Partition Film Review

This lesson was developed in Urdu by Professor Tahira Naqvi

Proficiency Level: Intermediate Range

Time: 3X75 min.

Objectives: Students will be able to:

  • read and write a simple film review by combining present tense and past tense with appropriate cohesion markers
  • explain what the lessons of Partition are and compare them to the movie’s message of Partition
  • describe the issues, characters and the plot of the movie

Language Structures:

  • Review Perfect Tense 
  • cohesions markers: chuunki, oblique infinitive + ke baavjuud, etc. 

Performance Assessment:

  1. Interpretive: Students read/skim for gist and structure a sample written film review and an oral film review. Students listen for and check words they hear. They match word with meaning.
  2. Presentational: Students write a TV film review for the college magazine for a section on Partition.  
  3. Interpersonal: Students share their ideas from their research and agree on the three most important lessons about Partition.  They compare them with other ideas of Partition that they have gleaned from the film. 

Based on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tX8n7h_0FI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tX8n7h_0FI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tX8n7h_0FI

Session One: Students skim a sample written film review and/or listen to an oral film review. 

(Then the film is watched in its entirety. However, instructor stops the video at certain important junctures to ask questions related to content, language, the development of the story – arcs)

 Students view “Shikod” (Roots) in segments, come up with 3-4 questions and also answer questions asked by the instructor:

  • What is the setting/place? सथानीय जगह क्या है ?
  • What is the religion of Mahesh and how do you know? महेश  का धर्म क्या है  और आपको कैसे पता लगता है ?
  • Who is Karim and why is he here and what is his religion? करीम  कौन है  और यहाँ क्यों है और इसका धर्म क्या है ?
  • What are the similarities between the 2 sets of grand-children? पोतों और नाती में क्या समानता है ?
  • Why is Karim here? करीम यहाँ क्यों है?
  • What happens in the cemetery?  कब्रिस्तान में क्या होता है ?
  • What does Mahesh say about roots? महेश जड़ो के बारे में क्या कहता है?
  • What is the message of this story? इस कहानी का संदेश  क्या है?

Homework: Students do research on the topic of Partition and bring back 3 essential lessons. (In English)

Session Two: Students work in groups of three. The film is divided in 4 parts. Each part of the movie has a separate glossary-handout different for each group.

  1. Students are given the glossary of words from the film and their meanings to match. They view part 1 and they check the words they hear.
  2. They match the meanings with the words.
  3. Then they write a brief summary of Part 1.

The same procedure is followed for each part of the film (2, 3, 4).

Homework: Each group is assigned a character.  Members of that group describe the character’s clothes, mannerisms, markers to indicate identity.  They refer to another glossary they have been handed out.

Session three and four: Students work in groups. They use the glossary lists as well as the on-line dictionary. They share their ideas and agree on the three most important lessons about Partition from their research.  They compare them with other ideas of Partition that they have gleaned from the film.  They write a couple of paragraphs to document these ideas.

Each group is given a different part of the essay to work on (see below).  Sometimes 2 groups will work on the same section.  They use the present tense for actual conversation about film.  The past tense is used when referring to historical context.  The shift between the tenses will follow the same patterns as it would in English.

  • Introduction – name of video, setting, other relevant info about actual film.
  • Summary/plot
  • Characters
  • Main thrust of film. Your own view of what you saw.

Homework: Students work on individual reviews and bring finished product to class. They are encouraged to look for and add pictures related to Partition.  This video is about the division of Bengal in 1947 and hence is somewhat different from other stories of Partition. 

Drafts are reviewed and then returned with corrections/comments for final written and/or video essay.