EXCLUSIVE! Shoojit Sircar Says His Message To Udham Singh Would Be: I Have Not Forgotten You

Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar is currently basking in the success of Vicky Kaushal-starrer Sardar Udham. The film chronicles the life of Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter Udham Singh born Sher Singh. The director recently got candid about what went behind the scenes with Filmibeat.

While talking about what inspired him to present the story about Indian freedom fighters, Sircar said, "They were everyday people and they were far ahead in terms of thinking about what freedom should be. They were not gun-wielding extremists, they had ideals and principles and people should know about their stories."

Meanwhile, he also opened up about a message he would like to share with late Udham Singh. "I would like to say, that I still remember you and Bhagat as a friend," he told Filmibeat.

Here is an excerpt from the conversation,

Biopics often have a linear structure, where we see them live the ordinary life before the tragedy takes place and move on to their journey of revenge. Udham Singh takes on a different approach and it pays off emotionally as well. One of the scenes shows a woman asking was water as she dies in Udham's arms after the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and it takes us back to Udham asking for water when he is being interrogated. Was it always the plan to tell Udham Singh's story in a non-linear structure?

The non-linear structure was not easy to execute, neither was it easy to decide on at the script level. There isn't much information about Udham Singh available in the public domain. There are no true facts and/or evidence noted on what he actually did, so if you see even the non-linear structure also has a lot of disjoints. We decided to go with what we had and move forward as we dug more into his story. If you go to look for him in the history books or on the internet, the first thing you will find about him is that he assassinated Michael O'Dwyer. Then on further research, you will be able to find out why he did it, and about Jallianwala Bagh.

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Another important reason was, I didn't want this to be a revenge story. Udham didn't just get angry after the massacre and decide to assassinate him, that would have been wrong for a revolutionary's story. There is much more to his story, and to show that he was actually an activist and was trying to bring about change in the world.

Usually, historic stories or action biopics end up about love, revenge or redemption, but here you didn't even show what happens to Reshma, and it changes the story's point of view and we can clearly tell that this isn't a revenge story, he wanted to bring this change because it was right for the world. Even the film ends with Udham asking his lawyer, to tell the world that he was a revolutionary, what inspired you to present his story in this way?

What you said is exactly right, for me, a hero is all about doing the right thing, speaking right and protesting about the right things. I think that is what heroism is all about and they are all ordinary people. They didn't come from folklore, they were not gods, they were untouchables like heroes. They were everyday people and they were far ahead in terms of thinking about what freedom should be like. They had envisioned what the ideal society should be like at such a young age. That's why Udham asks 'at the age of 23 what were you doing?' At that time, Bhagat Singh was inspiring so many people. At that age, they were racing to die for their country despite knowing they will be labelled as rebels. The way I portrayed Bhagat Singh is the way I envisioned him, that at the age of 23 he was a romantic college going student. He had his own way of understanding what nationalism and patriotism meant. They were not gun-wielding extremists, they had ideals and principles, and I wanted to share that with everyone.

You have managed to portray him as an ordinary man, one scene that brings it out in her personality is his love for ladoos. Was it something that you improvised or has it been documented?
We had this information that, the day he had decided to assassinate Michael O'Dwyer, he went to the Shepard Gurudwara and he bought the ladoos. So we added it into the film.

Content is now global due to the international streaming network. I am someone who grew up on TV and learned from it about world history, I barely know about our own history, which is also true for so many others. So it makes me happy to see a brilliant movie that unapologetically recounts what happened in our streets. The film gives us a glimpse of the amazing driving force Udham Singh was, when you started working on it did you want to give the global audience a look into what India is all about and our past?

Absolutely, I knew even among the Indian audience beyond Punjab very few people know about this incident. So this was a big opportunity for me to showcase what the Colonial British Raj was. Even there (England) people are not aware of these incidents from India. In Ireland, people know about bloody Sunday but I would suggest that Jallianwala Bagh is the top 10 most gruesome massacres in the world. People are still unaware of it and people need to know there were revolutionaries like Udham Singh and Bhagat Singh. It is not only for them but also for us Indians to know about that part of the history and the underground movements that were taking place.

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You mentioned that if you had to compare your life to one of Udham Singh's you would not know if any of your work could have a similar impact as his? If you got a chance to give him a message or talk to him, what would you say?

I would like to say, that I still remember you and I have not forgotten you. I have used my right, what I have to take you to the world. It is what I could do. What you did is beyond being an avenger, and I will remember you, Udham and Bhagat as a friend who has stayed with me.