Arslan Ghazi Theme of the movie is presented very well. Deepa mehta did a great job. Whole movie goes wonderfully until climax. Climax is totally unpredictable and little boring. All actors did fine work especially preity zinta. I never expected such a good movie from preity zinta. Cinematography is presented in a very good manner. Absolutely worth watching movie. You will find the characters close to someone you know. You will love the movie as it goes forward and probably won't want to left the chair you are sitting on.Language (punjabi) is quiet hard to understand as i am a pakistani myself. I never expected such a good movie from preity zinta.

Alex Deleon A HEAVEN ON EARTH, (Bollywood) Viewed at Florence Indian Film Festival, River to River, Dec. 2010Declared the Best Feature in the week's competition was Deepa Mehta's latest offering "A Heaven on Earth" , a more appropriate title for which would have been "An Absolute Hell On Earth". Deepa, a Canada based offshore Indian filmmaker, has been turning out critically acclaimed award winning Indian films since 1991, but this story of a beautiful mail-order Indian bride who comes to Toronto to marry a despicable Punjabi psychotic named Rocky, and is subjected to nothing but brutal abuse by both him and his hateful mother, is arguably her worst film ever. A magic love potion, given the hapless bride by a black Jamaican co-worker to change her husband's attitude, brings on (apparently) some sort of hallucinatory encounter with Rocky, who now inexplicably loves her tenderly. But the "old Rocky" sees this hallucination (or whatever it was) as a marital betrayal, and the poor girl is subjected to the good old Cobra Test to prove her fidelity. It so happens that a healthy Indian Cobra lives in their Canadian back yard and she has to reach into its nest and grab it, to prove the purity of intentions -- if the snake doesn't kill her outright she will be accepted back into the fold to resume her role as the family punching bag.The only saving grace of this study in sadism, mixed with ridiculous metaphysics, is a gripping performance by one of Bollywood's prettiest leading ladies, Preity Zinta, in an uncharacteristically somber role, but looking prettier than ever. The selection of this horrid piece of domestic depredation as "Best film of the week" can only indicate that the selection committee must have been dominated by a team of hard-core Italian masochists. Earlier I said this was "one to watch for". Having now watched it dutifully, I would have to revise that and say this is one to avoid like the plague.ALEXFARBA FILM WEBSITE: http://www.alexfarbafilm.com

Chrysanthepop The main complaint about 'Heaven on Earth' seems to be in regard with its slow pace. I was quite engaged by the film and the pacing did not bother me at all. It only made it better that Mehta took her time to unfold Chand's character more. Many have stated that Chand lacked development and this I disagree with. The film centers around Chand's struggle with her new life and her character is excellently written. The mother-in-law was portrayed as one-dimensional. Speaking of writing, I think Mehta did a very good job with the story and I loved the Chand's beautiful monologues. Her use of symbolism and mythology is effective. The film is delicately shot mostly with hand-held camera. I like how Mehta distinguishes the private moments of the characters with black and white. The washed out colours only stress on the tense atmosphere. In terms of execution, 'Heaven on Earth' is on par with 'Water' (which was also stunningly filmed) but I think the former ranks as her best. Preity Zinta delivers one of the finest performances of her career. She is like one has never seen before. Her portrayal of Chand is subtle, nuanced, heartbreaking and strong. I used to admire Zinta a lot during her pre-'Kal Ho Na Ho' days and saw a very promising actress in her. However, I almost gave up on her when she limited herself on doing movies with the Khans and Yashraj. Now I am glad to see her back on track and hope she keeps doing great work. In my humble opinion, Mehta's 'Heaven on Earth' is a winner and definitely miles better than the not-even-good-enough-for-TV types like 'Provoked'.

ellenshifrin Heaven on Earth is both excruciating and incredibly beautiful. It's this juxtaposition, along with the magical realism, that pulls us in, chains us to our seats, keeps our eyes and ears open, and exposes our hearts to the intensity of the situation. It opens us to Chand's vulnerability and strength, and commands us to be vulnerable and strong in turn.The story is told elsewhere, so I won't talk about it here. Preity's performance is amazing, and she deserves any award she gets for this. And everyone else in the cast is also terrific. Like all Mehta's film's, it's literate, beautifully shot and edited, and takes on an issue no one really wants to talk about, let alone see up on a big screen.While it might not be for everyone, Heaven on Earth is for those with the heart and strength to bare the onslaught of Chand's suffering and her escapes into imagination. The film has stayed with me since I saw it about a month ago. I hope it always does.