On the 114th birth anniversary of legendary martyr Bhagat Singh, actors, who portrayed him on screen, recall their experience

Mona

Martyrs never die but live in our hearts. It stands true for legendary Bhagat Singh. A true revolutionary, his writings have continued to inspire generations. On his 114th birth anniversary, artistes, who have lived his life and times, tell us what makes him a true ‘hero’!

“To see Bhagat Singh’s poster or read his book is one thing, but to live his life on stage is an experience of a lifetime,” says singer-actor-comedian Jaswant Singh Rathore. During his college days in DAV Jalandhar, he was the narrator for a one-act play on Bhagat Singh’s life, an experience he calls enriching. “Bhagat Singh didn’t die young; he has lived on in each Indian’s heart, specially the Punjabis.”

Rathore finds the particular line dedicated to Bhagat Singh—Angrez khange si, te tange si— quite amusing, “That’s how India’s braveheart is remembered in popular culture. But we need to move beyond the image of Bhagat Singh with his pistol. With a weapon you can kill a person or two but with the power of writing one can influence generations. High time this generation learnt that he was a great thinker and philosopher too. His Jail Diary is what every young person should read once in their lifetime.”

Actor Sushant Singh, who played the of role Sukhdev in film The Legend of Bhagat Singh, says it was the best experience of his life, “At the age 22/23, to have the vision that Bhagat Singh had was remarkable. Meeting his brother, late Kultar Singh, was the biggest high of my life. He had visited us on the sets when we were shooting for The Legend of Bhagat Singh.”

He points out that though Bhagat Singh is said to have been a part of ‘garam dal’, he made it clear that violence was the last resort. “Many of us are ‘reactionary’ but Bhagat Singh was a true revolutionary. At 22 we didn’t even know what to do, but he at that age had a vision for the country. He had a clear vision about what India was fighting for.”

He feels in this present scenario, Bhagat Singh’s teachings are more relevant than ever before. “Farmers from the soil of Bhagat Singh are leading the farmers’ front. Almost a century back he could visualise how bad the Hindu-Muslim division would affect us, which now we see being played out.”

Shankar Sahney, who was recently honoured with the Global Icon Awards at Karnal, sees a true icon in Bhagat Singh. “Bhagat Singh dreamt of a united country, not ruled by outsiders. Now, it’s on the shoulders of the youth today to lead the country forward,” says the singer who recently dedicated a song to the martyr.

Stuff that films are made of...

The heroic story of Bhagat Singh has won the filmmakers and audience alike. Right from Shaheed-e-Azad Bhagat Singh (1954) to Shaheed Bhagat Singh (1963), Shaheed (1965 film), Shaheed-E-Azam (2002), The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) to 23rd March 1931: Shaheed (2002); actors like Manoj Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Bobby Deol to Sonu Sood have brought the legendary hero alive on screen.

Film critic Ranjan Das Gupta recalls how Bhagat Singh’s mother saw her son reborn in Manoj Kumar.

Sardar Udham to release digitally

Actor Vicky Kaushal's upcoming film Sardar Udham will be released on Amazon Prime Video on October 16. Vicky took to Instagram to share the teaser. He captioned it: "On the birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, I'm proud to bring to you the story of his ally - Sardar Udham Singh - one man, many aliases, one mission." IANS