23rd March 1931: Shaheed
Encyclopedia
23rd March 1931: Shaheed is a 2002 Hindi film directed by Guddu Dhanoa which depicts the events leading up to the hanging of Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and his companions Rajguru and Sukhdev
on 23 March 1931. The film stars Bobby Deol
as Bhagat Singh, his elder brother Sunny Deol
as another revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad and Amrita Singh
in her comeback role as Bhagat Singh's mother. Aishwarya Rai
has a special appearance in a song.
This is the second time real-life brothers Sunny and Bobby Deol appear in a film together after Dillagi
(1999). They later came together for the 2007 film Apne
and played reel-life brothers in Heroes (2008 film)
and 2011 film Yamla Pagla Deewana respectively.
The film's release coincided with another film based on Bhagat Singh directed by Rajkumar Santoshi
and titled The Legend of Bhagat Singh
. 23rd March 1931. Both films bombed at the box office
and were both declared disasters. However both were critically appreciated. This film picked up a Zee Cine
Technical Award for Best Art Direction by Nitish Roy.Simple Kapadia
, the costumer designer of the movie also distinguished herself with a perfect replica of the 1930s costumes, making the movie even more realistic.
When produced in court, they dramatically admit to the killing and state that it was done in the name of Freedom. The judge and the public prosecutor do not see it that their way and they are sentenced to life in prison. Bhagat's mother, Vidya, comes to meet him in prison, and he goes to greet her, shackled in chains from head to toe, and he foretells that India will continue to suffer, even after Independence from the British, and that he will return in another birth to free his motherland. Subsequently, all four are charged with treason and assassination and are sentenced to death.
Sukhdev
Sukhdev Thapar was born in Ludhiana, Punjab. He was an Indian freedom fighter who lived from 15 May 1907 to March 23, 1931) who was involved with Shaheed Bhagat Singh andShivaram Rajguru in the killing of a British police officer J.P...
on 23 March 1931. The film stars Bobby Deol
Bobby Deol
Bobby Deol is a Bollywood actor. Deol is the son of the acclaimed Bollywood actor Dharmendra and the brother of Sunny Deol, also a successful actor in the Mumbai based Indian film industry....
as Bhagat Singh, his elder brother Sunny Deol
Sunny Deol
Sunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...
as another revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad and Amrita Singh
Amrita Singh
Amrita Singh is an Indian film actress.-Early life:Amrita is the daughter of Rukhsana Sultana. Mohinder Kaur was the daughter of Sir Sobha Singh, who was a noted civil contractor, and made a substantial fortune during the building of New Delhi in the early decades of the 20th century...
in her comeback role as Bhagat Singh's mother. Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
has a special appearance in a song.
This is the second time real-life brothers Sunny and Bobby Deol appear in a film together after Dillagi
Dillagi
Dillagi is a 1999 Bollywood film directed by Sunny Deol and also starring Sunny Deol alongside his real-life brother Bobby Deol and Urmila Matondkar. The film was a box office flop but Deol's first attempt at directing was appreciated....
(1999). They later came together for the 2007 film Apne
Apne
Apne is a 2007 Bollywood film directed by Anil Sharma. This is the first and one of the two films to feature real life father and sons Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol together. Sunny and Bobby have worked together before in Dillagi. Kiron Kher, Shilpa Shetty and Katrina Kaif play the female...
and played reel-life brothers in Heroes (2008 film)
Heroes (2008 film)
Heroes is a 2008 Hindi film directed by Samir Karnik and starring Salman Khan, Mithun Chakraborty, Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol, Sohail Khan, Dino Morea and Vatsal Sheth. The film was written by Aseem Arora. Although initially set to be released on 6 June 2008, it was pushed to 24 October...
and 2011 film Yamla Pagla Deewana respectively.
