the story through the voice of her adult self. She is from a wealthy Parsi family who hope to remain neutral to the rising tensions between Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims in the area. She is adored and protected by her parents, Bunty and Rustom, and cared for by her Hindu Ayah, named Shanta. Both Dil Navaz (also known as the Ice-Candy Man) and Hassan (the Masseur) are in love with Shanta. Shanta, Dil, and Hassan are part of a small group of friends from different faiths (some of whom work for Lenny's family) who spend their days together in the park. With the violence of partition, however, this once unified group of friends becomes divided and tragedy ensues.
