The Forgotten Army - Azaadi ke liye (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Maya - full transcript
There is an attack on the base camp by the British Air Force but that doesn't deter the soldiers from marching ahead. Sodhi orders all the wounded to retreat along with the Women Regiment. Old Sodhi sacrifices his life to save his nephew.
I don't know if you'll
ever get a chance to read this.
We patrol the hills every day in the hope
that one day we'll find you.
Wondering where you might have got lost.
We couldn't find you, but suddenly
one day, I discovered this place.
It's very peaceful out here.
Over here, I don't have to fear
that I'll never see you again.
Because it always feels like
you're close by and that we'll meet soon.
This feeling brings me back here
every day. Closer to you.
"Give me blood,
and I will give you freedom."
Netaji's words became the battle cry
of the Indian National Army,
who refused to give up hope
even when all was lost.
The Indian National Army
continued to fight
to achieve the dream of a free India.
Viewing them as a threat, the British
banned all news related to the INA.
They were immediately branded
as the Army of Traitors.
Maya.
The school is close by.
But there are a lot of
army patrols up ahead.
We should hurry.
Does this path lead up to the school?
No, this path leads up to the school.
I need a little time please.
I want to see something.
Okay, he's gonna stay with you.
He'll lead you to the school.
But please let's hurry up.
Come on. Let's go.
You haven't slept at all
since the day you arrived here.
Surinder...
I see dead bodies when I close my eyes.
Do you know what it feels like
when you're dying of hunger?
You saw Arshad's wound, right?
-It was filled with pus. And maggots.
-Arshad is okay now.
-But Arshad is okay now.
-There were maggots.
Maggots, Maya.
We had nothing to eat.
We just kept walking on and on and on.
Soon we came across
the dead bodies of our comrades.
Rotten dead bodies.
Thousands of our comrades have died, Maya.
And I survived.
Survived, even though we lost.
I wait for you to return, every day.
I've written down
all my feelings for you in these letters.
Hoping you'll read them one day.
But so much has been left unsaid.
Because some things
can't be expressed in words.
They can only be felt.
Run! Get out of here!
Die, you fucking bastards!
-Shit!
-Run!
Take this, bloody bastards!
-Sir?
-Yeah.
Sir, this air raid was to help
the British Army's advance.
One of their Forward Units
will be here by dawn.
What are their orders for us?
The Headquarters has said
that this is now your decision, sir.
Either we retreat to Rangoon,
or try to keep the British at bay.
Sodhi!
Arshad!
We barely have any ammunition left now.
We're all going to die in this place.
It's all over!
He's right. It's all over for us!
There is nothing left now.
Nothing's left, asshole? Can't you fight?
What are you doing? He's right about this!
The Japanese aren't going to send
any more supplies!
They've already retreated to Rangoon!
Take a look at them!
If we stay here,
we're all going to get killed!
There's no point to this, Sodhi.
No point?
After everything that's happened,
you're still looking for a point?
All of them...
Look at them, all those
who are dying here...
and those who died
back in the jungle...
Are you trying to say
their sacrifice is meaningless?
Remember Netaji's battle cry!
"Give me your blood,
and I shall give you freedom."
Netaji is asking for our blood, our blood!
Because without shedding our blood,
we'll never achieve freedom.
We will pay the price
for our freedom right here.
And we shall do so!
Not just once,
but a thousand of times over!
And whether we ourselves,
make it to Delhi or not,
we'll make sure our revolution
reaches Delhi! This is the only way!
All of our brave, wounded soldiers
will be transported back to Rangoon.
And this will be
Rani Jhansi Regiment's duty.
And the rest of us
will stay as long as we can
and stop the British from advancing.
There will come a day,
when India will remember our sacrifices.
They may not understand it.
But they will certainly remember it!
After the war, I kept hiding here
in Maymyo.
It was dangerous outside.
Because British spies were sniffing out
INA soldiers from every corner.
I even had to change my name, to Janki.
Remember you said we're all fighting
the same battle on different fronts.
Maya died in this battle...
And Janki took her place.
Janki is still fighting for freedom.
Freedom became my purpose in life.
And with this purpose,
I even built a school here in Maymyo.
