While there are numerous songs and movies that suggest India had won its independence through ahimsa and non-violence, actual truth lies somewhere else. The Azad Hind Fauj had broken the backbone of the Imperialist power post World War II. Few parts of the cinema industry had focused on the role of Azad Hind Fauj, although justice was not done to their contribution. Another chapter of the uprising that has not been documented deliberately is the naval mutiny of 1946 and how it inflicted unrecoverable damage upon the British Empire.
What Attlee said about India’s freedom?
When visiting India in the 1950s, British Prime Minister Clement Attlee said that the naval mutiny which followed the trials of the INA soldiers had a major impact on the independence process of India.
Justice PV Chakraborty, a former member of the Calcutta High Court, questioned him during his visit, “If you had any specific reason to leave India, then why were you compelled to leave India?”
According to Atlee, “The reasons are many, but in reality it was Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army created by him, that led to the weakening of our forces, and the Royal Indian Navy rebellion,”
He responded with a mocking smirk when asked about the significance of the “Quit India Movement” that Gandhi and Nehru founded: “Negligible [MINIMAL].”
No cinema till date
But even though the country has been independent for more than 75 years and more than 75 years as a result of the historic revolution that uprooted the British, did you realise that to date not a single film or even web series has been produced about this revolution? A person like Gandhi has been the subject of several works and we’re not even talking about the dynastic Nehru-Gandhi family.
Even if some of the major figures in Indian cinema themselves were among those who backed it, the actual national heroes of the nation were unable to receive even a basic level of cinematic treatment.
We found an excerpt from Pramod Kapoor’s book “1946 – Last War of Independence: Royal Indian Navy Mutiny,” in which it was shown right away that the Communist group, which included IPTA, was the one supporting the cause.
If the Indian People Theatres Association (IPTA) is to be believed, notable members including Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Salil Chowdhury, Balraj Sahni, and Prithviraj Kapoor were among its members. Yes, the same Prithviraj Kapoor whose Prithvi Theaters helped establish the beloved Kapoor dynasty in the film industry.
In the history of Indian cinema, there is now only one movie that has ever addressed or depicted this legendary saga. Its name is Iyobinte Pusthakam, a 2014 Malayali film which portrayed the incident as part of the key plot.
Azad Hind Fauz and the Naval Mutiny
The Red Fort trial marked the beginning of the British Empire’s downfall. Then, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was either underground or had disappeared. General Claude Auchinleck, who was in charge of the British Indian Army at the time, told the Indian Viceroy Lord Wavell that despite accusations against the army’s whereabouts, its indentured servants in India would never associate themselves with “cowards.”
The choice, however, ended up being the last straw that wiped off the British Empire’s footprints in India. In stark contrast to the British expectations, the public overwhelmingly supported the INA officers while they were both on trial and in British detention.
The predictions made by General Auchinleck quickly became a reality. The Royal Indian Navy’s officers (non-commissioned officers) flew the rebel flag on HMS Talwar and HMIS Hindustan on February 18, 1946. After leaving their posts, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose posters were displayed by the ratings. The impact of Netaji’s appeal for freedom was clearly apparent.
The revolt quickly spread to Cochin, Bombay, Vishakhapatnam, Karachi, and Calcutta, to name a few. Any officer who objected was thrown off the board.
The fact that neither the Muslim League nor the Congress supported the revolution was the event’s most unfortunate aspect. While the Muslim League refused to acknowledge the existence of any such uprising, Mahatma Gandhi released a statement criticizing it. This demonstrated that both parties had little regard for the populace at large and had instead used their feelings to further British ambitions.
Read more: Has Bollywood given even a single Dalit superstar?
Imagine it for a moment, even if only a portion of it is shown on television or online? Do you know that Sourendra Nath Kohli, one of the commanders who provided these rebels with covert support, went on to hold the position of Chief of our Navy? Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda, a different officer who saw the same thing, later rose to become the Chief of the Naval Staff.
It was a different matter where he maintained his neutrality throughout the incident, yet he was crucial to the win in 1971.
But it is unfortunate for our nation that their great journey was never able to be properly portrayed on the big screen or on OTT. If this were the case, Gandhi, Nehru, and their disciples who had been running their businesses for so long would have been unable to do so because the public would have understood that the country’s freedom was granted by some crazy sailors and soldiers and not by hollow promises of non-violence.
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