Shoojit Sircar’s Sardar Udham has emerged as one of the finest films of 2021, with people hailing Vicky Kaushal’s performance and the film’s authentic setting.
Here’s a look at the real vs. reel images of some of the major characters and events, as showcased in the film:
1. Sardar Udham Singh
Vicky Kaushal plays Sardar Udham in the film and delivers one of his career’s finest performances as the young revolutionary who was inspired by Bhagat Singh and fought for the freedom of his nation from British imperialism.
2. Bhagat Singh
Sardar Udham was a member of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s revolutionary party. Bhagat Singh’s ideologies and strength of beliefs greatly influenced Sardar Udham Singh as well, and even the film showcases how, right till the end, it was Bhagat Singh’s bravery and courage in the face of death, that inspired Sardar Udham Singh. Amol Parashar plays Bhagat Singh in the movie.
3. General Reginald Dyer
Gen. Dyer, infamously known as the ‘Butcher of Amritsar’, was the British Army officer who gave the order to open fire on a peaceful crowd, leading to the Jallianwal Bagh massacre. As per historical reports, he blocked the only available exit, ordered the soldiers to not fire in the air but directly at the crowd, and let the shooting continue for 10 minutes at a stretch, resulting in maximum possible casualties.
4. Michael O’Dwyer
Michael O’Dwyer was Punjab’s Lieutenant Governor at the time of the massacre, who openly backed Reginal Dyer’s actions of opening fire on a peaceful gathering. O’Dwyer was 75 when he was assassinated by Sardar Udham at Caxton Hall, in Westminster, London, on March 13, 1940.
5. Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the time of O’Dwyer’s assassination by Sardar Udham Singh. Churchill, and his government, is also infamous for causing the 1943 ‘man-made’ famine of Bengal.
6. The 1919 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
One of the most difficult scenes to sit through is the Jallianwal Bagh Massacre and its aftermath, showcased in the film in excruciating detail. As per reports, over 1000 people were killed, and over 1200 were seriously wounded. As of 2021, Britain is yet to apologize formally for the massacre.
7. Sardar Udham’s capture
Udham Singh was captured immediately after he fired at O’Dwyer and others. As he was taken from the Caxton Hall, he smiled at the cameras. His arrest was one of the most widely published news item, at the time.
8. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru’s hanging
9. Bhagat Singh’s photo, that Sardar Udham carried when being hanged to death
While it’s not clear if this actually happened in real life, the film shows Udham Singh clutching Bhagat Singh’s photo in his hands when he is hanged to death.
The scene in the photo is recreated in the film as well.
The attention to detail is truly commendable.