All the girls here
lovingly call me "grandma."
Now these little girls are my warriors.
I have taught them
to fight for what is right.
Just the way Netaji had taught us.
Maya...
Go.
Goodbye for now, Maya.
Take care of yourself.
Knowing that you are safe,
will give him a reason...
to stay alive.
-Jai Hind!
-Jai Hind!
No.
Colonel, did you know my grandma?
Yeah.
But unfortunately...
only for a little while.
People here just told me
that we are too late.
Last year, the army
threw my grandma in jail once again.
She was very sick
when she returned home four months ago.
And then, after four days...
What are you doing, Arshad?
It's been so long
since I saw my pretty face.
I wonder if it's still the same
or the rain washed it away.
Sodhi!
Bloody bastards.
Go to the right!
Use your ammunition wisely!
Cover me, now!
Arshad!
Arshad!
Arshad!
Arshad, get up. You all right?
Get me out, I'm fucked!
Arshad, get up.
I'm all right, Sodhi. Go...
Shut up!
Sodhi, I'm all right. Just go!
Take the gun and go!
Asshole, if you die, I'll kill you!
Pummey!
Move!
Pummey, move!
When we were kids, we'd ask grandma,
"Grandma, whose picture is this?"
And she would say without hesitation,
"This is the man I love."
I'll never forget her smile
when she said those words.
But why didn't you
come back to look for Maya?
I was a prisoner of war.
We had lost everything.
Seventeen thousand of us
were taken back to India and put in jail.
We were imprisoned at the Red Fort
and tried for the crime
of waging war against the British Empire.
We were branded as the Army of Traitors.
But as the truth emerged
during the trials,
there was a wave of sympathy for us
throughout the country.
Thousands of Indians
came out in protest.
There was a mutiny in the
Royal Indian Navy as well.
They changed their name to
The New Indian National Navy.
The entire nation came out
to the streets in our support.
It was only then that the British
finally began to realize
that without the support
of the Indian soldiers,
British rule in India
could not survive for long.
When I got out of the prison in '47,
I learned
that I was now a refugee
in my own country.
My own family home
was in a different country.
Pakistan.
Everything was taken from us.
The Indian Army refused to take us back.
How could they?
After all, we were traitors.
By the time things got better,
five years had already gone.
I managed to go to Singapore in '52,
hoping that I'd might meet Maya,
or find out where she might be.
But I couldn't find her.
Then I came to Burma.
But it was already under martial law.
And outsiders weren't allowed to come in.
I tried many times.
I even crossed the border once.
But unfortunately, I got caught.
And I got deported.
Then one day...
I finally gave up.
I turned my back on life
and everyone else.
I just stopped living.
But she didn't give up, did she?
Maya kept on fighting.
You people gave up your lives
for the country.
To fulfill India's dream.
Maya kept on fighting for freedom as well.
But what did you achieve, Colonel?
What did you really gain from that battle?
Amar, now your generation will tell us
what we really gained from that battle.
The struggle to gain our freedom
may seem easy.
That was our struggle.
But the struggle
to hold on to that freedom
is so much more difficult.
And that battle must be fought by you.
We will take a picture together in Delhi.
At the Red Fort.
No matter what happens tomorrow,
I promise that I'll keep
fighting this battle till I die.
We heard the soldiers
are closing in on us.
They might come to the school.
We have to get out of here right now...
The border is close by.
We can make our way through the jungle.
Okay, okay.
Search over there. Go!
Move, hurry up!
Go! Go! Go!
I can't... walk any more.
I can't go any further.
-What? No way!
-I can't do it!
There is no other way, Amar!
We're here. We'll get you
out of here somehow.
Try to understand what I'm saying!
My leg is broken. I can't walk!
Stop wasting time. Listen to me.
Look there, that's the border.
You've to get there quickly.
Contact the Indian Army
and get their help.
I'll stay here, nothing will happen to me.
Now, go!
Rani, make him understand!
We can't leave you alone here.
If you don't go, I won't go either.
Amar, please understand.
If you stay here,
no one will survive.
Trust me! You'll only be able
to get help if you leave.
-Amar, he's right.
