Longing(2022)
Against the backdrop of Partition, independent India’s first hockey team defeats England, their erstwhile coloniser, to win the Gold at the 1948 London Olympics. Six decades later, when Nandy Singh, a member of this iconic team suffers a stroke, his tenacious struggle to recover, inspires his daughter to retrace his journey. Using archival footage and interviews with teammates, she reveals lives shaped by the Gold, and by Partition that made them refugees. Revealed also is a friend in Pakistan never spoken of before. Her journey in search of him morphs into a quest for the lost ‘watan’ (homeland).
Quick Facts
- Theatrical Release
- 15 January 2022
- Language
- Hindi
- Runtime
- 1h 30m
- Rating
- 6.5/10
Storyline
In 1948, India's first hockey team beat their former British rulers to win Olympic gold. Decades later, player Nandy Singh's recovery from a stroke leads his daughter to explore his past. Through old footage and interviews, she uncovers how the victory and the pain of Partition shaped the team, and she searches for a lost friend and a lost homeland.
“A father's forgotten past holds a lost homeland.”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Trivia
- The film's director Bani Singh is the daughter of Nandy Singh, making this a personal family story.
- It uses rare archival footage from the 1948 Olympics, including the historic hockey final against England.
- The documentary reveals a lifelong friendship between Nandy Singh and a Pakistani player, kept private for decades.
- Much of the film was shot during Nandy Singh's recovery from a stroke, capturing real-time struggles.
- It intertwines two major historical events: the Partition of India and India's first Olympic gold as an independent nation.
- The director traveled to Pakistan as part of her quest to find her father's old friend and the lost homeland.
- The film includes interviews with surviving teammates from the 1948 squad, recorded in their later years.