>>PREVIEW
PARTITION
STARRING Jimi Mistry, Kristen Kreuk and Neve Campbell
DIRECTED BY Vic Sarin
Opens Friday, February 2
Check listings
After almost a decade of being featured in independent British comedies, Jimi Mistry finds himself starring in a Canadian produced socio-historical drama set in 1940s India. He couldn’t be more excited about the challenge.
Mistry first learned of Vic Sarin’s plans to make Partition almost four years ago and was immediately impressed by the story of a Sikh man who falls in love with a Muslim girl during the violent Pakistan-India religious turmoil of the late-’40s. Although his cinematic background is in comedy, he jumped at the chance to play the lead role of Gian Singh, a Second World War veteran who returns to India in hopes of finding peace.
"It’s so different for me and that was what the attraction was, so I’m glad I had the opportunity to do it," says Mistry.
As a primarily comedic actor, Mistry says that he feels more comfortable onscreen doing something than he does doing nothing, but he loved the challenge of trying to portray so much while doing so little.
"That was the beauty of it, because you had to play this older man, who’s very courageous, very strong, but with an amazing amount of vulnerability bubbling under the surface. He’s not the kind of man who opens up. He suppresses himself in a way to his nearest and dearest, he keeps things within himself, but as an actor you have to convey that to an audience," says Mistry.
Sarin had been working on Partition for more than two decades, basing the story on a friend of his father. Mistry says that as an actor your instinct is to be a bit wary of a director that is so involved, but Sarin allowed the actors to take the characters and make them their own, while his passion for the project fuelled everything from script to lighting.
"Vic’s an amazing man, he’s not a spring chicken, but he’s got a very young heart and lots of energy," says Mistry. "I remember he used to say ‘I’ve been with this for years, I’ve written it, I’m doing this, but now it’s yours and you are these characters, you are Gian and I trust you to embody this and take it further,’ and that’s an amazing challenge."
Mistry says that the message of Partition is as important in today’s political climate as ever. Though set in ’40s India, he says the story of love battling against prejudice is universal, and it was key to bring that sense of universality to the film.
"I think the theme of the film and from (Sarin’s) own experience is that he’s fighting barriers, he’s fighting pre-conceptions and segregation. He’s a man who believes that we’re all born the same way and we all end up in the same place."
He says that acting was a bit of a last minute decision for him. At the age of 17, with college looming just around the corner he had no idea what he was going to do with his life. It was his father who encouraged him to follow his dream of becoming an actor. After a few years of acting school, Mistry quickly starting working, getting a huge break by landing a leading role in the Hollywood meets Bollywood hit East is East.
Since his initial breakthrough with East is East, Mistry has gone on to star in several British and American comedies, working with such well-respected actors as Gary Oldman, Heather Graham, Richard Harris and Terence Stamp, as well as a small role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond.
Though he would like to take on more dramatic roles, the actor says that he still likes to make films full of joy, happiness and laughter, and he is happy to take the parts as they come.
"I would love to do more serious stuff, but then again I love working, full stop. If it’s good and if the writing is good then I’ll be there." |
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