All posts tagged: Partition of India

This secret epic is India’s true longest film

This secret epic is India’s true longest film

Forget Gangs of Wasseypur: This secret epic is India’s true longest film The title of India’s longest film by duration doesn’t belong to the expected popular dramas, but to a powerful 1987 feature. The longest film ever produced in India is Thavamai Thavamirundhu (2005), directed by Cheran in Tamil. However, in terms of runtime, the true longest Indian movie is Tamas (1987) directed by Govind Nihalani, which originally aired as a television miniseries and runs for over 5 hours and 20 minutes (approximately 320 minutes). It was subsequently shown at film festivals as a full-length feature. Longest film from India by duration Tamas, inspired by a book by Bhisham Sahni, depicts the violence and suffering experienced during the Partition of India. Originally created for Doordarshan as a television series, it was subsequently presented as a full feature film at international festivals. With a runtime exceeding 5 hours, it stands as the longest narrative Indian film ever presented in one sitting. More Long Indian Films LOC Kargil (2003), helmed by J.P. …

Ritwik Ghatak and the cinematic memory of Partition

Ritwik Ghatak and the cinematic memory of Partition

The disconnect between an individual and the collective, particularly in terms of history and culture, can be not only disorienting for identity and self but also very disempowering, leaving one feeling very isolated and unable to make sense of what unfolds around us or shapes our lives. When I was a master’s student of modern history at Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1994, Ritwik Ghatak, whose birth centenary falls on November 4, became a lasting source of clarity and, later, conviction in my own storytelling profession. In our lectures on historical methods, our primarily Marxist faculty engaged with questions of history and historicity, and the relationship between the individual and society was explored through polemical discourse. However, this was only part of the picture, as it did not sufficiently address culture. As some of us grappled with self-reflection and ownership of the scholarly craft, a small group attended a screening at Gargi College’s cinema club on a December evening. Most of us experienced and immersed ourselves in Ghatak’s masterpieces consecutively in a single evening. Ghatak is …

Hanged At Dawn, Cremated In Secret: Inside Nathuram Godse’s Execution | India News

Hanged At Dawn, Cremated In Secret: Inside Nathuram Godse’s Execution | India News

Last Updated:November 15, 2025, 17:57 IST Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte were hanged before sunrise on November 15 at Ambala Central Jail. Godse appeared inconsolable, while Apte remained composed Nathuram Godse admitted his crime in court. (News18 Hindi) On the morning of November 15, 1949, an unusual atmosphere enveloped Ambala Jail. Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte, convicted for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, were executed early that day. Following the hanging, officials discreetly performed their last rites inside the jail. Despite repeated pleas from their families, the bodies were not released. The ashes were then covertly immersed in the Ghaggar river. Godse believed Gandhi’s non-violent policies and efforts to promote Hindu-Muslim unity were detrimental to the nation, especially during Partition, feeling Gandhi was jeopardising Hindu interests. Historian Hama Gebe noted that Godse saw Gandhi’s policy of religious equality as a ‘betrayal’. Godse was a staunch critic of Gandhi’s defence of Muslim rights and his efforts for bilateral relations. Over time, more individuals have come to sympathise with Godse’s views. Some groups now portray Godse as a role …

Dharmendra was madly in love with…, not Hema Malini or Meena Kumari, she was separated due to…, but left a lasting impression on the actor with…, she is…

Dharmendra was madly in love with…, not Hema Malini or Meena Kumari, she was separated due to…, but left a lasting impression on the actor with…, she is…

Dharmendra’s first love story Famous Bollywood actor Dharmendra, known as ‘He-Man’ and the heartthrob of millions, was once an ordinary, shy schoolboy. Back then, he wasn’t a film star, but rather harbored an innocent desire. And this desire wasn’t Hema Malini or Meena Kumari—but a girl named Hamida. This name didn’t appear in any film magazine or gossip column, but it remained etched in Dharmendra’s heart forever. How did Dharmendra meet his first love? This old and passionate love story came to light when Dharmendra shared his childhood memories on the show Dus Ka Dum. There, he revealed that his first love was during his school days—in the streets of Punjab, where everything was innocent and simple. Who was Dharmendra’s first love, Hamida? Hamida was never a movie star. Moreover, she was the daughter of the actor’s longtime teacher and was older than Dharmendra by a few years. To Dharmendra, Hamida was not a woman but a supreme personification of soft and simple character traits. Unconsciously, she conveyed to Dharmendra what the first love really …

Godse et al: Who were the 5 people convicted of killing Mahatma Gandhi? | Explained News

Godse et al: Who were the 5 people convicted of killing Mahatma Gandhi? | Explained News

On January 30, 1948, at exactly 5.17 pm, Nathuram Godse fired three shots at Mahatma Gandhi from his Beretta M1934. The Mahatma died on the spot. During his trial, Godse tried to take sole responsibility for the crime. But his arguments were rejected. A Bench of the Punjab High Court in Shimla in 1949 upheld the convictions and sentences of five people for the larger conspiracy: Godse, his younger brother Gopal, Narayan Apte, Vishnu Karkare, and Madanlal Pahwa. Justice G D Khosla, who was part of the three-judge Bench that heard the appeals of Godse and the others wrote about each convict in his book The Murder of Mahatma (1965). Here are some profiles based on the book and other sources, and their roles in the conspiracy to murder the Father of the Nation. Story continues below this ad 01 Nathuram Godse Nathuram was born as Ramachandra Vinayak in 1910 to a village postmaster near Baramati, Maharashtra. He was his parents’ fourth son. And since all three previous sons died at an early age, Ramchandra …