-I'll be fine, Amar. I'll stay hidden.
Let's go together or we'll all be dead.
-Let's go get help now!
-Come on, move! Be brave!
ever get a chance to read this.
We patrol the hills every day in the hope
that one day we'll find you.
Wondering where you might have got lost.
We couldn't find you, but suddenly
one day, I discovered this place.
It's very peaceful out here.
Over here, I don't have to fear
that I'll never see you again.
Because it always feels like
you're close by and that we'll meet soon.
This feeling brings me back here
every day. Closer to you.
"Give me blood,
and I will give you freedom."
Netaji's words became the battle cry
of the Indian National Army,
who refused to give up hope
even when all was lost.
The Indian National Army
continued to fight
to achieve the dream of a free India.
Viewing them as a threat, the British
banned all news related to the INA.
They were immediately branded
as the Army of Traitors.
Maya.
The school is close by.
But there are a lot of
army patrols up ahead.
We should hurry.
Does this path lead up to the school?
No, this path leads up to the school.
I need a little time please.
I want to see something.
Okay, he's gonna stay with you.
He'll lead you to the school.
But please let's hurry up.
Come on. Let's go.
You haven't slept at all
since the day you arrived here.
Surinder...
I see dead bodies when I close my eyes.
Do you know what it feels like
when you're dying of hunger?
You saw Arshad's wound, right?
-It was filled with pus. And maggots.
-Arshad is okay now.
-But Arshad is okay now.
-There were maggots.
Maggots, Maya.
We had nothing to eat.
We just kept walking on and on and on.
Soon we came across
the dead bodies of our comrades.
Rotten dead bodies.
Thousands of our comrades have died, Maya.
And I survived.
Survived, even though we lost.
I wait for you to return, every day.
I've written down
all my feelings for you in these letters.
Hoping you'll read them one day.
But so much has been left unsaid.
Because some things
can't be expressed in words.
They can only be felt.
Run! Get out of here!
Die, you fucking bastards!
-Shit!
-Run!
Take this, bloody bastards!
-Sir?
-Yeah.
Sir, this air raid was to help
the British Army's advance.
One of their Forward Units
will be here by dawn.
What are their orders for us?
The Headquarters has said
that this is now your decision, sir.
Either we retreat to Rangoon,
or try to keep the British at bay.
Sodhi!
Arshad!
We barely have any ammunition left now.
We're all going to die in this place.
It's all over!
He's right. It's all over for us!
There is nothing left now.
Nothing's left, asshole? Can't you fight?
What are you doing? He's right about this!
The Japanese aren't going to send
any more supplies!
They've already retreated to Rangoon!
Take a look at them!
If we stay here,
we're all going to get killed!
There's no point to this, Sodhi.
No point?
After everything that's happened,
you're still looking for a point?
All of them...
Look at them, all those
who are dying here...
and those who died
back in the jungle...
Are you trying to say
their sacrifice is meaningless?
Remember Netaji's battle cry!
"Give me your blood,
and I shall give you freedom."
Netaji is asking for our blood, our blood!
Because without shedding our blood,
we'll never achieve freedom.
We will pay the price
for our freedom right here.
And we shall do so!
Not just once,
but a thousand of times over!
And whether we ourselves,
make it to Delhi or not,
we'll make sure our revolution
reaches Delhi! This is the only way!
All of our brave, wounded soldiers
will be transported back to Rangoon.
And this will be
Rani Jhansi Regiment's duty.
And the rest of us
will stay as long as we can
and stop the British from advancing.
There will come a day,
when India will remember our sacrifices.
They may not understand it.
But they will certainly remember it!
After the war, I kept hiding here
in Maymyo.
It was dangerous outside.
Because British spies were sniffing out
INA soldiers from every corner.
I even had to change my name, to Janki.
Remember you said we're all fighting
the same battle on different fronts.
Maya died in this battle...
And Janki took her place.
Janki is still fighting for freedom.
Freedom became my purpose in life.
And with this purpose,
I even built a school here in Maymyo.
All the girls here
lovingly call me "grandma."
Now these little girls are my warriors.
I have taught them
to fight for what is right.
