Partition has been a lifelong dream for Vic Sarin and deals with issues close to his heart. Says he, "It has been my dream and my passion to make this film and to share the beauty, complexity and humanity of this part of the world with an international audience." It is a classic love story, an eastern Romeo and Juliet played out on the vast canvas of India during the 1947 Partition. Sarin’s epic yet intimate film honours a classic story telling style. "Though the setting is India, the subject is universal. I chose to tell the story in English in a classic western cinematic style, much as David Lean did with Dr. Zhivago or Lawrence of Arabia," says Sarin.

Vic Sarin grew up in Kashmir at the time of the Partition of India. His father operated a local movie theater, and it was here that Vic’s love for the cinema was born. After the Partition Vic’s father joined the Indian foreign-service in New Delhi. Subsequently he was posted to Australia as a diplomat where he moved his family when Vic was in his early teens. Knowing his son’s passion for the cinema his father fortuitously gave Sarin a 16-mm camera for his 16th birthday. Sarin immediately found his niche in filmmaking, "I fell in love with the visual side of storytelling, because movies transcend all barriers. Pictures are understood in every language."

The tragic story of a friend of Sarin’s father - a Sikh gentleman who loved a Muslim woman - became the inspiration for the two archetypal Romeo and Juliet characters in his movie. "It was a forbidden relationship. As their love would not be tolerated in the outside world, they would meet secretly at my father's house. I remember how the gentleman would arrive first, and then a lady in a veil would arrive shortly thereafter. One day I overheard my father tell my mother that his friend was dead. It seems the day before, the hopelessness of their situation became too much for them, they went to the local dam where they both jumped.
For some reason my father's friend survived and was washed ashore. He looked back at the river and saw the floating body of the woman he loved. He went back to the dam and jumped again. Can you imagine the love that he had for this woman,
that he had the courage to go back a second time?" The tragedy of their circumstances – a love denied by a world determined to keep them apart – and the courage and depth of this man’s love for this woman stayed with me throughout my life. These were the seeds from which the movie grew."

Partition has been Sarin’s dream for more than two decades. Like the characters in his story, he was up against countless obstacles along the way, but his passion for the project kept it going. The funding took more than ten years to fall in place. Producers Tina Pehme and Kim Roberts knew they had a strong script and a fantastic director, but also knew studios in Europe and the States were a tougher sell: "They loved the script, but were unsure of how to market a film with two ethnic leads that dealt with the Partition of India." However, Pehme and Roberts were driven to make the film as they saw that it was 'something that deserved to come to fruition and had so much relevance in the world today.'

Sarin’s main intention in Partition is not to educate audiences about tragedies that followed India’s Partition: "I’m not out to recreate the bad dream. I’m not into politics. My subject is humanity- the love between these people. That said, I think it is important that people know that this event took place. We all know about World War I and World War II, we know about the Holocaust, but Partition remains largely unknown in the western world. The film is, however,not a history lesson, it is at its heart a love story; however, if it inspires people to delve a little deeper to learn more about this time in history, it would please me."

In the true spirit of the story, Sarin felt the ensemble of actors should come from the international stage, with no consideration for their nationalities, language or religious beliefs; the only criteria being that they be the strongest actor for the role. Sarin met with actors and held casting sessions over a period of years in India, Canada, England, the US and beyond and hand picked every actor for the part, no matter how small the role. "It was essential to me that we had the right ensemble. The chemistry and authenticity of each cast member’s performance was vital to the film." Jimi Mistry (East is East) and Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) committed to the project two years before it went into production because they felt it was an important story to tell. Mistry’s character (a Sikh soldier in the British Indian Army) has been traumatized by the horrors he witnessed while fighting the Japanese in Burma during the Second World War. Disillusioned, he returns to the village where he grew up, determined to live out his life in solitude. When he finds Naseem he must make a choice and once again open his heart. According to Mistry, "that’s when his humanity comes in, his courage, his honesty, the fact that he has the strength within himself against all the odds to follow what he feels in his heart." Kreuk, for her part, embraced the role of Naseem whole-heartedly, going to great lengths to understand the reality of a young Muslim woman living in India circa 1940. She researched and studied, working with cultural and dialogue coaches, attending a local mosque and immersing herself in the Indian community to perfect her performance.

Sarin hopes that Partition will leave audiences with a story about humanity in its simplest, purest form uncomplicated by arbitrary, often treacherous differences like religion and class: "The greatest tragedy is when the freedom to love who you choose is imposed by outside forces. I hope after seeing a film of this kind, people will reconsider some of their values and priorities in life. I think at the end of the all that matters is who you reach out to and touch in your lifetime."

Despite the film’s controversial subject matter, the producers have received tremendous support from both the Muslim and Sikh communities. "The essence of the film is the need for peace and tolerance," Pehme continues. "It shows there are strengths and weaknesses in all societies, and if we’re going to survive we have to come together. Our goal is to make a film that although set in India, speaks to people the world over."

The film, having been released earlier in the year in Canada and Europe, is out on DVD. Now, how about a theatrical release in India?!