MANTO - HEEMS w VIJAY IYER, SID VASHI

Directed by Nardeep Khurmi
Produced by Himanshu Suri and Nardeep Khurmi
Cinematography by Christopher Low
Edited by Nardeep Khurmi
Costume by Agyesh, Madan, Stoffa
Special Thanks to Peter Marr
The "MANTO" video was directed by Nardeep Khurmi (Land of Gold) and features the women of Heems' family, including his nieces, his sister, his mother and his dearly departed aunt Bimla Bhasin. Inspired by Joseph Cornell's The Aviary and the films of Guru Dutt, the video is an exploration of the inherited trauma stemming from the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan.
Written by Himanshu Suri
They pulled them out of Rawalpindi
Nani speak Punjabi, but my momma speaking Hindi
My only inheritance is broken tongues within me
generational trauma for Punjabis and the sindhis
What’s in a line, I could draw one every time
I stand in line in court when they bagged me for a crime
A sword or a nine, used to tear and divide
They took what’s ours now, they say that’s not mine
I dream of ghost trains with the corpses
Opposition forces, murdering on horses
Leave behind broken homes and hearts like it’s porcelain
A border divorcing a soul and it’s sources
A nation divided, my people they riot
I ask my dad why my grandmas so quiet
I ask my mom why my grandmas not smiling
I ask my therapist why I’m always wilding
Tears on my moms face but she’s not crying
Her subconscious yearns for a home and she’s trying
To figure it out but her dreams are now dying
Her mom says she doesn’t remember, she’s lying
They say the body keeps the score
I wish we could have kept our home but now that’s no more
Refugees we went from being poor to being poor
Now i drown my pain in whiskey bottles that i pour
Sometimes I feel like Manto
I drink my pain away i stay smoking on the fronto
They try to put us on the side like Tonto
We scattered to London to New York, Toronto
PTSD for something i didn’t witness
The doctor he said that i lack mental fitness
So I put it on a record like Guinness
What’s in a line, i marvel at its thinness
I’m just a product of partition,
need a victims compensation fund to pay clinicians,
Need a physician or magician,
Only way to process it is write like it’s my mission
This is my addition

[@monkehitstring]

Lots of love from lahore heems , Vijay, sid. Youre a constant source of inspiration

[@harrisawan786]

I don’t leave comments much. But this is a super dope music video heems. And great song.

[@PanamaSneakers]

Thanks Heema. This was needed on many levels.

[@GrandSchemes]

Wow 👀

[@MrJihadd93]

Loving this direction Heems! Been waiting for it!

[@Baganasta]

Mass Appeal brought me here. ❤ from 🇰🇪

[@92soopy]

Got me fully teary eyed. Beautiful!

[@Modhabobo]

The South Asian community has such issues discussing mental health, this is brilliant!

[@SEBattleship]

Powerful

[@X9bobo6X]

This was some deep shit, much love Heemy

[@yupkunal]

Good shit

[@MindreadingRainbow]

❤️

[@DEFFROMABOVE]

😥❤️

[@Vinyl6Monster]

VEENA

[@OjasviSharma-lu5sx]

like int he last song of Cashmere Heems tells about how Indian culture is being sold to foreigners by packing it in bottles, but isnt that what you are doing no?Which Indian is healing from this

[@hustleno-filta5373]

Saw this through advertisement while playing tupac album... it caught my ears soo i typed this in KZbin he actually 🥶 🧊

[@ruthbygodsgrace1621]

i connect with this 🤎 makes me think of my mom and how much i still want all her dreams to come true 😔