''Shaheed Uddham Singh'' is a

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from Docudrama, docudrama films ...

based on the life of

Udham Singh Udham Singh (born Sher Singh; 26 December 1899 – 31 July 1940) was an Indian revolutionary belonging to Ghadar Party and HSRA, best known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab in India, on 13 March ...

, an

revolutionary who had witnessed the 1919 Amritsar massacre and wanted to avenge the mass killing of his countrymen. He was desperate to punish

Michael O'Dwyer Michael Francis O'Dwyer (28 April 1864 – 13 March 1940) was an Irish colonial officer in the Indian Civil Service (ICS) and later the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, British India, between 1913 and 1919. During O'Dwyer's tenure as Punjab' ...

, the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

for his involvement with the massacre. The film was theatrically released in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

on 24 December 1999, just two days before Singh's birth centenary. The film was screened retrospective on 13 August 2016 at the ''Independence Day Film Festival'' jointly presented by the Indian

Directorate of Film Festivals The Directorate of Film Festivals in India was an organisation that initiated and presented the International Film Festival of India, the National Film Awards and the Indian Panorama. Although the Directorate helped appoint members of the jury ...

and

Ministry of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

, commemorating 70th

Indian Independence Day Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947. On this day the Indian Independence Act 1947 came into effect, transferri ...

Summary

Udham Singh Kamboj was born and brought up in a Sikh family in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. Enraged over

Jallianwala Bagh massacre The Jallianwala Bagh massacre (), also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919. A large crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, British India, during the annual Vaisakhi, Baisakhi fair to protest aga ...

that took place in

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

in April 1919 during the day of Baisakhi festival, Singh swears vengeance. He sets about creating obstacles for the British colonial government, and is soon on wanted lists by the authorities. On one occasion he is shielded by a courtesan, Noor Jehan (

Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla Mehta ( Chawla; born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and vivacious on-screen ...

). In order to achieve his vengeance, he travels to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, befriends some local Indians, as well as

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...

, Irene Rose Palmer (Charleen Carswell). He kills

( Dave Anderson), the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, who in 1919, who had authorised Dyer's use of force, during a program at

Caxton Hall Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily noted for its historical associations. It hosted many mainstream and fringe political and a ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He is quickly apprehended, and jailed. He refuses to cooperate with the authorities, nor is he willing to accept that he is mentally incapable. During his trial, he is offered the opportunity to state his case for acquittal but his remarks were deemed incendiary by the judge, who forbade the press from publishing them. He was hanged on 31 July 1940 at

Pentonville Prison HM Prison Pentonville (informally "The Ville") is an English Category B men's prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Pentonville Prison is not in Pentonville, but is located further north, on the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury ar ...

in north London.

Cast

Raj Babbar Raj Babbar (born 23 June 1952) is an Indian Hindi and Punjabi language, Punjabi film actor and politician belonging to Indian National Congress. He is a three-time member of the Lok Sabha and a two-time member of the Rajya Sabha. He was the sta ...

as Sardar Udham Singh Kamboj *

Gurdas Maan Gurdas Maan (born 4 January 1957) is an Indian singer, songwriter and actor mainly associated with Punjabi language music and films. He gained national attention in 1980 with the song "Dil Da Mamla Hai". Since then, he had gone on to record ov ...

Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was an Indian anti-colonial revolutionary who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer in December 1928 in what was intended to be retaliation for the deat ...

* Harsharan Singh as

Sukhdev Thapar Sukhdev Thapar (15 May 1907 – 23 March 1931) was an Indian freedom fighter who fought against the British government for Indian independence. He was a member of the '' Hindustan Socialist Republican Association'' (HSRA), and was executed al ...

