A slice of history is always engaging. If that slice is unknown and hardly talked about, the interest increases manifold. Same holds true for Farewell My Indian Soldier (FMIS), which was recently screened for an invited audience at the French Embassy. The docu-drama written, directed and co-produced by Vijay Singh unfolds the lesser known facts about the 1.4 million Indian soldiers and civilian workers who landed in France and Belguim to fight in the World War I –– an estimated 10,000 of whom never came back. Making the film special is its viewing the whole scenario from a non-European prism. “It is perhaps the first attempt to rewrite this chapter of WWI from the Indian perspective,” is how Singh defines it.
FMIS, the English version of Mademoiselle France pleure (Miss France is in Tears) brings to the fore what Indian soldiers lived through on the Western Front. It encapsulates the legendary battles these soldiers fought, like Ypres and Neuve Chapelle, the casualties and diseases that afflicted them, their experience of the British Army and the English hospitals and the hospitality of the French hostesses, who won their hearts during recovering in French barns.
Neither the unknown terrain nor lack of knowledge about Germans deterred the Indian soldiers. Fighting bravely they won several decorations including Victoria Cross. Celebrating the memory of one such hero is the annual Gabbhar Singh Negi Mela in Chamba, Uttarakhand who received VC which also is part of the film. The documentary notes that had the Indians not reached in time, the outcome of several battles would have been very different. Their presence gave British time to send reinforcements.
Interestingly, Singh brings actor Paloma Coquant, who essays role of the granddaughter of a woman whose grandfather is an Indian soldier. It is through her Singh initiates the story of the Indian armymen the lens of human emotion and love. “Paloma carries the film and her critical appearance in the beginning, middle and end makes the film like a travelogue as she traverses across France, Belgium, England and India in search of her unknown forefather thereby giving a glimpse into the historical facts about these Indian soldiers,” explains the director. Tragically, the children of the Indian soldiers and French women were shunned by the family, friends and society.
Weaving the film around Paloma’s quest, Singh uses archival material including photographs and film clips depicting soldiers arriving and marching along France with their battle gear, armaments, cavalry and animals –– sheep, goats and cattle –– to the awe and amusement of the Frenchmen. “The arrival of Indians marked a four day fiesta in the midst of the war hysteria,” observes Singh. The shots of battle scenes and the injured receiving treatment highlight the suffering sustained by these brave men. The film stands out for its vintage visuals.
Singh does well to pad the story with historical testimonies and 600 letters written by these soldiers. The latter give a peek at their insightful observations and feelings. Writing home they describe how the French society is devoid of caste and class barriers while pointing at the equality and freedom enjoyed by its citizens. The missives reflect on education and the status of women in the country. There is a touching repentance on part of one soldier for killing Germans while another expresses his earnest desire to escape the war scene. In fact, readings these letters which were part of a book on Indian soldiers, that inspired Singh to make this documentary. “So fascinated I was by these letters that I decided that a film needs to be made on these soldiers,” he discloses.
The tragicomic events too form a part of the docu-drama. Unavailability of winter clothing forced the British to provide long johns to the Indian soldiers. On realising these were too big for the Gurkhas, the English gave safety pins to adjust them. Similarly sensitive of the soldiers religious and caste sentiments, the colonial rulers ensured separate kitchens –– as many as nine ––to prepare and serve food.
The director has used songs like Lata Mangeshkar’s Ae Mere Watan Ke Logo and Allah Tero Naam Ishwar Tero Naam, Manna Dey’s Ae Mere Pyare Watan and Dehi Shiva Bar Mohi by Sukhvinder Singh among others, aptly to emphasise bravery, courage, the destruction inflicted by conflict and the yearning to return home. The two 100 year old war songs –– one from Haryana encouraging Indians to join the army during the WW I while the other in Punjabi by women pleading men to return from the battlefield highlight the paradox.
Singh, who has penned the novel “Jaya Ganga, In Search of the River Goddess” besides making films like India By Song and One Dollar Curry , describes FMIS as very close to his heart. “The whole exercise of making it, despite inordinate delays, was very moving,” he says. He now intends to start work on his next film The Opium Symphony based on his book “Whirlpool of Shadows”. “It revolves around Wajid Ali Shah’s uncle Nasiruddin Haider,” is all he is willing to disclose before signing off.
