The forgotten hero

Shyam Benegal's film on Subhash Chandra Bose is characterised as much by the patriotism that brought young men in hundreds to join their hero, as by its documentation of history.

Filmmakers are somewhat reluctant to explore celluloid translations of history. They are instead inclined to offer new interpretations of history, shed light on little-known facts about their subjects, and even raise questions that were missed in the course of academic research. Earlier films like Bimal Roy's Pehla Admi and Hemen Gupta's Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose belong to the typically post-colonial genre. With relaxation of censorship codes that prohibited anti-colonial propaganda, this genre drew upon historical events of an anti-colonial nature and narrativised the lives of personalities and leaders involved in India's struggle for freedom.

Shyam Benegal's 222-minute film Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose - The Forgotten Hero, is like a light at the end of a dark tunnel because few films have been made on Netaji. The film won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, 2005. But within a week of its first public exhibition in 2005, it disappeared from Indian theatres, leaving countless Netaji lovers pining for missing out on this historical film. Thankfully, Subhash Chheda of Rudraa Entertainment Private Limited has recently bought the DVD rights to Benegal's film, and the DVD version had its all-India release on 23 January, Netaji's birth anniversary.

The title of Benegal's film - Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose - The Forgotten Hero - itself tells a story. "Nobody remembers what he did, except to say that he was a great big hero," says Benegal, adding, "Few people remember that he challenged Gandhi, and about his transnational activities, nobody knows anything. People do not even know that he was married."

Benegal's film begins with the differences Bose had with Gandhi over the latter's non-violent approach to the freedom struggle, and compromises with the British. Benegal breaks up the narrative in a three-part structure. These are headed under Itmad, Ittefaq and Qurbani after the motto of the Indian National Army. The first segment unfolds how Netaji escapes house arrest and tries to enter Russia through Afghanistan. Ittefaq shows his days in Germany (including a meeting with Hitler, and marriage to Emilie Schenkl), the formation of the "Azad Hind Fauj" comprised of Indian prisoners of war in Germany, and his journey to Japan in a submarine. Qurbani narrates the story of his leadership of the Indian National Army, the battles and that fateful plane trip out of Saigon. 

 The film is the product of painstaking historical, documentary and other research that spanned 18 months. "When word went around that I was making this film, letters, papers and information began to pour in from strangers," says Benegal. 

Sachin Khedekar has portrayed the forgotten hero extremely well. He says that the film changed him as a person. "I studied and lived with the character for two years. Netaji has changed me as a person. I heard his speeches, watched his footage and read extensively to prepare for the role." The result is that instead of trying to incorporate Netaji's body language and manner of speech, his performance comes out of internalising the character rather than trying to merely be a physical xerox of the original Netaji. It is as natural a portrayal of the national hero as possible under the circumstances.

Rajeshwari Sachdev, who plays the character of Laxmi Sehgal in the film, says that for her too it was a re-discovery of history. "I read the autobiography of Laxmi Sehgal and met her personally to imbibe the character," she says.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose - The Forgotten Hero spans the years of World War II (1940-1945), leaving untouched the part when he reportedly went missing from Taihoku airport in Japan. "This film is my celluloid homage to the leader, my patriotic mission. Leaving out the controversy over his death or his disappearance has not taken away from my film. I wished to bring out the spirit and values he stood for," says Benegal. 

He continues, "[Netaji] hardly had any credibility when he left the country in 1941. No official authority backed him in his brave endeavour. He travelled to Germany and convinced the German administration - the Nazi administration- about the need to set India free from British Imperialists and gained their support. He created an Indian legion there, and made them agree to his condition that this legion would not be used to fight on behalf of Europeans. When arrived in South-East Asia, he injected life into the dying Indian National Army and transformed it into a motivated, solid army of 80,000 committed soldiers, ready to lay down their lives for the freedom of the country. Indians across South East Asia joined the army."

"The Azad Hind Bank he set up and ran was so successful that he was able to repay the loan he had taken from the Germans. Despite opposition from a section of Japanese generals, he convinced them to the condition that the Azad Hind Fouj would be the first to step on Indian soil. It seems impossible that all this could be achieved by one man. But Netaji made it possible. He is outstanding and extra-ordinary not only as a man committed to the idea of gaining freedom for his country but also as an intelligent and fine human being," Benegal explains.

