Des Hoyaa Pardes

In 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh bodyguards, triggering widespread violence against Sikhs. Radicals and some Punjab Police carried out brutal acts in retaliation, destabilizing Punjab and northern India. The climate of fear and mistrust that followed frames the struggles that unfold in the story.

By 1985, Gurshan Somal leads a peaceful life as a farmer in rural Punjab with his aging parents and his sister Guddi. The family holds on to routine amid growing tensions around them. Gurshan also begins to plan a future with Jassi Sandhu.

Gurshan becomes engaged to Jassi Sandhu, the daughter of a Station House Officer. The engagement promises stability and a shared future despite the surrounding chaos. External pressures from the era shadow their bond.

Jassi's father is killed in a drive-by shooting, fueling fear and anger in the family. A new corrupt officer named Randhawa takes over, prioritizing quotas and fake encounters over justice. The power shift accelerates the erosion of rule of law in the region.

A duffel bag filled with automatic weapons is found in Gurshan's house, and he is arrested and brutally beaten even as he protests his innocence. A town deputation pressures Randhawa to free him, and he is released. The incident highlights how fear can be weaponized to crush dissent.

Guddi is on track to marry a young man who loves her, suggesting some normalcy amid political turmoil. The family prepares for the wedding even as danger looms larger. Personal milestones become casualties in the era's turmoil.

In July 1987, Sikh terrorists gun down a bus full of non-Sikhs, triggering nationwide shock. Punjab Police are instructed to maintain order by any means, leading to a surge in fake encounters. The crackdown deepens sectarian tensions and state brutality.

Gurshan is arrested again and severely beaten in custody. Guddi pleads with Randhawa to release him and is herself imprisoned and beaten by a burly policewoman. Their suffering illustrates the human cost of the crackdown.

Gurshan's American-based friend Darshan Singh Gill intervenes and arranges for Gurshan to travel to the United States on a travel visa as a hockey player. The move provides escape and new possibilities outside India. It also marks the transition from local oppression to exile.

In the United States, Gurshan is granted political asylum, which also allows him to sponsor Jassi and their newborn son. He starts working in a corner store while Jassi takes a job as a gas attendant. The asylum path offers safety but distances the family from their homeland.

Jassi arrives in the United States and begins life in a new country. The couple adapts to immigrant work and home life, trying to rebuild their future. The distance from Punjab compounds the emotional tension of their past.

Gurshan learns that his father has suffered a heart attack and fears for his life. He worries that leaving the United States could revoke his asylum status, complicating his decision to return. The conflict between family duty and legal safety becomes a central dilemma.

Gurshan returns to India to be near his family and to see Guddi's marriage through. He moves through familiar streets under growing danger from authorities. The homecoming tests his resolve as the threat of violence closes in.

Gurshan is spotted by the police and chased, ultimately shot dead in a brutal encounter. His death underscores the costs of resistance and the extent of state violence during the period. The ending reinforces the film's critique of betrayal by one's own countrymen.

The film closes with a meditation on how a nation can turn its own people into strangers in pursuit of greed and selfish interests. Gurshan's sacrifices are presented as a critique of political and social corruption. The final note lingers on resilience amid systemic betrayal.