Film Studies Report: Analyzing Religious Sentiments in Selected Films

This film studies report analyzes the portrayal of Sikhism in six selected films: Punjab 1984, Partition (2007), The Silent Waters (2004), The Ocean of Pearls (2004), 31st October (2016), and Qissa (2013). The report examines how these films reflect the religious sentiments of the people and the lessons each film imparts through its unique storytelling. It explores the interweaving of themes, philosophical insights, and the directors' and writers' perspectives. The analysis includes specific scenes from each film and discusses their significance in highlighting the challenges, discrimination, and cultural nuances faced by the Sikh community. The report also considers the impact of these films on societal perceptions, particularly regarding issues such as religious identity, communal relations, and gender roles. The conclusion emphasizes the power of film as a medium of communication and its role in shaping audience perceptions and understanding of religious and cultural themes.

Running Head : FILM STUDIES
Film Studies
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note:

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Introduction
The report will study the aspect of Sikhism which is revealed through the 6 selected
films. The main purpose of the report is to analyze the impact of such films on the religious
sentiments of the people and the lesson that each film has on the audience through its unique
ways of storytelling (Abbi,2019). The interweaving of the themes and the concepts of the films
will also present philosophical insights of the thought process of the common people. It will also
highlight the particular idea and the thought process of the directors and writers through their
films. It will help in the analysis of the ideas portrayed through the films (Singh,2016).
Discussion
Film 1
Punjab 1984
Clip of 15 seconds: The 15 seconds clip that mainly attracted me was the scene when
Satwant Singh, the main hero was being beaten up in the police custody ruthlessly and he
screamed that when the country belongs to them, the village belongs to them still he had to
remain in exile for supporting the people of his own village. The film revolves around the event
of ‘Operation Blue Star’ that took place in the year 1986. The film reflects the horrors and the
tragedies that were inflicted on the lives of the Sikhs at this time. It highlighted that during the
operation Blue Star the Indian Army randomly fired at the Sikhs who were locked in the rooms.
Film 2
Partition (2007)
15 seconds clip: The scene when Gian Singh kept Naseen inside his room and Irfan Khan along
with the other eminent members of the village came to Gian Singh’s house in search for Naseen

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and screamed at Gian Singh ‘Where is that Muslim Girl?’ The scene clearly highlights the hatred
that is deep rooted between the two countries and the struggle of Gian Singh to save the love of
his life.The second film revolves around the political side effects of the partition between India
and Pakistan. The two main characters of the Film are Gian Singh who is a Sikh and Naseem, a
young girl from Pakistan who got detached from her parents during the ravages of war. Their
love story after overcoming all the obstacles and at the end of the film though the Gian Singh
dies their love wins, depicts the common tale of many such people whose love stories, dreams
and aspirations got suppressed due to the wars and by the political divisions among the people.
Film 3
The Silent Waters (2004)
Clip of 15 seconds: The scene in the film where the members of the Sikh shrine came to
the village of Ayesha and the villagers were heard mocker ring the Sikhs because of their
religious appearance. The scene depicts the prevalence of communal hatred between the
communities the, at the same time Ayesha was seen asking her kid to donate some food and
money to the Sikh shrine which she gave him.The story of Khamosh Paani revolves around the
central character of a middle aged woman Ayesha (role played by Kiran Kher) who earns her
living by teaching the religious textsto the people of her nearby villages. The film reflects the
fight of a woman towards the force of fundamentalism in her entire life. Much before the concept
of feminism became popular in the Indian Subcontinent, the film silent waters brought the
concept of feminism to the forefront of the masses. The modern day #MeToo Movement can be
well aligned with the film ‘Silent Waters’.

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Film 4
The Ocean of Pearls (2004)
Clip of 15 seconds: The most powerful scene was when Amit’s father replied to a foreigner on
keeping the long hair by saying, “The hair is the article of our faith” but unfortunately due to the
border pressures, the second powerful scene was when Amit decided to compromise with his
tradition by cutting his hair in order to serve the people and reach out to the masses.The film is
depicts a semi-autobiographical story of the Sikhs in general who experienced racial
discrimination in America in the period post 9/11. The story is shown through the young boy Dr.
Amit Singh who left his family and his girlfriend who left Toronto to Detroit at a new transplant
facility. It shows the struggles that Amit had to face along with the pressures of assimilation,
pressure of removing his turban and unfair treatment that he faced in the medical system.
Film 5
31st October (2016)
Clip of 15 seconds : The scene where Vir das is questioned by his kids on keeping long
hair and also told him how they het mocked at by their friends on keeping such long hair. Vir das
geave very powerful explanation and stated that the good and loyal children of Guru Govind
Singh have to keep long hair as a symbol of loyalty and love towards one’s religion.The film
reflects on the destruction of the humanity of the Sikh community after the assassination of the
then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh security guard. The film is an important
awareness regarding the public hatred that is inflicted in the Sikh community. It gives the general
people with the important message of the forces of moral corruption that has turned the Sikh
youth into savages or drug addicts in the latter years of their life. The film aware the audience
regarding the negative repercussions of the racial discrimination on the sentiments of the
common people.

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Film 6
Qissa (2013)
Clip for 15 seconds : the most important scene of this film was when Kanwar, which was a girl
but was brought up as a woman in the society was about to get married to another. The scene
where her father Irfan Khan says “Neither a boy nor a girl, not a human not, stuck in the horrific
tale’. However in this scene her mother advises her wife “If you stay happy Kanwar will also
stay happy’. The film revolves around a Sikh couple, Umber Singh and Mehar. During the period
of partition they leave their native place with their three daughters. Pointing on the traditional
stigma of the Indian Society, Umber wants their fourth child to be a boy. Mehar highlights the
irrational patriarchy as she is doubtful that if the fourth child is a girl then her husband will
leaver her. Finally the fourth child takes birth and she is a girl too. But Umber declares her to be
a boy out of her string passion to have a boy child. The film then revolves around the struggles of
Kanwar (the fourth child) to behave and act like a boy when biologically she is a girl. The film
can change the mindsets of many Indian parents who still today just crave for a Boy Child !.
Conclusion
Films are the most powerful; mode of communication because they depict the ideas in
such a manner that gets entrenched into the hearts of the audience. By having the religious
connotation as the background of the films, it helps people to correlate with their most practical
aspects of life. (DeVere, 2017).When we watch films we get the opportunity to notice how well
or the proper structure in which the religious ideas displayed will shape a film’s story.
(Chandrashekar, 2017).

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References
Abbi, K. (2019). The visibility and arrival of the transnational new Sikh middle class in the
cinematic experience of the turbaned hero Diljit Dosanjh: Its implication for emerging
Sikh identity politics. Sikh Formations, 1-35.
Chandrashekar, S. (2017). Engendering threat in the guise of protection: Orientalism and Sikh
vulnerability. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 12(4), 366-381.
DeVere, D. J. (2017). Perceptions of bicultural accommodation: a critical examination of the
academic, cultural, and social experiences of Sikh college students (Doctoral
dissertation).
Gurbanjan Singh, A. K. (2016). The Influence of Bollywood Films on Punjabi Sikh Youths’
Perception of Their Religious Identity (Doctoral dissertation, UTAR).
Bibliography
"'Qissa' to release Feb 20 on multiple platforms". Indian Express. Retrieved 22 April 2015
"31st October - Film by Harry Sachdeva"
↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ocean of Pearls Premiering at The Miami International Film Festival". World Sikh News.
"Silent Waters" - Overview New York Times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_(2007)
"Punjab 1984". punjabiportal.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 5
November 2014.