The Unintended Trilogy: How Bollywood is revisiting the Jallianwala Bagh massacre | Hindi Movie News – The Times of India

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 13, 1919, stays one of the darkest and most defining moments in India’s battle for independence. The brutality of the occasion—the place Brigadier-Normal Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to fireplace on an unarmed crowd, killing a whole lot—left an indelible mark on the collective reminiscence of the nation. Over a century later, Bollywood has taken important steps in portraying totally different sides of this atrocity by way of three initiatives, which collectively kind what may be termed an ‘unintended trilogy.’
Beginning with Shoojit Sircar’s Sardar Udham (2021), adopted by Ram Madhvani’s upcoming The Waking of a Nation, and culminating in Kesari 2—which is primarily based on Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat’s The Case That Shook the Empire—these endeavors discover totally different points of the massacre, its aftermath, and its far-reaching penalties. Whereas not deliberately designed as a trilogy, they collectively supply a nuanced and layered examination of an occasion that formed India’s historical past.

Sardar Udham (2021): The Murderer’s Revenge

Shoojit Sircar’s Sardar Udham, that includes Vicky Kaushal in the titular function, set the basis for this cinematic exploration of Jallianwala Bagh. The movie targeted on Udham Singh, an Indian revolutionary who assassinated Michael O’Dwyer—the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who had defended Normal Dyer’s actions throughout the massacre.
The movie masterfully portrayed Udham Singh’s journey, tracing his transformation from a younger man devastated by the horrors of the massacre to a decided revolutionary who sought justice. In contrast to standard biopics, Sardar Udham was not only a story of revenge however a haunting psychological research of a person formed by a traumatic occasion. Shoojit Sircar took a non-linear narrative method, intercutting between Udham’s life in revolutionary circles overseas, his eventual assassination of O’Dwyer in London, and the visceral horror of the massacre itself.
The movie was broadly praised for its real looking portrayal, particularly in the harrowing sequence the place the full scale of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre is revealed. In contrast to different Bollywood movies that glorify revenge, Sardar Udham targeted on the emotional and psychological toll of colonial oppression. It didn’t depict Udham Singh as a stereotypical motion hero however slightly as a deeply affected particular person pushed by grief and conviction.
Whereas Sardar Udham targeted on private retaliation towards British officers accountable for the massacre, the subsequent movie on this unintended trilogy—The Waking of a Nation—expands the lens, inspecting the massacre not simply as an remoted occasion however as half of a bigger conspiracy by the British to suppress the Indian independence motion.

The Waking of a Nation: Unraveling the Conspiracy

Ram Madhvani’s The Waking of a Nation is set to take a unique method to the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy by exploring the systemic and premeditated nature of the massacre. In contrast to Sardar Udham, which targeted on a single man’s quest for vengeance, The Waking of a Nation delves into the political and strategic motivations that led to the British ordering such a brutal crackdown.
The net present which was launched on Sony Liv spoke about the intricate occasions surrounding the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the subsequent Hunter Fee investigation. The sequence posits that the massacre was not merely the outcome of Normal Dyer’s actions however half of a bigger, premeditated plan, highlighting themes of colonialism, racism, and systemic prejudice. And presence of a co-conspirator Hans Raj who helped the Britisher in executing their plan.
The narrative unfolds by way of the views of 4 pals—a lawyer, a journalist, an bizarre man, and his spouse—portraying how the monumental occasions of 1919 impacted particular person lives. This private lens offers viewers with an intimate connection to the occasion. By shedding mild on the broader conspiracies and the systemic nature of the atrocities dedicated throughout the British Raj, the present supplied a nuanced exploration of a pivotal second in India’s battle for independence.

Kesari : Chapter 2 – The Authorized Battle That Shook the Empire

The third and last piece on this unintended trilogy is Kesari: Chapter 2, starring Akshay Kumar and Ananya Panday, which brings to life the story behind one of the most important authorized battles towards British rule. Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, the movie is primarily based on Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat’s ebook The Case That Shook the Empire and can deal with Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair’s struggle towards British authorities in the aftermath of the massacre.The makers on Monday launched the teaser of the movie.
Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair, a distinguished lawyer and former president of the Indian Nationwide Congress, was one of the few Indians who brazenly challenged British rule from inside the system. Outraged by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, he accused British officers—together with Michael O’Dwyer—of complicity in the massacre and of perpetuating insurance policies that enabled such brutal crackdowns.
Nair’s accusations led to a historic defamation trial in London, the place he was sued by O’Dwyer for libel. The case grew to become a worldwide spectacle, highlighting the British authorities’s makes an attempt to silence dissent and management the narrative round colonial atrocities. Although the verdict finally favored O’Dwyer, the trial had a long-lasting influence—it uncovered the hypocrisy of the British authorized system and additional fueled India’s independence motion.
Kesari 2 guarantees to be a riveting courtroom drama, mixing historic accuracy with compelling storytelling. Whereas its predecessor, Kesari (2019), targeted on the Battle of Saragarhi, this sequel shifts gears to a unique sort of battle—one fought in courtrooms slightly than battlefields however simply as essential in India’s battle for freedom.

The Trilogy’s Collective Affect

Whereas these three weren’t deliberate as a trilogy, collectively they provide a complete exploration of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and its repercussions. Each tackles a unique dimension of the atrocity:

This cinematic exploration is important as a result of, for a few years, Bollywood largely prevented tales about Jallianwala Bagh. Whereas references to the massacre have appeared in movies like Gandhi (1982) and Rang De Basanti (2006), they had been usually temporary and never the central focus. These latest movies lastly give the massacre the nuanced, detailed, and emotionally highly effective depiction it deserves.
The resurgence of curiosity in Jallianwala Bagh-related tales additionally displays a broader shift in Bollywood’s historic narratives. Greater than ever, filmmakers are keen to sort out troublesome, usually politically charged topics with depth and authenticity. With these three movies, Bollywood has not solely revived public reminiscence of a vital historic occasion but in addition supplied a layered, multi-dimensional perspective on its significance.