Because our history has been written by the British” - this dialogue which we come across within the first 15 minutes forms the crux of Kabir Khan’s maiden web series, ‘The Forgotten Army’. The mini web-series aired on Amazon Prime Video is a trip into the history of the Azad Hind Fauj alias the Indian National Army (INA), which barely found any mention in the academic curriculum but was learnt as a footnote in India’s struggle of India.
Throughout the five episodes, Khan tells the origin story of the Fauj with precision, set in two different timelines of 1940s and 1990s which later intersects on the backdrop of India’s struggle for freedom and the political crisis of Burma.
A voiceover by Shah Rukh Khan leads you and the story begins with veteran army officer, Surinder Sodhi (M K Raina) visiting his family, where he counters his grandnephew, Amar (Karanvir Malhotra). After a few bitter encounters both Sodhi and Amar bond thereafter, Sodhi reminisces his days in the military between 1942-45 and tells Amar the story of the INA’s origin and when he fell in love with Maya (Sharvari Wagh) at the battlefield, while living on borrowed time. Sodhi’s firsthand experience in war is lived through Raina’s voice and Sunny Kaushal’s character.
At the same time Amar, who is an aspiring journalist, visits Burma accompanied by Sodhi to shoot a photo essay on the ongoing political crisis of 1996. Both the plots continue simultaneously, Khan likens the student protests of Burma to India’s freedom movement and after a series of dramatic turns both the time frames coincide. Throughout the three-hour long series, Kabir highlights the theme of youth activism, affection, and sacrifice and potentially gives it various avenues to extract flavour of human emotions.
Khan’s research is top notch, at times he makes you feel uncomfortable as he pushes facts in your face. Khan made a documentary on the same name way back in 1999, however he fictionalises this one for a dramatic representation. The first two episodes show the formation of the Azad Hind Fauj and the futility and closed door politics that happens in the war zone. The story brings back the time when men and women fought beside each other, shoulder to shoulder in the battlefield. We were told, with the formation of the Rani Jhansi regiment of the Azad Hind Fauj, the world for the first time saw women on the battlefield.
However, the plot went slack on the last two episodes as it appeared Khan couldn’t hold the pace. The final moments of the series appear overtly dramatised accompanied with unnecessary background music.
Sunny Kaushal gets into the skin of Captain Sodhi and portrays the character with utmost perfection. The younger Kaushal, with his performance sends out the message that he is here to stay and will not fade away soon. Sharvari’s character is like a breath of fresh air, throughout the series her character transforms from a bubbly girl next door photographer to a gritty soldier on the battlefield. Both Raina and Karanvir fit well into their characters of senior Sodhi and Amar. Rohit Chaudhury, who shared the screen with Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkummar Rao in Bareilly Ki Barfi does a commendable job in the series. He plays the character of INA soldier Arshad, who is both jovial and fierce.
In terms of technicality, Khan does a spectacular job. From cinematography to production design the makers ensured there is hardly any flaw. Cinematographer Aseem Mishra has shot the film with brilliance thus tuning both the timelines with two different colour tones. The war sequences are intensely choreographed by Sham Kaushal and skilfully shot. Editors Rameshwar S Bhagat and Peter Alderliesten keeps the tempo of the film mostly high, while production designer Acropolis-Rajnish Hedao replicates the 1940s without any flaw.
Pritam’s music is a stand out with Arijit Singh lending his voice to the song Azaadi ke liye penned by Kausar Munir.
Khan’s writing appears loose at times, however he compensates with a few hard-hitting dialogues.
To sum it up, ‘The Forgotten Army’ does complete justice to its time frame and in just five episodes it manages to keep you glued to the screen with an unlikely mixture of drama, history and romance.
Platform: Amazon Prime
