Re: Re: Query on Anti-Colonial Revolts

[Rakesh Bhandari <rakeshb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

0. battle of algiers

1. Sembene Ousmane camp thioyre (sp?)

2. Shyam Benegal movie Junoon on The Revolt of 1857

3. SYNOPSIS - 1942: A LOVE STORY (my mother's favorite)

         1.Naren Singh (Anil Kapoor) is about to be hanged.  He
apologizes to his mother for failing her.  She says he is giving his
life for the
           motherland - what mother could ask for more?  Naren's
father tells him if he reveals the names of the traitors, his own
life will be spared.
           Naren tells him that he is the only traitor Naren knows.
The crowd rallies to the slogan "Victory to India" as Naren mounts
the scaffold.
           Flashback to:

         2.The Quit India movement is spreading across India,
burgeoning in a direct correlation to the rising number of British
atrocities, which are
           being committed largely under the direction of General
Douglas.  He kills freedom fighters who, till the end, chant proudly,
"We'll do or
           we'll die!"

         3.Indian patriots are appalled to discover that Gen. Douglas
is being called home to England for a promotion.  Before his
departure, a farewell
           parade is scheduled in his honor at a hill-town called
Kasauni.  Raghuvir Pathak and his band of patriots make plans for one
of their own (a
           man called Shubhankar) to assassinate Douglas there.
Pathak will travel there under the pretense of taking a medical rest
in order to prepare
           for the assassination.

         4.In Kasauni.  A riot ensues when soldiers pull down the
flag symbolizing the Independence movement.  Naren Singh (whose
father Dewan
           Hari Singh, a British toadie, gave the orders to pull down
the flag) interferes despite his apparent ambivalence to the
Independence movement
           when it becomes clear that a child's life is at stake.
During his struggle, he catches the eye of a beautiful woman (Manisha
Koirala).

         5.Dewan Hari (from now on, DHS) is very upset with his son.
DHS shows no sympathy for his starving tenants because their son is
part of
           the Independence movement.  Naren rides back into town to
find the girl, but she's nowhere to be seen, though he does find her
earring.
           Later he tries to tell his driver and best friend, Munna,
how beautiful the girl was, but cannot think of a description to do
her justice.  That
           night, he tosses and turns as he seeks the words to
describe her (SONG: EK LADKI TO DEKHA).

         6.The next day, Naren goes to Munna's house so they can
begin the search for his mystery girl.  He spies her, but loses sight
of her soon
           afterward.  Her name is Rajeshwari, and she is the
daughter of the patriot Pathak.  He has revealed the plans for
assassination to the man he
           is staying with (whose name is Govind), but she still
believes that he has come to Kasauni to seek medical treatment.

         7.Munna finds out that Rajeshwari has gone to the library,
and arranges for Naren to intercept her there.  Rajeshwari is both
flattered and
           alarmed by Naren's admiration (SONG: RUUT NA JAANA).

         8.Pathak meets with a town man named Baig, who gives him a
map of the hall where Douglas will be officially welcomed to Kasauni,
and
           materials to make a bomb.  Baig, who is putting on a play
in the hall for Douglas as a pretext under which they can lure the
General to a
           pre-arranged site, tells Pathak that in order to allay
suspicion they will exchange messages through Rajeshwari.  Later,
Rajeshwari tells her
           dad that she likes Kasauni very much.  Pathak tells her
that she must go help Baig tomorrow with the play, and asks her to
tell Baig that he's
           forgotten to give Pathak "the white powder."

         9.The soldiers fortify the hall.  Baig reassures the Major
that nothing will happen.  The Major tells him that he underestimates
the
           revolutionaries - one has already infiltrated the theater!
Baig, horrified, asks carefully, "Who?"  The Major points out his own
daughter, who
           has the role of Juliet in the play, and they share a good laugh.