The film's release coincided with another film based on Bhagat Singh directed by Rajkumar Santoshi
Rajkumar Santoshi
Rajkumar Santoshi is a Filmfare award-winning Indian film director and producer of Hindi films. He is the son of producer-director P.L. Santoshi.-Career:...
and titled The Legend of Bhagat Singh
The Legend of Bhagat Singh
The Legend of Bhagat Singh is a 2002 Hindi historic biographical film about Bhagat Singh, a freedom fighter who fought for Indian independence. It was directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and starred Ajay Devgan, Sushant Singh, and Ian Davies...
. 23rd March 1931. Both films bombed at the box office
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
and were both declared disasters. However both were critically appreciated. This film picked up a Zee Cine
Zee Cine Awards
The Zee Cine Awards or "ZCA" for short is an awards ceremony for the Hindi film industry. It was first held in 1998 in Mumbai. Since then, it has gained substantial popularity as a notable awards ceremony to the Indian population as well as to the viewers of Zee Network.In 2004, the ZCA went...
Technical Award for Best Art Direction by Nitish Roy.Simple Kapadia
Simple Kapadia
Simple Kapadia was a Bollywood actress and costume designer.Simple Kapadia began her career when she was 18 years old. She made her acting debut in 1977 in the film...
, the costumer designer of the movie also distinguished herself with a perfect replica of the 1930s costumes, making the movie even more realistic.
Plot
Set in 1931, British India, the film tells the story of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad who have only motive in mind: Freedom for India. They set about doing this task together with two other men, Sukhdev and Rajguru. Bhagat Singh is enraged when his mentor Lala Lajpatrai is mercilessly beaten to death by the police, and he sets about to avenge his death. He and his colleagues do succeed in killing one of the officials responsible, but they are identified and as a result Bhagat and Rajguru are arrested and held in prison where they are tortured relentlessly.When produced in court, they dramatically admit to the killing and state that it was done in the name of Freedom. The judge and the public prosecutor do not see it that their way and they are sentenced to life in prison. Bhagat's mother, Vidya, comes to meet him in prison, and he goes to greet her, shackled in chains from head to toe, and he foretells that India will continue to suffer, even after Independence from the British, and that he will return in another birth to free his motherland. Subsequently, all four are charged with treason and assassination and are sentenced to death.
Cast
- Bobby DeolBobby DeolBobby Deol is a Bollywood actor. Deol is the son of the acclaimed Bollywood actor Dharmendra and the brother of Sunny Deol, also a successful actor in the Mumbai based Indian film industry....
as Bhagat Singh - Sunny DeolSunny DeolSunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...
as Chandrashekhar Azad - Amrita SinghAmrita SinghAmrita Singh is an Indian film actress.-Early life:Amrita is the daughter of Rukhsana Sultana. Mohinder Kaur was the daughter of Sir Sobha Singh, who was a noted civil contractor, and made a substantial fortune during the building of New Delhi in the early decades of the 20th century...
as Vidya (Bhagat Singh's mother) - Rahul DevRahul DevRahul Dev is an Indian film actor and former model. Dev is known for his unconventional rugged looks and chiselled features and appearances in action films. He was meant to make his acting debut as the main villain in Mukul S. Anand's 1997 film Dus but the director's death while the film was still...
as SukhdevSukhdevSukhdev Thapar was born in Ludhiana, Punjab. He was an Indian freedom fighter who lived from 15 May 1907 to March 23, 1931) who was involved with Shaheed Bhagat Singh andShivaram Rajguru in the killing of a British police officer J.P... - Vicki Ahuja as Rajguru
- Sachin Khadekar as Advocate Asif Ali
- Suresh OberoiSuresh OberoiSuresh Oberoi is an Indian actor who is also father of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi. He was born in Quetta, now Pakistan and is a recipient of 1987 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor...
as Gaoler Chaddha - Shakti KapoorShakti KapoorShakti Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor. He is notably known for playing vulgar comic and villainous roles. He is known for acting alongside comedian Kader Khan as his sidekick along with Asrani in over 100 films.-Early life:...
as Chattar Singh - Aishwarya RaiAishwarya RaiAishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
in a Special appearance