''The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye'' is a

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

series which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 24 January 2020. The series is directed by Kabir Khan, and is based on true events about the men and women in the Japanese collaborating Indian National Army (INA) led by

Subhash Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperi ...

. The series stars

Sunny Kaushal Sunny Kaushal (born 28 September 1989) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. After working as an assistant director on the films ''My Friend Pinto'' (2011) and '' Gunday'' (2014), he made his acting debut in the comedy-drama '' Sunshine ...

and Sharvari. Kabir Khan made his directorial debut with a documentary titled ''The Forgotten Army'' in 1999 which was aired by Doordarshan; and during a promotional talk, Kabir Khan said the current series is a project that is 20 years in the making, based on his initial documentary. The shooting took place in locations such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Mumbai.

Synopsis

The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye, is based on the true story of Indian soldiers allied with the Japanese army, who marched towards the capital, with the war cry 'Challo Dilli', to gain Indian independence from colonial rule. The Indian National Army (INA), which was born out of Indian soldiers who defected to the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

during WWII to fight against allied forces, was led by

and had the first women's infantry regiment since the Russian units of 1917–1918. While these soldiers (consisting of both men and women) fought against all odds to gain India its independence, their struggle and story somehow got lost and they became 'the forgotten army'. With the love story between two soldiers – Sodhi and Maya at the heart of it, the series raises several questions about identity, independence and the idea of motherland and the cost of freedom. Freedom, that we often take for granted but freedom that costs countless lives and sacrifices. Fighting to keep freedom alive is often more difficult than fighting to gain freedom.

Cast

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

(when in the British Indian Army)/ Captain(when in the Indian National Army) Surinder Sodhi ** M. K. Raina as Old Surinder Sodhi *

Sharvari Wagh Sharvari Wagh, known mononymously as Sharvari (born 14 June 1997) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She started her career in 2015 as an assistant director for Luv Ranjan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali before making her acting debut in ...

as Maya Shrinivasan * Rohit Chaudhary as Arshad *TJ Bhanu as Rasamma *Karanvir Malhotra as Amar *R Badree as Rajan *Paloma Monnappa as Rani *

Shruti Seth Shruti Seth is an Indian actress and video jockey. Having begun her career as television show host, she gained wider recognition with her roles as comedian in several television shows and the Hindi film industry. Born and brought up in Mumbai, ...

as Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan * Akhil Iyer as Shridhar *Toshiji Takeshima as Daichi * Amala Akkineni as Maya's Mother * Nizhalgal Ravi As Maya's Father *Kajol Muskan as Woman soldier(drill commander) * Junichi Kajioka as

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Iwaichi Fujiwara *

Bijou Thaangjam Bijou Thaangjam (born Thangjam Biju Singh) is an Indian actor, lyricist, art director, chef and entrepreneur. He is of Meitei descent originally from Imphal, Manipur. He was one of the contestants on the reality cooking competition MasterChef ...

as Japanese Soldier

Critical reception

The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...

'' writes that the movie is filled with heartfelt nationalism but falls short on depth. Pratishruti Ganguly writes in the ''

Firstpost ''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18. The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Ragh ...

'' that the short series has good performances by numerous actors as well as excellent camera-work, both contributing to a worthwhile cinematic experience.

References

External links

List of World War II TV series Below is an incomplete list of fictional television series which feature events of World War II in the narrative. 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Science fiction and fantasy See also *List of World War ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye Amazon Prime Video original programming 2020 Indian television series debuts Indian National Army in fiction 2020s Indian television miniseries Television shows set in Singapore Television series set in 1996 Television series set in the 1940s Cultural depictions of Subhas Chandra Bose Television shows set in Myanmar Burma in World War II