His uncle Ramesh Benegal, recounts the director, triggered in him the adoration for Netaji from his boyhood days. "My uncle was left behind in Rangoon when he was a boy during the mad scramble to leave Burma (Myanmar). When Netaji arrived in Burma, he volunteered to join the INA. He was chosen by Netaji along with 34 Indian boys, who were sent to Tokyo to train to be fighter pilots in the Military Academy there. But it turned out to be a lost cause ultimately when he became a POW and was released only after the INA trials in 1946."

The boy Benegal and his older brother were sent to Mumbai to fetch this uncle. "In my eyes, he was a great hero. He is probably the only INA man who was taken into the defence services in India. He joined the Indian Air Force, became a fighter pilot, and won two Mahavir Chakras, retiring as a highly decorated officer," Benegal reminisces. 

A R Rahman has composed the music. The soundtrack of the film features 19 pieces composed by Rahman, including 13 instrumentals and orchestral themes, in addition to six further songs, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. Performers include the Western Choir Chennai and the Mumbai Film Choir. Rahman's Afghanistan war theme and the use of ekla chalo re, the famous Tagore number, the nursery song ghoom parani invoking the sentiments present in the mother-son relationship and desh ki mitti are especially memorable.

Shama Zaidi and Atul Tiwari have packed a wealth of excitement, adventure and information into the film. Art director Samir Chanda, costume designer Pia Benegal and make-up man expert Vikram Gaikwad then worked to give the places and characters a look of authenticity and worked out the minutest details. Cinematographer Rajan Kothari shot the film capturing ably, the vast canvas of its history, geography and political ambience just before India's independence from British rule.

The film is the product of painstaking historical, documentary and other research that spanned 18 months. The research team explored all available material, interviewed the people alive such as Netaji's Japanese interpreter, then in his late eighties. "When word went around that I was making this film, letters, papers and information began to pour in from strangers. The research includes the discovery of the only U-Boat left out of the total of 10,000 produced under Hitler we used for one of our shoots. It is now an antique fit for a museum of history, not sea-worthy in the least. Fortunately, the model we got was in the same model Netaji actually sailed in. We managed a model for underwater sequences in Sussex in England," informs Benegal.

The team shot in Burma and as shooting in Afghanistan was not possible for logistical reasons, Uzbekistan was chosen as a substitute. The Burma shoot was very important in all places where Netaji worked including the 80,000-acre Ziawadi estate that still has around 80 to 90 villages consisting exclusively of Indians who have been living there for more than 100 years.

"Netaji's central cantonment was in Ziawadi estate. The people remember him well, and when we asked for 500 locals to come in, 10,000 wanted to join. Very old men brought in their pay books showing their salary slips of the INA - Rs.5. But we could not find a single aircraft used during the Second World War for shooting. So we had to generate them on computer," adds Benegal. 

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose - The Forgotten Hero is characterised by a complete lack of loud and bombastic rhetoric, a common feature of most nationalist and biographical films made on national heroes. Its central focus is on the man behind the hero, the human being behind the mask of the national leader, a true lover of his country dedicated to get it liberated from foreign rule.

The film's vast canvas that spans not only the figure of a great national hero, but covers a part of India's history over the last years before its Independence, crossing borders to discover the credibility of his convictions among leaders of other countries, are a testament to Benegal's command over understatement through the language of cinema. He is never over-dramatic through any incident or character, allowing history to take shape merely through the unfolding of the story of Netaji over the last five years of his life.

The film is characterised as much by the patriotism and hero-worship that brought young men in hundreds to join their hero, as by its documentation of history. It is the film of a journey - ideological, political, historical and personal that uncovers almost by incidence than by connivance of history, a beautiful fictionalized documentation of one of the greatest national heroes Indian has ever produced. Even the portion that shows Bose marrying the German lady and becoming the father of a little girl is essayed through soft and delicate, feather-light touches without diluting the central message of the man.

Whose Prime Minister?

For Manmohan Singh, the tortuous road to the high office he occupies may be both fortuitous and a handicap. He is not the Prime Minister by right or popular mandate, but simply the man deemed most suited to occupy that role in the midst of the most notable political currents.