        10.Naren tries to ditch rehearsal to go find Rajeshwari, but
his intentions quickly change when Rajeshwari appears at the theater.
Rajeshwari
           gives Baig the message about the white powder, and he asks
her to be on book for the actors.  He then tells his co-conspirator
Shankar to
           take some phosphorous to Pathak.  Meanwhile. Naren is
reciting the most romantic lines in "Romeo & Juliet" directly to
Rajeshwari.

        11.Back in her room, Rajeshwari confides to her journal that
she knows Naren wasn't acting - he truly loves her.  Naren throws a
note inside her
           room which says much the same thing.  She tries to get him
to leave, but he makes her promise to come to the performance hall
tomorrow
           before everyone else.  (SONG: DIL NE KAHA CHUPKE SE)

        12.At the army headquarters.  The army has found out about
the plan to kill Douglas.  They are ordered to shoot to kill.

        13.The police search all the houses.  Meanwhile, at the play
rehearsal, Naren accidentally says "Rajjo" instead of "Juliet."
Horribly
           embarrassed, Rajeshwari storms out.  Naren catches up with
her, confesses his love, and asks her to marry him.  (SONG: RIM JHIM
RIM
           JHIM)

        14.Govind, Pathak's host, advises him to leave town ASAP.
Pathak refuses to leave until the mission's completed.

        15.Next day.  Munna tells Naren he saw Rajeshwari's luggage
being loaded onto a bus.  Naren runs to the station, but misses her
departure.
           Crushed, he returns to the theater to find her there - she
was just seeing her aunt onto the bus.  Incredibly relieved, he begs
her to promise
           him that she'll never leave him (SONG: KUCH NA KAHO).
Chanda, the Major's daughter and his co-star in the play, overhears
their
           protestations of love and is heartbroken.
        16.The Major stumbles onto his daughter crying.  She lies,
saying she's upset because she can't remember her lines.  He comforts
her and says
           the trick to life is to persevere despite adversity - as
he did after her mother's death.  "Besides, I can bear to see
everything - except tears in
           your eyes."

        17.The army learns of two revolutionaries coming tonight -
they track them down.  One man manages to escape to Pathak's house.
Rajeshwari
           sees him die and realizes the truth.  Her father asks her
if she's with him.  Meanwhile, the police have surrounded the house.
They search it,
           but find nothing inside - Rajeshwari and Pathak have
dragged the body into the woods.

        18.Rajeshwari tells Naren everything, and ends their
relationship, saying, "Forget you ever loved the daughter of a
revolutionary."  Later, her
           father is outraged that she told Naren the truth - he
fears Naren will go to the police.  Naren shows up to tell him that
he'll never repeat
           anything Rajeshwari told him.  Pathak says it's very
difficult to trust those who have sold their souls to the British.
Naren replies that he has
           come, and his soul is there with him.  Pathak says he sees
that.  Naren says, "No, sir, you don't."  Pathak turns to look at him
and says,
           "Now I see.  So tell me what you have to say."  Naren: "I
respect your ideals and patriotism..."  Pathak threatens him: "Never
see Rajeshwari
           again or..."  Naren: "Or you'll kill me.  Go ahead.  But
I'll say unto my death that I love Rajeshwari and want to marry her."
Naren: "You
           fool!  When all of India's in an uproar, you're bothering
with romance?"  Naren: "Love isn't a sin."  Pathak: "It is!  A man
who doesn't love
           his country can't love anybody!"  Naren:  "That's unfair!
Your love for your country is immensely great - I can understand that
- so try to
           understand my love!  I'm my father's son - Rajeshwari
can't join our world - but I can join hers!  I'll leave everything
behind - wealth, family,
           everything!  But you cannot separate us!  I'll come
tomorrow.  Once I've sought my mother's blessings, I'll come to seek
yours."  He leaves.

