Yeryüzü Cenneti

HEAVEN ON EARTH, 2008
Canada | 35mm, Color, 106’ | English, Punjabi
Director: Deepa Mehta
Cast: Preity Zinta, Gick Grewal, Vansh Bhardwaj

A vibrant, sensitive woman, Chand moves from India for an arranged marriage in Canada, a foreign and exciting country. But she will face physical and emotional abuse by her husband, himself an immigrant overwhelmed by social obligations. Trapped in a world where she is a misfit, Chand chooses to take refuge in a fantasy world. In this film Mehta, the well-known maverick director of Indian cinema, explores, beyond class, racial, and sexual discrimination, themes such as the weight of social mores and domestic violence. Preity Zinta, the female lead in this film, was awarded “Best Actress” at the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival.