Introduction

The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye (Hindi title: द फोर्गोटेन आर्मी) is a streaming television series which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 24 January 2020.

The series is directed by Kabir Khan, and is based on true events about the men and women in the Indian National Army (INA) led by Subhash Chandra Bose.

Outline

The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye, is based on the true story of Indian soldiers who marched towards the capital, with the war cry ‘Challo Dilli’, to gain Indian independence from colonial rule. The Indian National Army (INA), which was born out of Indian soldiers who defected to the Empire of Japan during WWII, was led by Subhash Chandra Bose and had the first women’s infantry regiment since the Russian units of 1917-1918. While these soldiers (consisting of both men and women) fought against all odds to gain India its independence, their struggle and story somehow got lost and they became ‘the forgotten army’. With the love story between two soldiers – Sodhi and Maya at the heart of it, the series raises several questions about identity, independence and the idea of motherland and the cost of freedom. Freedom, that we often take for granted but freedom that costs countless lives and sacrifices. Fighting to keep freedom alive is often more difficult than fighting to gain freedom.

Cast

• Sunny Kaushal as Lieutenant(when in the British Indian Army)/Captain(when in the Indian National Army) Surinder Sodhi.
  • M.K. Raina as Old Surinder Sodhi.
• Sharvari Wagh as Maya Shrinivasan.
• Rohit Choudhary as Arshad.
• T.J. Bhanu as Rasamma.
• Karanvir Malhotra as Amar.
• R Badree as Rajan.
• Paloma Monnappa as Rani.
• Shruti Seth as Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan.
• Akhil Iyer as Shridhar.
• Toshiji Takeshima as Daichi.
• Amala Akkineni as Maya’s Mother.
• Nizhalgal Ravi As Maya’s Father.
• Kajol Muskan as Woman soldier (drill commander).
• Junichi Kajioka as Lieutenant General Iwaichi Fujiwara.

Trivia

• Kabir Khan made his directorial debut with a documentary titled The Forgotten Army in 1999 which was aired by Doordarshan; and during a promotional talk, Kabir Khan said the current series is a project that is 20 years in the making, based on his initial documentary.
• Shooting took place in locations such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Mumbai.
• The role of the Indian Army in WWII is largely ignored in western TV and film.

The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye Series

• Episode 01: Shonan.
• Episode 02: POW.
• Episode 03: Chalo Dilli.
• Episode 04: Harakiri.
• Episode 05: Maya.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Kabir Khan … (5 episodes, 2020).
  • Anil Senior … (5 episodes, 2020).
• Producer(s):
  • Rajan Kapoor … executive producer (5 episodes, 2020).
  • Kabir Khan … executive producer (5 episodes, 2020).
  • Aditya Singh … line producer (5 episodes, 2020).
  • Navmeet Singh … Delhi line producer (1 episode, 2020).
• Writer(s):
  • Kabir Khan … (5 episodes, 2020).
  • Heeraz Marfatia … (5 episodes, 2020).
  • Shubhra Swarup … (5 episodes, 2020).
• Music:
• Cinematography:
  • Aseem Mishra … (5 episodes, 2020).
• Editor(s):
  • Peter Alderliesten … (5 episodes, 2020).
  • Rameshwar S. Bhagat … (5 episodes, 2020).
• Production:
  • Kabir Khan Films.
• Distributor(s):
  • Amazon Prime Video.
• Release Date: 24 January 2020.
• Rating: 18+.
• Running Time: 34-46 minutes.
• Country: India.
• Language: Hindi.

Video Link(s)