Does it matter that Dr.Manmohan Singh was not affirmed as Prime Minister by the popular vote of the nation, but merely selected to that post by a coalition of parties following the election? Does it matter, further, that he is not even a member of the Lok Sabha, and - as a result - has not acquired the popular vote of any constituency? 

A free people deserve to be represented by someone whose leadership was on offer at the time their choices were made. Perhaps for this reason, those appointed to high office without public affirmation at the polls are sometimes required - by tradition, even if not by law - to obtain the electoral seal. In Dr.Singh's case the impropriety is worsened by another problem: even his status as a Rajya Sabha member from Assam is plainly questionable. To the knowledge of nearly everyone, he is not ordinarily resident in that state, as is claimed. By any non-partisan assessment of this situation, therefore, one would have to conclude that his ascent is far short of the democratic ideal. 

Nonetheless, the parliamentary and electoral system in our nation allows this to happen. Moreover, this situation has become more an accepted one in our polity and less a debated one. India could reform her electoral system to allow the head of the executive to be directly elected in the manner that Indonesia has transitioned to recently, but that change seems far too distant, given that an amendment to force Ministers to seek popular mandate with a Lok Sabha seat itself is not on the cards. 

Nor is it possible to overlook the reality of Indian politics today. Although Sonia Gandhi is the popular leader of the largest parliamentary party, she is clearly unacceptable to large sections of the population in the role of the Prime Minister. Her embrace of Indian-ness and assumption of political leadership of the Congress have not been ideal. At the same time, during her stewardship, the Congress has fared reasonably well in State-level politics, and possibly arrested its long decline at the national level. If those are the start of recovery for the Congress, then one may even conclude that her willingness to stand aside from the PM's post avoided considerable bitterness in Parliament, and exhibited considerable statesmanship. 

These nuances, however, were perfectly clear at all times. The Congress did not discover after the election that its leader would be unacceptable to some; it merely gambled that such opposition could be overcome, and lost that bet. The fallback option - appointing an acceptable and amenable loyalist - was probably considered all along, even if not publicly, by partners and opponents alike, and perhaps even understood by many of the voters. This could explain why the choice of Manmohan Singh simply seemed to confirm the inevitable, with the Congress simply being the last to recognize that. 

 His appointment is a deal between kingmakers. But whatever the demerits of that history, he is also the Prime Minister, with the attendant power and authority it brings. History - even New Delhi's own history - is replete with the stories of stand-ins who grew to their own strengths. 

Dr.Singh may be older than most who have made that transition, but it is nonetheless possible that in time, he will acquire the political stature befitting that appointment. If he does a fine job, could he - in the process of that accomplishment - sweep aside these considerations that now appear to reign him in? Certainly, that is possible. For now, though, he has only the managerial substitute to the standing that might arise from better outcomes. 

Which returns us to the question - does it matter?

Some would assert that having started with one toe stretching beyond the ideal starting line, the PM shoulders greater expectations than those a routinely elected Prime Minister would have to. If Dr. Singh performs substantially better than average, justified criticism of his appointment may be partially overcome. Others will argue that Dr.Singh's performance cannot be a proxy to seal criticism on how he may have risen to his post. Of course, the burden itself could be lightened greatly by contesting - and securing victory in - a Lok Sabha by-election, but that route appears closed for now. 

The situation is complex either way. If Manmohan Singh steers the nation towards greatness, that might indicate the normal electoral situation is not really designed to produce praiseworthy leaders, and it is only by such extra-parliamentary maneouvers that we are able to find good leadership. If, on the other hand, he fails to deliver substantially better government than the political class has so far, then pundits will quickly point out that he was 'selected' not elected. But having mounted the horse, Dr.Singh no doubt finds that it is now his to ride. 

Thus far, criticism has been limited to the mechanics of his assumption of office. But now, that die is cast, and questions of performance will take centre-stage. As the winter session of Parliament - the first one for which he has had a meaningful amount of time to prepare - looms, the Prime Minister must begin to demonstrate that the answers favour him.

Dil Manga More

A man from India migrates to South Africa.
From there he migrates to Canada.
He marries a Polish woman.
A child is born.
This child grows up in Canada.
He migrates to America.
At the age of 37, he is featured by People magazine in their issue on the 'Sexiest men alive'.

Journalism students: How many permutations and combinations of headlines can you make with this news? And which of these combinations is technically correct??

