Inqilab

Summary

Inqilab is a 2008 Indian documentary film directed by Gauhar Raza, about Indian freedom fighter, Bhagat Singh,[1] co-produced by Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) and Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD) in connection with birth centenary Bhagat Singh.[2][3]

Inqilab
Directed byGauhar Raza
Written byGauhar Raza
Produced byNehru Memorial Museum and Library, ANHAD
Music byKaajal
Running time
40 min
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Overview edit

The 40-minute documentary which contains archival footage and original visuals of locations, is a tribute to the memory and sacrifice of Bhagat Singh, one of the most venerated nationalist figures in contemporary India. The documentary traces the evolution of this revolutionary icon as a political thinker and a visionary in the context of the Indian freedom struggle. The film is an attempt to craft an intellectual biography of Bhagat Singh in an audio-visual format. The documentary is produced as a part of the year-long celebrations organised by the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in connection with the 100th birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh [4]

It begins by tracking the early influences, beginning with Bhagat Singh's family, locating him in the national and international political context and finally tracing the roots of his future ideological formations. Through diverse textual material available at various repositories, it weaves through the biographical turning points to construct Bhagat Singh's dream of an independent, egalitarian, socialist and multicultural India.[5][6]

Parts of the documentary contain narration by Zohra Sehgal, Suchitra Gupta and Sarah Hashmi. Apart from this renowned social activists, intellectuals and historians, including Swami Agnivesh, Kuldip Nayar, Prof. Bipan Chandra, Prof. V.P. Dutt, Prof. K.N. Panikkar, Jagmohan Singh, Prof. Shantha Sinha, Prof. Chaman Lal, Prof. Urvashi Butalia, Dr S. Irfan Habib, Kamla Bhasin and Arpana Kaur, have also narrated parts of the script.[1]

The documentary was shot in Lahore, Banga, Kolkata, Kanpur, Amritsar and Delhi.

At the end of the documentary 'Bhagat Singh's' Ghodi was used as background song. The song is in Punjabi language. It was composed by students of DAV College, Lahore just after Bhagat Singh's execution and even now is part of folk tradition on both sides of the India-Pak border.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ "NMML releases new film on Bhagat Singh". indiaprwire.com. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  2. ^ "New film tells 'real' Bhagat Singh story". Hindustan Times. 13 July 2008. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  3. ^ "Documentary on Bhagat Singh". The Hindu. 8 July 2008. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  4. ^ "NEHRU MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND LIBRARY (NMML)". Press Information Bureau of India. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  5. ^ Tankha, Madhur (12 July 2008). "Documentary on Bhagat Singh". The Hindu.
  6. ^ "NMML releases documentary on Bhagat Singh". Merinews. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  7. ^ "Inqilab back in the air". Retrieved 11 November 2011.