 Being a refugee himself who had come to India after the partition, he claimed that he desperately wanted to make a film based on the event.Though he had read books that focus on the event like "Jhootha Sach", which he felt was "huge" and "intimidating", it was not until he read "Tamas" he had the courage to make a film based on the event.Sahni who had seen Nihalani's "Aakrosh" was confident that the latter could make a film based on his novel.