        19.Naren tells his mother that he's leaving.  She tells him
to bring Rajeshwari here - that she'll convince his dad - but he
tells her truth about why
           he can't bring her.  Meanwhile, Pathak suffers ana ttack
of conscience - realizes it wasn't the English who killd his son - he
did, by instilling
           his own ideals in his son - and he killed his wife too, by
making her wait and worry.  He then tells Rajeshwari that it's her
right to live her life
           as she pleases.  She says her life is with him, and that
had he told her of all this scheming before, she never would have
looked at Naren,
           much less loved him.  She offers to forget Naren.  But
Pathak says no - Naren is a good boy, willing to sacrifice everything
for her, and it
           won't make Pathak happy to see his daughter sacrifice such
a good man.

        20.The next day.  Naren's mother gives Naren vermilion for
Rajeshwari's hair (a husband applies vermilion to his wife's hair
parting) and sends
           him off with her blessings.  Naren shows up at
Rajeshwari's - she is decked out in style to greet him - and they are
ambushed by soldiers.
           Rajeshwari thinks Naren has betrayed them - her father
begs her to flee - he sacrifices himself.  Shubhankar shows up to
drag Rajeshwari
           away.

        21.In the mountains.  Shubhankar tells Rajeshwari he
understands what she's going through.  He saw his own father die, but
the death of a
           coward, and as he stood there and watched, it was Pathak
who gave him strength.  Today, Shubhankar says, he is proud because
Pathak is a
           martyr - and one doesn't cry for martyrs.  Flashback to
when Douglas hanged Rajeshwari's brother.  Pathak tells his son's
corpse: "I'm not
           saddened by your death - you died for your country."  And
then he tells Rajeshwari, "Don't cry - one doesn't cry for martyrs;
it's an insult to
           them.  Promise me you'll never cry."  Back to present.
Rajeshwari, stirring from her memories, says, "I promise, I'll never
cry again...  Dad
           said as long as he and I were alive, you weren't alone,
Shubhankar.  So together we'll make Dad's dream come true."  (SONG:
YEH SAFAR
           BAHUT HAI)

        22.Naren's dad is made a lord for his actions in reporting
the traitors.  He plans a huge celebration.  Naren decides to leave
home to search for
           Rajeshwari.  He makes Munna stay behind so his mother
won't be lonely.  Later, Naren finds Baig digging up the bomb from
the ruins of
           Rajeshwari's home.

        23.Govind is tortured, but refuses to say anything.  His wife
begs DHS for his life.  DHS is unmoved.  Meanwhile, Naren has
followed Baig
           home.  He defends himself against Baig's accusations of
treachery, and asks where Rajeshwari is so he can go to her and
defend himself to
           her as well.  Shankar comes to tell Baig that Govind is
being tortured and his wife is unconscious in the road.  Baig,
overwhelmed, tells
           Naren that Rajeshwari is dead.

        24.Shubhankar plans to kill Douglas as he enters the town.
Rajeshwari assures him that he's not alone in this.  He thinks to
himself that she'll
           always be with him - but he must wait until Independence
is gained - and then they will settle down as husband and wife.  He
tells her that
           she must get the bomb from Baig and bring it to him at the
bus station.

        25.When Baig leaves to deliver the bomb to Rajeshwari, Naren
follows him and sees her.  He gives chase

        26.Shubhankar stops Naren from following, and the police go
after Rajeshwari and Shubhankar.  They forcibly deboard the bus
they've taken
           shelter in, and Naren steps forward and offers to identify
the terrorists.  When Shubhankar is brought before him, he lies and
says he's never
           seen the man before.  The bus driver refuses to open his
tool box for the police - runs away and is shot.  The Major asks
Naren if the driver
           was the terrorist.  Naren says yes, that was him.

        27.Baig is despondent - they have no weapons left.  Naren
shows up - Shubhankar and Rajeshwari hide.  They overhear Naren
defending
           himself again.  Rajeshwari realizes he is innocent.

