Season 1 • Episode 6
LatestBased on the novel by Bhisham Sahni, Tamas is an epic drama set against the backdrop of riot-stricken North India on the eve of Partition in 1947. Nathu, an outcast, is hired to kill a pig, whose carcass he’s later appalled to find in front of the mosque. A riot follows and, ridden with guilt, Nathu takes his ailing mother and pregnant wife and leaves town.
Acting
Om Puri's Nathu is a masterclass in silent suffering.
Direction
Nihalani refuses to look away. Every frame is testimony.
Writing
Bhisham Sahni's novel translated with brutal fidelity.
Creator
Govind Nihalani
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Doordarshan initially hesitated to air it; the government feared communal tensions. It finally broadcast in 1988 to massive acclaim.
The pig-in-mosque incident was based on real documented cases used to spark riots during Partition—Sahni witnessed similar aftermath as a refugee.
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