Indian scientist among Sexiest Men Alive said DNA. It goes on to call him an 37-year-old Indo-Canadian geophysicist.

NRIs can't ask for more, Manga Sexiest Man Alive said HT. A geophysicist of Indian origin has been selected the 'Sexiest Man Alive' ... went their story.

PIO prof among world's sexiest men said TOI. It went on to observe - quite rightly - that the list came out some years ago but made headlines in India only after the delirium-stricken desi media (their words, not mine!) discovered that he had a remote Indian connection.

However the TOI web version was equally delirious:
SILICON VALLEY: An Indian geophysicist of Indian origin has been selected the 'Sexiest Man Alive' by People magazine along with Hollywood superstars Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt.

Meanwhile a Canadian TV station reported: A Canadian shares a page with Bono in People magazine's sexiest men issue but Michael Manga is a reluctant and unlikely heartthrob...
 
Further down it briefly observed: "Manga is 5-foot-11, has long, dark hair and his family background makes for an interesting DNA mix with ties to South Africa, India, Germany and Poland".

My question is: who or what is 'Indian'.

Had Michael taken more after his Polish mother and looked Caucasian with blonde hair, would we have rushed to claim him as one of our own?

Is being 'Indian' a racial characteristic ie defined by colour of skin? In which case no matter how many generations we may move away from the Motherland, its culture and customs - we will never be fully 'American' or 'Canadian'?

Science can be sexy?!
I know every newspaper needs a peg to hang its news on - so that's where the 'Indian' bit came in. But to me, the fact that a scientist made it to the 'world's sexiest men alive' was a far more interesting point.

As every write up mentioned: Manga was one of only two men in academia admitted to the ranks of America's dreamiest dudes. "That's why I agreed to do this..." he explains. I wanted to get information out to people who wouldn't normally hear or see anything about science."

Of course, I may be more excited about a 'scientist' being called sexy.

 What 'People' wrote about the 'hesitant hottie' was not known (they don't put up their entire mag online u see!) But a scan on the 'UC Berkeley News' site showed he was featured on the same page as U2's Bono.

The category was 'Smart Guys'.

As one blog noted:
To celebrate the 20-year milestone, editors highlighted some "smart guys" (CNN's man of the hour, Anderson Cooper), a few "bad boys" (actor Russell Crowe) and a bunch of "funny guys" (Steve Carrell).

Glad to see that the definitions of sexiness are expanding! Point to be noted is that Manga was not smart in the regular "muggu" sort of way.

In September 2005, Manga was named a Mac Arthur fellow. The fellowship was described as 'an exclusive club of creative and original thinkers given $500,000 with no strings attached over the next five years'.

Manga, who combined theoretical geophysics with innovative laboratory experiments, intended to use some of the money to travel more and visit the subjects of his research: volcanoes.

Hot stuff.

But this was bound to happen. We as Indians are so starved for attention that anyone who has the slightest Indian roots is extolled by us far beyond any limit. Another case in point is that of Bobby Jindal. A guy who has relinquished his Indian roots totally, follows anti-Indian policies a la Republicans is held up as some sort of a hero because he won an election, especially by the expats. Same goes for Navin Andrews and Kal Penn, who have finally found fame with Lost and Harold and Kumar Goes to Whitecastle respectively. I consider people of Indian nationality Indian. All these examples are totally and completely American. Time we stopped fawning over them because of nationality and just appreciate them, if they deserve it, for their achievements.

This craze with Indian roots is because of lack of our own heroes who are internationally accepted. So few are they that anyone in these lists even remotely Indian will be big news. We always look forward for some motivator. Media always created them for us. So any person, with even a distant Indian Connection, if he does something good or bad, we call him an Indian. So its like Indians have become wrappers in which we want to pack new dreams..

We follow multiple standards while branding people as Indians. One classic case was labeling V.S. Naipaul as an Indian while he himself had said many times that he doesn't consider himself an Indian. Then we had the case of Mother Teresa and Dr. Hargobind Khurana. The former was born abroad and did work in India while the latter was born in India and did work abroad.

We Indians call both of them as Indians which should not be the case.

Thought for the day
Albert Einstein, Abdul Kalam, and then Michael Manga, being quizzed about their long dark mane. Is being a celebrity scientist all in the hair?!