I walked out an Indian

by Sneha Goud

Growing up, I spent more time learning about the Pilgrims and Revolutionary War than I ever did about the Indian quest for independence from Great Britain.  Yes, I did the requisite research paper on Gandhi and dutifully attended Republic Day celebrations with the Indian community on January 26, shivering as we raised an Indian flag at the local university, but I had no idea how India went from being ruled for hundreds of years to the world’s largest democracy. 

I had the vague idea that everything started with Gandhi’s clothing strike and nonviolent protesting, but wasn’t aware of how arduous the journey to independence was until I saw the Abishek Bachchan period drama Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey

Based on the book, Do and Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-1934 by Manini Chatterjee, the film dramatizes the true story of 16 teenagers in Chittagong in 1930, who successfully planned a takeover of government facilities in Chittagong to rock the British Empire. Led by revolutionary leader Surya Sen (Asbishek Buchan), the group was partially successful but the army ended up killing and jailing the teenagers involved. Surya Sen was brutally tortured by his captors before being executed.  

Despite the violent end, the Chittagong uprising marked one of the first successful attempts to overthrow the British government.  And though the movie employs some of the usual Bollywood theatrics (unrequited love, drawn-out fight scenes) the story is still powerful.

Amitabh Bachchan’s popular blog includes an excerpt from his daughter Shweta’s movie review where she states, “I do hope people go to watch this movie. Not because my brother acts in it. I hope they go and watch this movie because it deserves to be seen, this story deserves to be heard and those brave young boys deserve to be saluted.”

Like Shweta, I was embarrassed I did not know this story before I saw the film, that I had neglected to show an interest in how my mother country defeated a powerful empire to become the world’s largest democracy.

The boys portrayed in the film were as young as thirteen, but were proud to serve their country, even as they became aware of the dangers involved.

After I watched the movie, I began researching the quest for India’s independence.  I was surprised to learn freedom fighters had even reached the United States through the Gadar Party. The Gadar Party was a mostly Sikh organization which started operating abroad in 1913. The group’s leader, Lala Hardyal, helped convince Indians in California to donate money to the cause and even return to India to join the freedom movement. The US government eventually arrested him and his associates for spreading anarchist literature; the incident became a reason to limit Indian immigration until the Naturalization and Immigration Act of 1965.

Indians in America have faced far less discrimination than other ethnic groups and it is easy to forget the struggles of our past.

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey just portrays a small slice of the Indian freedom movement. As an Indian, I feel obligated to learn about my history and spread my newfound knowledge among other first generation Indians. I thank the movie for inspiring me to learn about my culture.

As Shweta said in her review, “I walked into KHJJS an anxious sister, I walked out an Indian. Allow this movie to convert you the way it did me.”