Garam Hava and Pakistan

Garam Hava directly deals with the plight of Indian Muslims who chose not to immigrate to Pakistan after partition and instead remained in India. The movie begins with the opening lines: “The land is divided, lives are shattered. Storms rage in every heart; it’s the same here or there.”  Through these lines the movie at first attempts at an unbiased narrative of the events following the partition. However, we know that the movie is directed by a Hindi film producer and made in India. The pertinent question to ask then is: What is the agenda of the movie?

The conversation between the tangewala and Salim Mirza ,after Salim drops his elder sister to the station headed towards Pakistan, hints at this agenda. This incidentally is also the only instance where the title of the film “Garam Hava” is being referred to.  The conversation is as follows:

Salim: There are uprooting many flowering trees.

Tonga wala: They’ll wither in these scorching winds… if they’re not uprooted. There is a saying: “Fidelity begets cruelty”. What are you and I doing here?

In my opinion, the plot suggests that the fate of Indian Muslims would only be “scorching winds” (garam hava) if they chose to reside in India.  The circumstances facing the Mirza family are an indication of this agenda. After the emergence of Pakistan the Indian Muslims are continually discriminated against. Salim Mirza is unable to secure bank loans for his shoe factory and therefore looses the family ancestral home (haveli). This is a devastating blow to the Mirza family.  As the story progresses, the camera shows Salim Mirza and his family in smaller spaces. For instance, the dadi refers to the new rental house as “pinjra” (cage). It seems that the Indian Muslims are continually being driven out of India.

Migration to Pakistan is thus depicted as the only solution to all Indian Muslim problems. It is the solution to the higher charge of the tangewala who charges Salim Mirza two rupees instead of the standard eight annas. When Salim objects to this the tangewala tells him to go to Pakistan where he can ride for eight annas. More importantly, it is also the solution to Aminah’s heart break. Aminah (Salim Mirza’s daughter ) and Kazim (Halim Mirza’s son) are in love and are likely to marry. But in the aftermath of partition Kazim moves to Pakistan with his father. The move dampens Aminah’s marriage prospects. And this leaves her no option but to accept Shamshad’s advances. Assuming that Salim Mirza moved together with his brother Halim perhaps Amina’s future would be different and she would have been able to marry whom she loved.

Through the Mirza family, the movie depicts Pakistan as the solution to the plight of Mirza family and the Indian Muslims residing in India. The faith of Indian Muslims would only be scorching winds if they decide to remain in post-partition India. The agenda of the movie seems to be to drive out the Indian Muslims from India.