''Inqilab'' is a 2008

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

directed by

Gauhar Raza Gauhar Raza (born 17 August 1956) is an Indian scientist by profession, and a leading Urdu poet, social activist and documentary filmmaker working to popularize the understanding of science among general public, known for his films like ''Jun ...

, about Indian freedom fighter,

Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary* * who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer * * in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian national ...

, co-produced by

Nehru Memorial Museum and Library The Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) is a museum and library in New Delhi, India, which aims to preserve and reconstruct the history of the Indian independence movement. Housed within the Teen Murti House complex, it is an autonomous ins ...

(NMML) and Act Now for Harmony and Democracy ( ANHAD) in connection with birth centenary Bhagat Singh.

Overview

The 40-minute documentary which contains archival footage and original visuals of locations, is a tribute to the memory and sacrifice of

, one of the most venerated nationalist figures in contemporary

. The documentary traces the evolution of this

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

icon as a political thinker and a visionary in the context of

Indian freedom struggle The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

. 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 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. Parts of the documentary contain narration by

Zohra Sehgal Zohra Mumtaz Sehgal (born Sahibzadi Zohra Mumtazullah Khan Begum; 27 April 1912 – 10 July 2014) was an Indian actress, dancer, and choreographer. Having begun her career as a member of a contemporary dance troupe, she transitioned into acting ...

, Suchitra Gupta and Sarah Hashmi. Apart from this renowned social activists, intellectuals and historians, including

Swami Agnivesh Swami Agnivesh (born Vepa Shyam Rao; 21 September 193911 September 2020), was an Indian social activist and the founder of Arya Sabha, a political party based on the principles of Arya Samaj.

Kuldip Nayar Kuldip Nayar (14 August 1923 – 23 August 2018) was an Indian journalist, syndicated columnist, human rights activist, author and former High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom noted for his long career as a left-wing political com ...

, Prof.

Bipan Chandra Bipan Chandra (24 May 1928 – 30 August 2014) was an Indian historian, specialising in Economic history of India#Republic of India, economic and Politics of India, political history of modern India. An emeritus professor of modern history ...

, Prof. V.P. Dutt, Prof. K.N. Panikkar, Jagmohan Singh, Prof.

Shantha Sinha Shantha Sinha (born 7 January 1950) is an Indian anti-child labour activist. She is the founder of Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation, popularly known as MV Foundation (which is named in memory of her grandfather Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiah), a ...

, Prof. Chaman Lal, Prof.

Urvashi Butalia Urvashi Butalia (born 1952) is an Indian feminist writer, publisher and activist. She is known for her work in the women's movement of India, as well as for authoring books such as ''The Other Side of Silence: Voices from and the Partition of I ...

, Dr S. Irfan Habib, Kamla Bhasin and Arpana Kaur, have also narrated parts of the scrip

The documentary was shot at

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

Banga Banga may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Banga'' (album), a 2012 album by Patti Smith * A song by Ali Shaheed Muhammad from the 2004 album '' Shaheedullah and Stereotypes'' * The name of Pontius Pilate's dog in Mikhail Bulgakov's novel ' ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

Kanpur Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help· info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations ...

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. At the end of the documentary 'Bhagat Singh's' Ghodi was used as background song. The song is in

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

language. It was composed by students of DAV College,

just after Bhagat Singh's execution and even now is part of folk tradition on both sides of the India-Pak border.

References

2008 films Indian political films Films about Bhagat Singh Indian documentary films 2000s Hindi-language films Films shot in Lahore Films shot in Punjab, India Films shot in Uttar Pradesh Films shot in Delhi {{bio-documentary-film-stub