        28.Douglas arrives.  He calls for the suspect they have in
custody (Govind) and demands to know everything.  Govind says if he
had his way,
           he'd kill Douglas.  Douglas retaliates to this verbal
attack by killing Govind.  Munna, seeing this, loses his cool and
rushes Douglas.
           Douglas shoots him.  Munna spits on Douglas (as he had
vowed to in beat 4) and dies in Naren's arms, proclaiming with
satisfaction that "I
           am not a coward."

        29.Chanda confronts her father about the day's events.  He
says he's an army officer and must do his duty.  She replies that if
his duty is to
           shoot unarmed men, then she must do her duty - her duty as
an Indian - and stand with the townspeople tomorrow when they cremate
           Govind and Munna.  Alarmed and angered, the Major tells
her she'll do nothing of the sort - that the play rehearsals were
just a front for
           assassination - and his own friend Baig was behind it.

        30.Shankar breaks under torture and tells the army
everything.  The Major sends his men after Baig.  Meanwhile,
Shubhankar has fashioned a
           knife for a last, desperate attempt on Douglas's life.
The soliders come to arrest Baig, and Shubhankar kills them.  They
flee across town.
           Shubhankar refuses to leave Kasauni until Douglas has.  In
the town square, they are spotted by the Major.  Baig tells
Rajeshwari and
           Shubhankar to keep walking, and assures them that since he
and the Major are old friends, he'll be all right.  The Major tells
them to stop -
           begs them to stop, warns them that he'll be forced to
shoot otherwise - and just as his daughter and Naren shows up, shoots
Baig.  As Baig
           dies, Naren promises him that he, Naren, will get a pistol
for Shubhankar.

        31.At Naren's house.  He tries to pick the lock to the
cabinet in which his father stores his gun, but his mother interrupts
him and gives him a
           key.  She tells him that she and her husband live the
bent-headed life of slaves, whereas he stands upright and honorable.
He takes the gun
           in hand and tells her Rajeshwari is alive, and if she were
to meet Rajeshwari, please tell her that he's not a traitor to his
country.  Meanwhile,
           his father has woken up, and tells Naren that he'll leave
this house over his father's corpse.  Naren says, "As you wish... I
kept quiet when
           Pathak was blown to bits... when I lost the love of my
life because I was your son... But now it is a question of Douglas -
of our
           independence - our nation - and I won't be stopped...
decide whose side you are on... ours or the English... if it's the
English, I will leave
           over your corpse."  His father, shaken, stammers, "I'm
with you, son."  "So say it," Naren demands.  "Say 'victory to
India.'"  He says it, and
           Naren leaves.

        32.Douglas's procession.  Shubhankar prepares to kill him.
Rajeshwari promises that she won't cry.  Naren shows up about the
same time that
           his dad does.  DHS tells the Major that his pistol was
stolen last night by his son.  The soldiers move out to find Naren,
and attack him just
           as he's about to give the gun to Shubhankar.  Douglas
demands that Naren tell him who is with him in this conspiracy.
Naren replies, "The
           entire country."

        33.SONG: KUCH NA KAHO.  Back to the beginning of the movie.
Naren is brought to the scaffold.  On the way, he apologizes to his
           mother and calls his father a traitor.  The town turns out
in force for the funerals of their dead.  Douglas orders the blood
cleaned off the
           stairs.

        34.Shubhankar has an idea.  He fills the water skin with the
petrol that is being used to light the funeral pyres.  He then sends
the water carrier
           up to "clean" the stairs with the petrol.  Shubhankar then
lights it on fire, charging inside the building to spread the gas.
Down below, all is
           chaos as Douglas orders the soldiers to fire into the
square.  Chanda begs her father to stop the shooting - and then is
shot herself.  The
           Major runs down and begs his daughter's forgiveness.  She
says he did nothing - he was only doing his duty.  He remembers her
words of
           last night - that she would do her duty, the duty of an
Indian.  He changes allegiance and rallies the crowd to him.  Between
his actions and
           those of Rajeshwari, Naren, and Shubhankar, the patriotic
Indians take over the building and save the day.  Douglas is hanged.
The end.