Plot
A young idealistic English filmmaker, Sue, arrives in India to make a film on Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and their contemporaries and their fight for freedom from the British Raj. Owing to a lack of funds, she recruits students from Delhi University to act in her docu-drama. She finds DJ, who graduated five years ago but still wants to be a part of the University because he doesn't think there's too much out there in the real world to look forward to. Karan, the son of Industrialist Rajnath Singhania, who shares an uncomfortable relationship with his father, but continues to live off him, albeit very grudgingly. Aslam, is a middle class Muslim boy, who lives in the by-lanes near Jama Masjid, poet, philosopher and guide to his friends. Sukhi, the group's baby, innocent, vulnerable and with a weakness for only one thing - girls. Laxman Pandey, the fundamentalist in the group, the only one who still believes that politics can make the world a better place and finally Sonia - the sole girl in the group, tomboy and vivacious spirit, engaged to Ajay - the dashing air pilot. Through her film, Sue wishes to showcase to the world the efforts of these young revolutionaries and the enormity of their contribution to the freedom movement in India. What unfolds is the inspiration behind Sue's passion for bringing their story to the world. The twist in the tale is of course the fact that more than just telling the world, Sue's film makes DJ and his friends stop and stare at themselves for being the actual descendants of these great men and never recognizing and celebrating their courage and spirit.
Keywords: airport, alcohol, amritsar-india, anger, anguish, anti-conformity, assassination, audition, awakening, brawl
A Generation Awakens.
Sue: [Proposing a toast] To Ajay and Sonia. I wish they live happily forever. May the insanity and the romance never die.
Mr. McHeneley: [the British are trying to get information about all freedom fighters] Breaking a man, bit by bit... they said it would get easier with time. It never did. The torture went on for some time. But Bismil didn't break. Both men had made pain their friend. They didn't break. Instead they did something I'd never seen any prisoner do before. I think it was the poetry that held their souls together as the torture tore their bodies apart. The torture didn't work. So we thought of other ways.::[In Chruch]::Mr. McHeneley: How can this be your will? Tell me.::[shouting]::Mr. McHeneley: TELL ME!
Ajay Rathod: [Enters the room where Sukhi, Aslam, Sue, Sonia, Sid, DJ just finished watching the documentary] Hey guys Whats up? [Everybody is silent, with teary eyes- from the impact of their documentary] Uh-huh... Did someone die?
Ajay Rathod: [Seeing everybody silent and serious after watching the documentary] Sue, I've never seen these people so serious. What have you done to my friends?::Sue: Nothing. Whatever it is, they're doing it themselves.
DJ: With one leg in the past and one in the future... it's no wonder we're pissing on the present.
Mr. McHeneley: [In his diary] I always believed there were two kinds of men in this world, men who go to their deaths screaming, and men who go to their deaths in silence. Then I met a third kind.
Ajay Rathod: I'm proud of my country.::Karan: Really, exactly what are you proud of? The Poverty?::Aslam: No, he's proud of the Unemployment::Karan: Or are you proud of the Corruption?::Ajay Rathod: No country is perfect, Kran we have to work to make it perfect.::Karan: Tell you what Ajay, you go on trying to make this country perfect, once I get into a college, i'm pushing of to America, nothing's ever going to get better in this garbage dump.
Karan: [refering to India] Here you try to change the syste and the system changes you.
Boy sitting on University steps: [Whistles] Which country, madam?::Sue: India, I hope!
Sue: My grandfather was right. He said when you come to India, it's love at first sight.
Plot
When his mentor Lala Lajpatrai is mercilessly beaten to death by the police Bhagat Singh is enraged and he sets about to avenge his death. He and his colleagues do succeed in killing one of the officials responsible, but they are identified and as a result they are arrested and held in prison where they are tortured relentlessly. They are then sentenced to a life in prison. Subsequently, they are charged with a more serious crime - treason and assassination - a crime that is punishable by death.
Keywords: 1920s, 1930s, amritsar-india, amritsar-massacre, assassination, based-on-true-story, beating, british-colonial, character-name-in-title, college
Batukeshwar Dutt was an Indian revolutionary and a freedom fighter in the early 1900s. He is best known for having exploded a few bombs, along with Bhagat Singh, in the Central Legislative Assembly in New Delhi on 8 April 1929. After they were arrested, tried and imprisoned for life, he and Bhagat Singh initiated a historic hunger strike protesting against the abusive treatment of Indian political prisoners, and eventually secured some rights for them. He was also a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association.
Batukeshwar Dutt, also known as B.K. Dutt, Battu and Mohan, son of Goshtha Bihari Dutt, was born on 18 November 1910 in the village Oari in Burdwan district, and also lived in Khanda and Mausu in Burdwan district in Bengal. He graduated from P.P.N. High School in Kanpur. He was a close associate of freedom fighters such as Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh. He met Bhagat Singh in Kanpur in 1924. He learned about making bomb while working for the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association in Kanpur.
