Haqeeqat is regarded as one of the classics in the genre of war films India has ever produced. This Chetan Anand-movie, set against the backdrop of the Sino-Indian War of 1962, was a path breaking one in Hindi film industry as no Bollywood director before him ventured into making war films. Haqeeqat was perhaps the predecessor of J.P. Dutta war-dramas like 'Border' and 'LoC Kargil' of our times.
Haqeeqat, released in 1964, starred Balraj Sahni, Vijay Anand, Dharmendra, Priya Rajvansh, Sanjay Khan, Sudhir, Bhupinder, Mac Mohan, Indrani Mukherjee, Achala Sachdev, Shaukat Azmi, Johnny Bakshi and others. Produced, directed and scripted by Chetan Anand, the film had lyrics by Kaifi Azmi and music by Madan Mohan. Cinematography by Sadanand Sengupta was commendable.
Haqeeqat, often labeled as a propaganda film, is thought to be dedicated to Nehru and the resurgence of nationalist sentiment in the wake of the India-China War of 1962. The film is an effortless attempt by Chetan Anand straight from the heart to portray the plights of the soldiers. Haqeeqat is best remembered for poignantly dealing with the mistakes made by our leaders and the defeat suffered by India in the war.
The film throws light on the fact that the '62 war was the first that independent India was directly involved with. Historically speaking, the war brought to the fore India's military capability and explored the Nehruite notions of non-alignment while speeding up the rift in the CPI between Moscow and Beijing aligned groups.
The plot of Haqeeqat revolves around a small platoon of Indian soldiers who are considered dead in the rugged terrain of Ladakh but are later, rescued by Kashmiri gypsies and by Capt. Bahadur Singh, played brilliantly by Dharmendra. They are asked to retreat from their 'chowky' as the Chinese have surrounded them. Capt. Bahadur Singh and his gypsy girlfriend Kammo (Priya Rajvansh) sacrifice their lives to ensure that their comrades can retreat to safety. The retreating soldiers are, unfortunately, outnumbered and give up their lives for the country.
The rugged landscape and those authentic battle scenes were something which the Indian audiences have rarely seen in Bollywood Action Movies before. Movie lovers will still remember the scene where the platoon commander Balraj Sahni condemns Mao's red book, which a soldier spears with a bayonet. What makes Haqeeqat an engaging film is the fact that even the smallest characters have been portrayed in a manner that they come alive like real ones. Haqeeqat transcends beyond the boundaries of a war film and becomes a great human drama.
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