Shaheed Udham Singh (film)

Shaheed Udham Singh is a 1999 Indian biographical film based on the life Udham Singh who spent his whole life to punish Michael O'Dwyer, the British Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab who administered the massacre of a thousand people at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. 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, India, during the time when the British ruled India. Enraged at the massacre of over 20,000 men, women, and children at the hands of Brigadier General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer (Tom Alter) in Jallianwalla, (now known in History books as the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre) 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 (Dave Anderson), the Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab in 1919 who had authorised Dyer's use of force, during a presentation 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 ]ndian 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 Winston Churchill
• Dave Anderson as O'Dwyer
• John Barry as Michael Atlee
• Charleen Carswell as Irene Rose Palmer
• Amardeep Jha as Udham's Maami (as Chetana)

Music

The film's music was composed by Jagjit Singh

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