| The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Created by | Kabir Khan |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Kabir Khan |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Shah Rukh Khan[1] |
| Theme music composer | Pritam |
| Composers | Julius Packiam Joel Crasto |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Hindi |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Production location | India |
| Cinematography | Aseem Mishra |
| Editors | Peter Alderliesten Rameshwar S. Bhagat |
| Running time | 30–45 Minutes |
| Production company | Kabir Khan Films Pvt. Ltd |
| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | 24 January 2020 (2020-01-24) |
The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye is a television series which premiered onAmazon Prime Video on 24 January 2020. The series is directed byKabir Khan, and is based on true events about the men and women in theIndian National Army (INA) led bySubhash Chandra Bose.[2] The series starsSunny Kaushal andSharvari.[3] Kabir Khan made his directorial debut with a documentary titledThe Forgotten Army in 1999 which was aired byDoordarshan; 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.[4][5] The shooting took place in locations such asThailand,Singapore,Malaysia andMumbai.[4]
The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye, is based on the true story of Indian soldiers allied with the Japanese army, who marched towards the capital, with the war cry 'Challo Dilli' (lit. 'March onDelhi'), to gain Indian independence from colonial rule. TheIndian National Army (INA), which was born out of Indian soldiers who defected to theEmpire of Japan during WWII to fight against allied forces, was led bySubhash Chandra Bose and had the first women's infantry regiment since theRussian units of 1917–1918.[6] 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 is often taken for granted but freedom that costs countless lives and sacrifices. Fighting to keep freedom alive is often more difficult than fighting to gain freedom.
The New Indian Express writes that the series is filled with heartfelt nationalism but falls short on depth.[9] Pratishruti Ganguly writes in theFirstpost that the short series has good performances by numerous actors as well as excellent camera-work, both contributing to a worthwhile cinematic experience.[10]
