08 August 2017

Directing Bhowani Junction


Ava Gardner the Anglo-Indian heroine of Bhowani Junction. Set during India’s battle for independence from Britain, the film begins with Gardner returning to her native land after spending several years in England. Her true loyalties, and her own sense of who she really is, are put to the test by the two men in her life: Stewart Granger, whose job it is to prevent saboteurs from destroying the trains at Bhowani Junction, and Bill Travers, another Anglo-Indian. When she kills a potential predator in self-defense, Gardner is given comfort by Communist insurrectionist Peter Illing, further dividing her fidelities. A climactic attempt on the life of Mahatma Gandhi provides a finish to this romantic melodrama. Bhowani Junction was adapted from the novel by John Masters.