A Radio story by Akanksha Kukreti and Aqsa Anjum

Inqilab back in the air


The breeze of Inqilab seems to be blowing again., As we are moving ahead in time it seems we are forgetting about our real heroes .To remind us of the real legend, the well-known documentary filmmaker Gauhar Raza decided to paint Bhagat Singh on a filmy canvas.

On 13 July, the film Inqilab was released at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML). The famous actor and social activist Rahul Bose released the DVD of the documentary. The film is produced by Raza in collaboration with Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD), a non profit organization.

A special screening of the film Inqilab was done in the Ansari Auditorium of Jamia Millia Islamia on August 5. It introduced the students to the life of the martyr Bhagat Singh. Raza portrays the life of the legend in a different manner in the film. No dramatisation of Bhagat Singh’s character is used. The 40-min film gives information about Bhagat Singh’s life like his interest in reading books which started at a tender age of ten, and his dream of a free and socialist India.

Raza said that his intention behind making this film was not to show Bhagat Singh as the national hero because Bollywood has already done that. Instead, he wanted to explore why Bhagat Singh is considered a hero till date.

This documentary is based on huge research with rare documents and archives used. The visuals are shot in the places like Lahore and Delhi.

To narrate the story, the director has used various prominent personalities like Zohra Sehgal, Dr Irfan Habib, Kuldeep Nayyar, Swami Agnivesh, and Suchitra Sinha. Explaining his position, Raza said, “I used this treatment because visuals were not sufficient and it was the best that I could do. Instead of enacting the story, I wanted the personalities to narrate the story.”

The impact of the film was visible as the auditorium echoed with chants of the slogan ‘Inqilab zindabad’ and applauses that filled the air. During the interactive session, Gauhar Raza summed up the screening by saying, “It is up to the youth of the country, that is, you people, to bring a revolution for the benefit of all.”