Shatrughan Sinha Shatrughan Prasad Sinha (born 15 July 1946) is an Indian actor and politician. He is a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Asansol constituency as a member of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Earlier he was elected as Member of Parliament ...

as Muhammad Khan *

Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Cinema of India, Indian cinema and Theatre of India, theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himsel ...

as The Sufi Saint *

as Noor Jehan *

Ranjeet Ranjeet (born as Gopal Bedi; 12 September 1942) is an Indian actor and film director. He has mostly played villain roles in over 200 Hindi films. He has also played a positive character in the TV series '' Aisa Des Hai Mera''. He has also ...

as Giani Ji *

Tom Alter Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. Early life Born in Mussoorie ...

as Brig. Gen. Edward Harry Dyer * Joseph Lamb as Lord of Adm. Winston Churchill * Dave Anderson as

Barry John Barry John (6 January 1945 – 4 February 2024) was a Welsh rugby union fly-half who played in the 1960s and early 1970s during the amateur era of the sport. John began his rugby career as a schoolboy playing for his local team Cefneithin RF ...

as Lord Keeper Clement Attlee * Barry John as Michael Atlee * David McLennan as

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from ...

* Charleen Carswell as Irene Rose Palmer *

Chetana Das Chetana Das (born in Shillong, Meghalaya, India) is an Indian actress from Assam. She is popular face in Assamese cinema for her comic roles. She is the comedy queen of Assamese film industry. Early life Chetana Das was born in Shillong. She ...

as Udham Singh's mother * Raman Dhillon as Udham Singh's aunt *

Kimi Verma Kimi Verma (born 20 November 1977) is an Indian-American actress and fashion designer who predominantly works in Punjabi language, Punjabi films. Early life Kimi was born in Punjab, India, Punjab on November 20, 1977, then later moved to the cit ...

as Meeto

Music

The film's music was composed by

Jagjit Singh Jagjit Singh (born Jagmohan Singh Dhiman; 8 February 1941 – 10 October 2011) was an Indian composer, singer and musician. He composed and sang in List of languages by number of native speakers in India, numerous languages and is credite ...

and

Sukhshinder Shinda Sukshinder Shinda (born Sukshinder Singh Bhullar) is a British Indian playback singer-songwriter and bhangra record producer from Handsworth in Birmingham, England. He hails from Dhamai village in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, India. Sin ...

.. * Song - "Zaat" sung by

Durga Rangila Durga Rangila is an Indian singer songwriter associated with Punjabi language music. Discography Kali Gani Mitran Di * Pith Te War * Kali Gani Mitran Di * Dil Mere Diyan * Gut Nachdi Di * Haye Ni Munda * Gandasi Khadke * Tera Nachana * Luk Luk ...

* Song - “Ishq Di Baazi” sung by

Gurdas Mann Gurdas Maan (born 4 January 1957) is an Indian singer, songwriter and actor mainly associated with Punjabi language music and films. He gained national attention in 1980 with the song "Dil Da Mamla Hai". Since then, he had gone on to record ov ...

* Song - “Mujrah - Allah Kare Din Na Chadhe” and “Raatan” sung by

Jaspinder Narula Jaspinder Narula (born 14 November 1970) is an Indian singer of playback, classical and Sufi music. She is known for her work in Hindi and Punjabi cinema. She shot to fame after the duet "Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha" with Remo Fernandes from the 19 ...

* Song - “Udham Singh” sung by

Jazzy B Jaswinder Singh Bains (born 1 April 1970), better known by his stage name Jazzy B, is an Indo-Canadian singer and songwriter of Punjabi music, he has also worked in Indian films mainly Punjabi and Hindi. Early life and career Jazzy B was ...

* Song - “Udham Singh” sung by Manjit Pappu * Song - “Shabad Gurbani” and “Sassi” sung by

* Song - “Boli Khich ke”

References

External links

* {{IMDb title 1999 films Punjabi-language Indian films Indian biographical films Films set in the Indian independence movement Best Film on National Integration National Film Award winners Cultural depictions of Bhagat Singh Films about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre Films set in the United Kingdom Cultural depictions of Winston Churchill Films set in Amritsar Cultural depictions of Neville Chamberlain 1990s Indian films 1990s Punjabi-language films