The Legend of Bhagat Singh

Plot

Bhagat Singh was born in British India in 1907. As a child he witnessed numerous atrocities committed on fellow Indians by the British rulers, who came to trade under the guise of East India Company, but ended up controlling most of the nation, and permitting tyrants such as General Reginald Dyer to massacre thousands of innocent men, women and children in Jallianwala Bagh. As a child he was impressed by Mahatma Gandhi, especially his call to launch the non-cooperation movement, which led to thousands of people burning British-made clothing, giving up school, college studies, and government jobs — only to be let down by Gandhi when he called off the movement. Undaunted, Bhagat Singh (Ajay Devgan) decided to be a revolutionary, starting with getting into petty fights, then as a grown-up joining the Hindustan Republic Association. His father, Kishan, paid Rs.60,000/- and bailed him out, so that he could get him to run a dairy-farm and get married to a girl named Mannavali (Amrita Rao) .

When Lala Lajpat Rai was beaten to death by the police, Bhagat, with Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev, and Chandra Shekhar Azad (Akhilendra Mishra) daringly carried out the assassination of a police officer named Saunders, which eventually led to Bhagat's arrest. He was lodged in a cell, tortured and beaten mercilessly. But being a revolutionary was in Bhagat's blood: When the British proposed the Trade Disputes and Public Safety Bills, he initiated the bombing in the Indian Parliament Building, with Batukeshwar Dutt, He took utmost care of the safety of people in parliament by throwing bombs at empty benches .He was arrested, and tried in an open court. This is where Bhagat launched his much-publicized revolution, and became popular with the masses, especially the younger generation, laborers, and farmers, so much so that his popularity rivaled that of Gandhi himself.

Even in Lahore prison, Bhagat made headline news when he and other prisoners undertook a 63-day fast unto death to improve the conditions of Indian freedom-fighter prisoners. On the other hand, Azad, whom the British had repeatedly failed to capture, was attacked in Alfred Park of Allahabad on 27 February 1931. With the police surrounding the entire park, a shootout followed; refusing to be captured by the British, Azad committed suicide with the last remaining bullet in his revolver.

The British re-opened the Saunders' murder case, which led to death sentences being imposed on Bhagat, Shivram, and Sukhdev. The entire nation rose up in protest, including the Congress party — with the ball in Gandhi's court — for he was due to sign the Irwin Pact, and Indians hoped that he would use this as a bargaining chip to save the lives of the heroic trio. But as Gandhi agreed with the clause of "Release of political prisoners except for the ones involved in violence", the hopes of the nation dashed to the ground. Bhagat, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged in utmost secrecy, during the early hours of 23 March 1931.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of The Legend of Bhagat Singh was composed by A.R.Rahman, while the lyrics were written by Sameer.

50th National Film Awards

Filmfare Awards

Zee Cine Awards

Release and reception

The Legend of Bhagat Singh's release coincided with another based on Bhagat Singh, 23rd March 1931: Shaheed which starred Bobby Deol in the lead role. Both were disasters at box office, although the film won rave reviews. The background score composed by A. R. Rahman also received critical acclaim. It was considered for the Best Background Score nomination in the 50th National Film Awards, which falls under the Best Music Direction category. Rahman's critically acclaimed Saathiya was also considered for a nomination for Best Music Direction. However, it lost to Kannathil Muthamittal in the same year, which was also composed by Rahman himself.