Shaheed Udham Singh (film)

Shaheed Udham Singh is an Indian biographical film based on the life Udham Singh, an Indian revolutionary who had witnessed the 1919 Amritsar massacre and wanted to avenge the mass killing of his countrymen. He spent his whole life to punish Michael O'Dwyer, the British Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab who administered the massacre. The film was theatrically released in India on 24 December 1999, just two days before Udham's birth centenary. The film was screened retrospective on 13 August 2016 at the Independence Day Film Festival jointly presented by the Indian Directorate of Film Festivals and Ministry of Defense, commemorating 70th Indian Independence Day.

Summary

Udham Singh was born and brought up in a Kamboj Sikh family in Punjab, British India. Enraged over Jallianwala Bagh massacre that took place in Amritsar in April 1919 during the day of Baisakhi festival, Udham Singh swears vengeance. He sets about creating obstacles for the British, and is soon on wanted lists by the authorities. On one occasion he is shielded by a courtesan, Noor Jehan (Juhi Chawla). In order to achieve his vengeance, he travels to the United Kingdom, befriends the local Indians, as well as Irish freedom fighter, Irene Rose Palmer (Charleen Carswell). He kills Michael O'Dwyer (Barry John), the Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab in 1919 who had authorised Dyer's use of force, during a program at Caxton Hall in London. He is quickly apprehended, and jailed. He refuses to cooperate with the authorities, nor is he willing to accept that he is mentally incapable. During his trial, he is offered the opportunity to state his case for acquittal but his remarks were deemed incendiary by the judge, who forbade the press from publishing them. He was hanged on 31 July 1940 at Pentonville Prison in north London.

You can get more information about Udham Singh by reading the book of Utpal Dutt (famous Indian playwright, actor and director) - Aronyar Ghum Bhangche. The story tells us how he tried to assassinate O'Dwyer. It was first performed as a drama at Minarbha Theatre. There you can find characters like Alen Harlow, Margarette, Gurmukh Singh, and others who stood beside Udham Singh.

Cast

• Raj Babbar as Udham Singh
• Gurdas Maan as Bhagat Singh
• Shatrughan Sinha as Muhammad Khan
• Amrish Puri as The Sufi saint
• Juhi Chawla as Noor Jehan
• Ranjeet as Giani Ji
• Tom Alter as Brig. Gen. Edward Harry Dyer
• Joseph Lamb as Lord of Adm. Winston Churchill
• John Barry as Michael O'Dwyer
• Dave Anderson as Lord Keeper Clement Attlee
• Charleen Carswell as Irene Rose Palmer
• Amardeep Jha as Udham's Mami (as Chetana)

Music

The film's music was composed by Jagjit Singh

• Song - "Zaat" sung by Durga Rangila
• Some songs sung by Gurdas Mann