Just the way Netaji had taught us.
Maya...
Go.
Goodbye for now, Maya.
Take care of yourself.
Knowing that you are safe,
will give him a reason...
to stay alive.
-Jai Hind!
-Jai Hind!
No.
Colonel, did you know my grandma?
Yeah.
But unfortunately...
only for a little while.
People here just told me
that we are too late.
Last year, the army
threw my grandma in jail once again.
She was very sick
when she returned home four months ago.
And then, after four days...
What are you doing, Arshad?
It's been so long
since I saw my pretty face.
I wonder if it's still the same
or the rain washed it away.
Sodhi!
Bloody bastards.
Go to the right!
Use your ammunition wisely!
Cover me, now!
Arshad!
Arshad!
Arshad!
Arshad, get up. You all right?
Get me out, I'm fucked!
Arshad, get up.
I'm all right, Sodhi. Go...
Shut up!
Sodhi, I'm all right. Just go!
Take the gun and go!
Asshole, if you die, I'll kill you!
Pummey!
Move!
Pummey, move!
When we were kids, we'd ask grandma,
"Grandma, whose picture is this?"
And she would say without hesitation,
"This is the man I love."
I'll never forget her smile
when she said those words.
But why didn't you
come back to look for Maya?
I was a prisoner of war.
We had lost everything.
Seventeen thousand of us
were taken back to India and put in jail.
We were imprisoned at the Red Fort
and tried for the crime
of waging war against the British Empire.
We were branded as the Army of Traitors.
But as the truth emerged
during the trials,
there was a wave of sympathy for us
throughout the country.
Thousands of Indians
came out in protest.
There was a mutiny in the
Royal Indian Navy as well.
They changed their name to
The New Indian National Navy.
The entire nation came out
to the streets in our support.
It was only then that the British
finally began to realize
that without the support
of the Indian soldiers,
British rule in India
could not survive for long.
When I got out of the prison in '47,
I learned
that I was now a refugee
in my own country.
My own family home
was in a different country.
Pakistan.
Everything was taken from us.
The Indian Army refused to take us back.
How could they?
After all, we were traitors.
By the time things got better,
five years had already gone.
I managed to go to Singapore in '52,
hoping that I'd might meet Maya,
or find out where she might be.
But I couldn't find her.
Then I came to Burma.
But it was already under martial law.
And outsiders weren't allowed to come in.
I tried many times.
I even crossed the border once.
But unfortunately, I got caught.
And I got deported.
Then one day...
I finally gave up.
I turned my back on life
and everyone else.
I just stopped living.
But she didn't give up, did she?
Maya kept on fighting.
You people gave up your lives
for the country.
To fulfill India's dream.
Maya kept on fighting for freedom as well.
But what did you achieve, Colonel?
What did you really gain from that battle?
Amar, now your generation will tell us
what we really gained from that battle.
The struggle to gain our freedom
may seem easy.
That was our struggle.
But the struggle
to hold on to that freedom
is so much more difficult.
And that battle must be fought by you.
We will take a picture together in Delhi.
At the Red Fort.
No matter what happens tomorrow,
I promise that I'll keep
fighting this battle till I die.
We heard the soldiers
are closing in on us.
They might come to the school.
We have to get out of here right now...
The border is close by.
We can make our way through the jungle.
Okay, okay.
Search over there. Go!
Move, hurry up!
Go! Go! Go!
I can't... walk any more.
I can't go any further.
-What? No way!
-I can't do it!
There is no other way, Amar!
We're here. We'll get you
out of here somehow.
Try to understand what I'm saying!
My leg is broken. I can't walk!
Stop wasting time. Listen to me.
Look there, that's the border.
You've to get there quickly.
Contact the Indian Army
and get their help.
I'll stay here, nothing will happen to me.
Now, go!
Rani, make him understand!
We can't leave you alone here.
If you don't go, I won't go either.
Amar, please understand.
If you stay here,
no one will survive.
Trust me! You'll only be able
to get help if you leave.
-Amar, he's right.
-I'll be fine, Amar. I'll stay hidden.
Let's go together or we'll all be dead.
-Let's go get help now!
-Come on, move! Be brave!