Bhagat Singh (IPA: [pə̀ɡət̪ sɪ́ŋɡ] ( listen); 28 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was an Indian nationalist considered to be one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement. He is often referred to as Shaheed Bhagat Singh, the word Shaheed meaning "martyr" in a number of Indian languages.
Born into a Sikh Jat family which had earlier been involved in revolutionary activities against the British Raj, as a teenager Singh studied European revolutionary movements and was attracted to anarchist and marxist ideologies. He became involved in numerous revolutionary organisations, and quickly rose through the ranks of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) to become one of its main leaders, eventually changing its name to the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928.
Seeking revenge for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai at the hands of the police, Singh was involved in the assassination of British police officer John Saunders. He eluded efforts by the police to capture him. Together with Batukeshwar Dutt, he undertook a successful effort to throw two bombs and leaflets inside the Central Legislative Assembly while shouting slogans of Inquilab Zindabad. Subsequently they volunteered to surrender and be arrested. Held on this charge, he gained widespread national support when he underwent a 116 day fast in jail, demanding equal rights for British and Indian political prisoners. During this time, sufficient evidence was brought against him for a conviction in the Saunders case, after trial by a Special Tribunal and appeal at the Privy Council in England. He was convicted and subsequently hanged for his participation in the murder, aged 23. His legacy prompted youth in India to begin fighting for Indian independence and he continues to be a youth idol in modern India, as well as the inspiration for several films. He is commemorated with a large bronze statue in the Parliament of India, as well as a range of other memorials.
Ajay Devgan (Hindi: अजय देवगन), born Vishal Devgan on 2 April 1969, is an Indian film actor, director, and producer. He made his film debut with Phool Aur Kaante in 1991 and received a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance in the film. He then starred in films such as Jigar (1992), Dilwale (1994), Suhaag (1994), Naajayaz (1995), Diljale (1996) and Ishq (1997). In 1999, Devgan received his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Mahesh Bhatt's drama Zakhm. Some of his later films of the decade are Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Kachche Dhaage.
In the early 2000s, he starred in Lajja (2001) and Company (2002). In 2003, he won his second National Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Bhagat Singh in Rajkumar Santoshi's biopic The Legend of Bhagat Singh. Throughout his career he has given many critically and commercially successful films including Raincoat (2004), Yuva (2004), Omkara (2006), Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006), Golmaal Returns (2008), All the Best: Fun Begins (2009), Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), Golmaal 3 (2010), Raajneeti (2010), and Singham (2011). Having done so, he has established himself as one of the leading actors of Bollywood. In 2008, he debuted as a film director with his starrer U Me Aur Hum which proved to be an moderate success at the box office. He then established the production house, Ajay Devgn Films.
Sharman Joshi (born 24 April 1979) is an Indian film and theatre actor. He has worked on various stage productions in English, Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati languages. However, he is mostly known for his work in Hindi films.
Joshi belongs to a Gujarati family of actors and performing artists. His father, sister and cousins acted in Gujarati theatre. His sister, Mansi Joshi has appeared in many televisual series. Joshi is married to Prerna Chopra, daughter of actor Prem Chopra. The couple has a daughter, Khyana, born in October 2005, and twin boys, Rehan and Varryan, born in July 2009.
He made his film debut in the 1999 art film, Godmother.
This was followed by Style (2001), produced by N Chandra. Style was followed with a sequel called Xcuse Me (2003), and other comedies like Shaadi No. 1 (2005).
In 2006 he starred in Rang De Basanti. Later that year he starred in the comedy film Golmaal. In 2007 he appeared in the films Life in a Metro, Dhol and Raqeeb. The following year saw him as the character Shyam in Hello, the film adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel One Night @ the Call Center. Joshi also played the male lead in the film Sorry Bhai! in 2008 and one of the three characters in the 2009 film, 3 Idiots, which was based on Chetan Bhagat's novel Five Point Someone.
Manoj Kumar (born Harikrishna Giri Goswami on 24 July 1937) is an award-winning Indian actor and director in the Bollywood film industry. He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes, and has been given the nickname "Mr Bharat" (Bhaarat is the Hindi term for India). In 1992, he was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Manoj Kumar was born in Abbottabad, a town of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, then part of India. Abbottabad is now located within the borders of Pakistan. His original name was Harikishan Giri Goswami. When he was 10, his Gosain Hindu family had to move to Delhi owing to partition. His family lived as refugees in Vijay Nagar, Kingsway Camp and later moved to Patel Nagar area of New Delhi.
After graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi, he decided to enter the film industry.
As a youth, he admired Bollywood superstar Dilip Kumar, and decided to name himself Manoj Kumar after Dilip's character in Shabnam (1949).
After making a little-noticed début in Fashion in 1957, Manoj landed his first leading role in Kaanch Ki Gudia (1960) opposite Sayeeda Khan. Piya Milan Ki Aas and Reshmi Roomal followed, setting the stage for the Vijay Bhatt-directed Hariyali Aur Raasta (1962) opposite Mala Sinha. Kumar then appeared with Sadhana in Raj Khosla's Woh Kaun Thi (1964), and reunited with Vijay Bhatt and Mala Sinha in Himalaya Ki God Mein (1965).