Sindhustan

"Sindhustan" is a movie on Sindhis and Sindh. I watched it several times and each time I got more ideas about what happened in partition with Sindh and Sindhis. Sapna Moti Bhavnani is based in Mumbai. She is a producer and director of Sindhustan. Sapna has never been in Sindh. Sapna is Sindhi. In her age of 36 she realized that her roots are in Sindh. Identity is a thrust and Sapna not only through mind and soul but also physically wants to travel to Sindh. However, her visa was denied. Tattoos on her body are permanent and will always remind her about her roots in Sindh. She herself has become Sindh. Sindhustan is a very unique name coined by our beloved Dada J P Vaswani. Sindhustan is an hour-long documentary movie worth watching to learn the soul of Sindh, which is love. The documentary has the message that from Mohen Jo Daro to Jhulelal , from Bhittai to Dada Vaswani and from dancing girl to Sapna there is love, love and only love. In Sindhustan there is neither a hero or heroine and nor a villain. This is a unique documentary movie in which Sapna has put efforts to reach out and educate young people through art that what is Sindhustan? What happened in partition? She speaks through her body and it is an art that is most powerful tool in the movie. This is first time in history that motherland is described through body art (tattoos). Sindhustan has already won four international awards and is also nominated for other two awards. This is more than a movie. It is a movement and whoever wants to join Sapna's movement must watch this movie. I highly recommend to young people to watch Sindhustan.

I was invited to a screening followed by a Q and A with the Writer / Director Sapna Moti Bhavnani. I was so touched by this film of her ancestors and the lost stories of all those in Sindh that didn't have a voice. Sapna was on a mission to tell these stories through relatives and also those who suffered from long ago and had to leave Sindh. Loved the cinematography but my favorite was seeing the story of the migration narrated and shown by her tattoos that cover her entire legs. Mind you beautiful tattoo art. Really creative and beautifully done. I highly recommend this film if you want to educate yourself about the migration of Sindhi's.

Being from a partition family myself and having heard of a few stories from my grandparents, I really felt we need more such documentaries and stories for everyone to know the history of Sindh and esp the migration. This documentary has really shed a light on many points that went unsaid and unheard in the history of migration. More power to Sapna for taking this movie and how well she has used every element esp her skin to tell a tale that all should know. Getting inked with the stories of partition is something only a brave heart could do. Loved every bit of it. Great watch. Kudos to the team.

I have been looking forward to watching Sindhustan ever since the promos came out maybe a year ago. I missed it when I was last in India so the worldwide release made it super accessible. What stood out was the art direction and storytelling. The journey takes you through Sapna's legs on which she has tattooed the many stories collected about Sindhi collective history.

This bit of history of the partition of India, of memories of those who experienced it is so important for any culture to capture, so its youth may have some sense of grounding of 'a' place in the world -- and how different cultures deal with dislocation so differently. Sapna was looking for her place, and by making this film, in this non-invasive way, we have a chance to find our place and journey with her. The story also weaves in great references of poets and folk singers that are worth to explore as well as a recipe for the famous unique dish, Sindhi Curry! Enjoy!

A meditative, soulful, journey, showing small snippets of the various different stories told by men and women who have lived through one of India's most turbulent events - the 1947 partition. A gentle and pleasant watch and very thought provoking. My favourite part about it was definitely the different characters lined up for the interviews, the ink on the narrator's legs are a novel way to preserve, honour and archive the story.